NORTH Queensland has had its fair share of Hollywood infiltrations. Most recently, international hit Australia was filmed in the Top End.
Still, you have to look pretty hard to find a fair dinkum North Queenslander film.
That is about to change thanks to Adrian Van Rossum - a multi-talented journalist, director, producer, script writer and camera man who is now finishing up his first major film, Blokes.
The film takes a look at the lives of three men, Burdekin canefarmers Robert Zandonadi and Rick Romeo, along with musician Ron Odgers, who question the changing way society operates while fishing, drinking beer, reading pornographic magazines (yes, the film is at least M) and getting stumped with technology (the internet).
The Burdekin local behind the whole concept, Mr Van Rossum, said there are next to no films out there that show "the bearing of North Queensland life".
"So many films are focused on gangsters and corruption, so I think it is nice to have a change," Mr Van Rossum said.
This film, unlike other movies set in this vast region, is all about North Queensland.
In just three weeks, footage was shot at Ravenswood, Cooktown, the Burdekin and all places in between for a comedy that takes a dig at all of life's troubles which rural producers can resonate with - red tape, bad roads, insecure rail systems and, in general, government.
"When you are making an independent film, you are free to make controversial statements," Mr Van Rossum said.
For anyone living on the land, you can say Mr Van Rossum is a regional ambassador shedding light on problems to everyone in the country, and possibly the world.
Mr Van Rossum plans to show Blokes at film festivals around Australia.
One festival the creator has his eyes set on is the Dungog Film Festival in the Hunter Valley.
"At a film festival, you can get a distribution contract with a major company or be invited to other festivals," Mr Van Rossum said.
Toyotas dozing up and down creek banks where the road resembles some type of rocky, eroded path; barramundi larger than you have ever held; and three genuine actors who question the changes they see around them in a very blokey fashion are just some of the quirks in this comedy.
"Mother Nature was going to be the sound stage for this film," Mr Van Rossum said.
He also said the contrast in characters shows a more serious side to life and how the pasture always seems greener on the other side.
"The characters have been mates since school and talk about their situations," Mr Van Rossum said.
"Nudge (Ron Odgers) is the family man, Two-bags (Robert Zandonadi) is single, not lucky with dating and desperately wants a wife, and Magic (Rick Romeo) is also single but a ladies' man."
As for the audience, Mr Van Rossum has focused on blue-collar alpha males as the prime interest in the film, but for anyone from the country, interest in this film is huge.
The footage is action-packed - setting up camp by the river, driving around well-known North Queensland landmarks, driving through well-known towns - adding a sense of parochialism not often found in other North Queensland films.
For Mr Van Rossum, his interest in filming a comedy in the genre of Kenny, where this talented man draws his inspiration from, started back in 2002.
He went on a fishing trip to the Gulf and filmed his friends.
The footage was edited into a movie and soon enough all sorts of random North Queenslanders were stopping Mr Van Rossum on the street to remark on just how entertaining a movie it was.
"This new film, Blokes, is a mixture of Crocodile Dundee meeting Sex and the City," Mr Van Rossum said.
"It is about time there was a film out there made for men."
Mr Van Rossum should be commended for hiring local talent to star in Blokes.
He put advertisements in local newspapers.
He did not get much of a reaction in Townsville, but in the Burdekin he had plenty of actors to choose from.
In all, 18 people auditioned before Mr Van Rossum narrowed down the field to his final three.
Even though Mr Van Rossum has not finished editing his first large-scale film, he has ideas for a sequel.
The North Queensland Register will keep you posted on the release date of Blokes.
* Visit www.blokes.net.au
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