Awakenings come hard and fast when you're a teenager.
Your world-view can shift dramatically on a dime: sometimes it's after watching a piece of world-expanding cinema that pushes you to reconsider the world around you. Sometimes it's after reading a novel or hearing a song that gives voice to a feeling you couldn't articulate or didn't know others contained...
Sometimes it's selling a turkey baster at your first part-time job!
In Naarm-based filmmaker Yvette Turnbull's new short Fourteen and Nine Months, she tells the story of Freya, a rural teenager whose encounter with a lesbian couple in the market for a turkey baster gently ushers in a better understand herself and the community around her.
ACMI X & Industry Programs Producer Anton De Ionno had a good ol' chin wag with Turnbull about telling uplifting queer stories, some clever "process hacks" and making movies in regional towns.
AD: This film received financial support from Midsumma Festival's Victoria Pride Regional Activation program and VIC Pride, can you tell us about working with Midsumma and a queer-run organisation?
YT: Midsumma have been so incredibly supportive of my practice over the years. I was a Midsumma Futures Mentee in 2017/18, a mentoring program that has morphed into their current Pathways program. And their support for FANM over the past two years has been honestly ideal. The Regional Activation Program has been a rare opportunity that has provided such a supportive environment and a lot of flexibility and creative license. It has always been my project, I’ve never felt pushed into one direction or another, I’ve just felt held and like I’ve had this wonderful support team alongside me as I try to make this project a reality. And obviously the financial contribution has meant that we were able to engage so many talented creatives and make something really polished with a high production value. I’m so grateful and proud of what we’ve made.
AD: Queer stories set in regional locations often explore quite traumatic and isolated experiences of queerness. FANM is an exception: the film has a lot of sweetness and optimism to it. Was that a conscious choice?
YT: Oh absolutely! I think my main goal or purpose I’ve set myself as a filmmaker is to make people laugh. I want to make work that matches my values and quite frankly I’m sick of the tired agenda that all queer stories have to be traumatic tear-jerkers. We have so many uplifting narratives to share! It’s been said before, but representation is so vital. Particularly in the current political climate, we need to see ourselves on screen in relatable and uplifting ways. Now more than ever, we need to promote hope.
AD: You’ve recently directly two shorts – one was shot in inner Melbourne and the other in Bendigo: how did the shoots differ due to the locations? Was there anything that surprised you about making a short film in a regional location?
YT: What shocked me was how generous and supportive everyone was in Bendigo! We had soooo many amazing partners, suppliers and local businesses jump to come onboard and provide so much in-kind support. Its honestly the nicest thing. I’m so humbled by the support from the community I’ve created around this project in Bendigo and back in Melbourne. Call me grateful, I’m chuffed!
AD: Can you talk a little about writing a story set in a regional location? Did it influence the way you approached telling the story?
The film was orginally inspired by my dear friend Freya. It was 2023 and I was halfway through writing and creating my first short film Tomorrows with my co-writer Amber Gibson, and I needed a side project to distract me. One night hanging out with Freya over some drinks, she recalled this story from her childhood where she used to work at a kitchen supply store in Woodend and sell turkey basters to the vibrant queer community on what she dubbed “Dyke Day Sunday”.
It felt too good to pass up! And with her permsission and a looming MQFF Pitch Pleez deadline I smashed out the first draft of FANM in less than 2 weeks!
Whilst I didn’t grow up regionally, I did grow up in the suburbs of south east QLD and I’m interested in weaving semi-autobiographical stories with fictional narratives, so there is a lot of me in this story as much as Freya and also hopefully some other relatable fun characters too.
AD: Most of the cast of FANM are based around regional Victoria: what was the casting process like? Were there unique challenges or advantages when casting actors outside of Melbourne?
YT: Our amazing lead Izzy Harrod Speight is local to the region as well as all of our background extras. We sent out a wide net with our casting call and approached local theatre companies like Arena Theatre Company and organizations like Emporium Creative Hub and La Trobe Art Institute to get the word out. It was such a wholesome process. I loved watching the audition tapes we received, honestly one of the best parts of being a Director. It’s such a joy, I feel so lucky.
AD: The script was workshopped with a reading in Bendigo and a test shoot was done in Melbourne. Can you talk about how the project or script changed or evolved after those workshops? How important do you find table reads and rehearsals are for filmmakers?
YT: It was such a privilege to have that development time baked into the budget. Considering we are only a small production, honestly just having those few days in Bendigo early on, it was so valuable to have feedback from the local community in the script development. It really helped shape the work.
Filming a little test shoot on my phone and teaching myself to cut it together has been one of the best “process hacks” to emerge for me in the past two years. Its something I’m keen to bring into every project! I also think it’s unbelievably valuable to have rehearsal time with the cast and crew before the shoot. On both my shorts, we had a “family dinner” alongside a table read and it was the perfect opportunity for everyone to get to know each other, across departments and to create a supportive, inclusive environment. This sets the tone for when we are on set, I really want to make a safe and welcoming environment for everyone involved.
AD: Do you have any advice for filmmakers or artists thinking about creating work in regional locations?
YT: Don’t hesitate! I acknowledge I had resources at my disposal, though at the end of the day, you make what you can with what you have! It was such a privilege and a joy to be so warmly welcomed by the regional community and to make work on Dja Dja Wurrung land.
AD: The film had its world premiere last month in Bendigo. How important is it to you to have the film seen by a regional audience?
YT: It's so exciting. This project is made for the minorities and made for the communities it speaks to. I can’t wait to share it with more regional audiences!
Fourteen and Nine Months on Instagram @fourteenandninemonths
Yvette Turnbull is on Instagram @yvette_turnbull