A Bundaberg filmmaker behind last year's popular Busy Bee documentary, World Famous in Bundaberg, will stream the film free online next week.
James Latter said now was the perfect time to share the documentary to a wider audience and give those in self-isolation some local content to enjoy.
“As an independent film maker working on very low-budget margins, online is the most effective way of reaching as broad an audience as possible,” he said.
“Especially now with the constant restrictions on social gatherings and the very industry of cinema chains teetering very precariously on becoming a luxury experience as a result of the fallout, we’re going to be consuming content digitally a lot more from now on.
“But ultimately, despite those factors, this is a film for the Bundaberg community, and an online release is the most powerful means of getting the film in front of that audience in this day and age.”
World Famous in Bundaberg features the story behind the popular Busy Bee Fish Bar on Targo Street and its owners Kent and Lyn Wong.
Rather than an oral history of Busy Bee, the story has a central focus on their son coming to terms with his father’s legacy and what that means for him.
James said the film would be shared Monday morning on YouTube, Vimeo and his FaceBook page at www.facebook.com/jameslatterfilms.
He said he was excited to showcase the documentary to an even larger audience after the success of the screening in Bundaberg last year.
“I was blown away by the reception from the community when we screened it back in November,” James said.
“We had to present the film three times on the night to accommodate the amount of people who attended and packed out our pop-up theatre on Targo Street.”
James said the reviews he had received about the film were amazing.
“Viewers said it was humorous and heartfelt and had a warm reaction to the way it showed the importance of small business in local economies,” he said.
Storytelling bringis community together
James said due to the global pandemic that people are currently facing, he understood it was a time when small businesses, especially in regional centres, were going to be impacted the most severely.
He said he hoped the free screening of his film would be a nice reminder of simpler times.
“We all need to be reminded of the importance some of those places have served us personally, and to the wider economy, especially in times like the one’s we’re living through right now,” he said.
“It also generates a sense of pride in people to see a slice of their day to day life told back to them when they’re not used to getting exposure.
“I can’t tell you how many people stopped me at the screening to tell their memories growing up with Busy Bee that they were reminded of when they saw the film was happening. Who knows, maybe those stories can be documented in a part two.”
James said he had recently caught up with the team at Busy Bee and was happy to report they were open and filling takeaway orders.
He said while this may change again in the near future, depending on the circumstances surrounding Coronavirus, it was a time to celebrate small businesses and support them as much as possible.
“These are going to be some of the most trying times for small businesses as we ride this out indefinitely together,” James said.
“Some will survive but some may never recover.”
- Previously: Busy Bee Fish Bar unites community
