Local doco shines at Melbourne International Cineverse Film Festival

THE Melbourne International Cineverse Film Festival has awarded Best Documentary to a film made by a group of locals.

SFC Custom Films, comprising a group of surfers on a mission to make environmentally focused films about local businesses, were the team behind the production.

Directed by Brad Coetzee, a year ago the group produced Beehives & Bottom Turns, featuring a local beekeeper, surfer and owner of Coastal Nectar.

Mr Coetzee said it was surprising and unexpected to learn they had won Best Documentary at the film festival.

“The team at large decided to put on an event to showcase the film and it got such a good reception there that Tom, who is Coastal Nectar, said ‘If it got such a good reception here, let’s see how it does in film festivals’.

“He drove the whole film festival and entering the film in film festivals and then it was well received, we did not expect to win anything.

“We heard from the organisers that every single person who viewed it – there’s a whole team of people who view them – all put forward their recommendations and all just love the film.”

Beehives & Bottom Turns was the first film the group produced together, premiering last year to 100 people at the Bells Beach Brewery.

The director said one of the biggest draw cards for the film was Tom himself and his warm, welcoming personality and passion for his craft.

“It’s quite a niche market, environmentally focused surf films so it obviously hasn’t been touched on too greatly, especially in the film festival space and people really enjoy that content.”