A Local Short Film That Will Make a Difference

Luis and I (Luis Basnett and Archie Lush), are the creators and writers of Blunt, a film with a crucial message for children, young adults, and anyone navigating the complexities of finding their way in life.

Why Blunt ?

We know there are many challenges in choosing a creative, non-linear career path, as opposed to a more “conventional” route... like choosing to be a dancer rather than an accountant or a physiotherapist!

This film is aimed at people aged 16-25; people who are transitioning into the “real world”. People who have hopes – but equal fears - of following their unconventional dreams.

We need your help to bring this film to life – to show these young people that it is possible to achieve their goals; to be ambitious and believe in themselves. (In saying that however, we know people tend to change careers up to 3-7 times on average in their life. So actually, this film could be for anyone, of any age!)

The Motivation

”I want to be actor”, “I want to be a sculptor”, “I want to direct for stage and screen”

When did you last hear that, and what was the judgement you made? Did you judge them? Did you doubt them?

Let me take you back to August last year. I had a conversation with my mum about what I wanted for 2024, and what my goals and plans were. She’d read the script for Blunt and loved it. “Wow… I’d go see that Arch”. Keep in mind, she's not that kind of person. She can be brutal; in the best way. She’ll tell you if something's shit, so I knew we were onto something good here. She knew Luis and I had been working tirelessly on the script, staying up until 3am most nights writing and creating.

However, when I said I wanted to get our film produced in 2024, to really work and focus on what was now our baby, and get it out into the world, there was this unspoken doubt. So I questioned it.

“What's that look for?”

“Don’t take it like that, it’s just, it’s a lot of time and effort for something so unpredictable. I just want what's best for you.”

She then started talking about more “comfortable” things I could be doing, “You know, you could keep going with your Dominos delivery driving, maybe also find another job -” I cut her off.

“Mum, just, listen for one second. This. This right here. This is why I'm making this film.”

And you know… she smiled.

“Touché… I trust you.”

And so that's why we're making this. Well…mostly. The film was written because we knew it was something important that needed to be addressed, and we knew that other artists like ourselves would think so too. But also, being an artist is hard work. The obsession over your craft, the always wanting to improve, the climbing of that invisible ladder. It can be so overwhelming. But also so rewarding.

That’s also why we want to bring Blunt to reality. To shed light on those artists who are disillusioned with their art, thinking their hard work is going unnoticed, unrewarded. It can get lonely, and we want to address that. We want to make these beautiful people feel seen. But mostly - to take this stigma of judgment and doubt, and grab it by the balls.

And to do that, we really need your help.

What do you reckon?

Ok great, but what's it about?

Let me tell you…

Faced by a devastating rejection from a renowned culinary school, a young man, committed to becoming a professional chef, must decide if the sacrifices needed to succeed are truly worth the rewards they may hold for his future.

Sounds cool? We thought so. But we say no more. This film is full of twists, turns and wtf’s, and to put it bluntly (see what we did there), we’d hate to ruin it for you.

Where do we want this film to go?

Oh what a great question. And to be honest, we won’t know until we get there. But, something we’re working towards is getting this film infront of students around Australia, and who knows, maybe the rest of the world. We aim to push this film further, through festivals, nationally and internationally. We can only wait to see what happens. But we’re confident as more people hear about it, and us, the more opportunities will arise.

For us, thinking differently is crucial. The world is facing many challenges, such as climate change, social injustice, pandemics, and technological disruption. To overcome these challenges, we need to be thinking beyond conventional wisdom and the established norms, and explore new possibilities and perspectives. With Blunt, we hope to broaden the view of career choices for young people, and encourage out-of-the-box thinking. Even if the individual does not choose a creative pathway, they still have the awareness and encouragement to take their life to places they didn't know were achievable.

So… This is where you come in!

In order for this film to be the best it can be, we need skilled professionals who we can pay (we’re all about creating work!). This is not an expensive film to make. What we’re focusing on is having enough money to pay our cast and crew. We’re aiming to raise around 20k..

We ask only 2 things from you. You may do both, one, or none. (No hard feelings.) We’d just be eternally grateful for your help to make this dream of ours a reality.

The two things:

1. We’re all about collaboration and exploring opportunities. And there's no way we can know everyone in Perth, so while we’re still in the funding stage of this project, and are in the midst of bringing together a wonderfully skilled crew, we’re asking… If there is someone you know that may be interested in joining us on this project whom you think would be a crucial asset - GET IN TOUCH!! We’ve got a list of people that may be part of this project, but we wanted to ask in case someone wanted the chance to work on a project that we hope can change lives. Also, casting will be coming up, so if you know any actors, keep your ears and eyes posted for upcoming casting calls!

2. You guessed it! The reason for any of this funding, is to of course raise funds, and without generous people like yourselves, it wouldn't be possible. So we ask, if you think this film is as important as we do, it would mean the world if you left a donation, no matter how big or small. Even if you have no funds to donate, sharing this project with someone who might find it intriguing is awesome as well! Keep in mind, this film is a not-for-profit. Any money raised or made from this film, is being put straight back into the industry. We want to show that it's possible for a place as small and isolated as Perth, to have an art scene that creates impactful, and meaningful art.

We thank you so much for your time.

Feel free to reach out for any questions or enquiries, using the contact button.

Archie and Luis x