Movie icon rolls into town

MAD Max will return to the big screen with the documentary film Beyond the Wasteland set to play at the Ballarat Drive-In this month.

The doco’s director and co-producer Eddie Beyrouthy said the film began initially as a record of Mad Max star Bertram Cadart’s road trip from Queensland to Melbourne to attend the 40th anniversary celebrations of the original movie.

It quickly evolved to honour the fandom itself.

“Bertram just knew so many people in the Mad Max community, and after about a month of research, we realised that there’s something more, something bigger out there. The movie just grew from there,” Beyrouthy said.

The documentary filmmaker said while Beyond the Wasteland pays tribute to Australia’s role in the series, it also expanded to showcase the global influence of Mad Max on pop culture.

The production travelled abroad to the United States, Japan and Europe to highlight various conventions, events and cosplayers, and Beyrouthy said he was “humbled” by the passion on display by the fans.

“No matter where we were around the world, it was fascinating to see the way everybody connected and worked together and embraced each other and the culture,” he said.

Breaking down the series’ lasting impact, Beyrouthy said the staying power of Mad Max stems from its ability to pool an “ensemble of other passions” from a plethora of groups.

“You’ve got the V8 cars and you’ve got costumes, the rock/punk scene,” he said.

“It’s not just a really specific niche. It’s a wide array of areas that all come into one. There’s a little bit of Mad Max in all of us.”

Beyrouthy said he looks forward to showing Australians the extent to which the series has impacted culture beyond its homeland and that he hopes the film’s sense of community will “drive people’s passion further” for inclusiveness and connectivity.

“The fandom hasn’t been exposed in this way before. We’ve all got our day jobs but these guys, after 5pm they enter another world. They enter the wasteland.”

Beyond the Wasteland screens at the Ballarat Drive In from 8.30pm on Saturday, 19 February. Tickets are available via showbizcinemas.com.au/ballarat/drive-in.

The event also includes a Q&A with Beyrouthy.