Where did the idea for Push Bike come from?

It’s vaguely based on a dream that my scriptwriter had. Push Bike was her first script. She was, I suppose, in a marriage similar to the one represented in Push Bike. So, I think it’s based on her experience. I hope she does not mind me telling you that.

How many short films have you made?

Push Bike is my eighth. But I did a lot of studies, so a lot of those were film school projects. My graduation film from the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) in Sydney was called Milk and it did really well. It went to Cannes and it was pre-selected for an Oscar. It won awards everywhere. And I thought it was going to be the launching pad for a feature. But it’s so difficult to get the script to work and I’ve been working on it with a first-time writer as well. It’s been a pretty long journey, though we are getting close now. But meanwhile, I realized I had to go back and make a few more shorts just because I might forget how to do this. We only had a $3000 budget for Push Bike, and we invested some money ourselves. So Push Bike was done to sort of keep practice for me as a director.

When I told you the film was in the festival you mentioned it had a few flaws.

Why do I do that? I don’t know. I have made shorts before that had a lot more resources behind them, so it was challenging to make a film with such a limited budget even though now a lot more possible than it was seven years ago. Digital technology is amazing. I suppose there are just a couple of things that I am not thrilled about, but I probably should not talk about those. I am always critical of everything I do.

What did you like about the script?

I loved that it explores that quandary of how to balance a family life, marriage, and a committed relationship with sexuality. And I feel that there is no answer to that question and that it’s a universal problem that this woman faced. I suppose repressed sexuality can become a kind of dark force, but she finds a way to release it and it’s up to the audience to decide. When I first read the script, there was a slight demonization of the husband. But the writer agreed with me that it would be a more interesting film if he just was a husband. We don’t really get to know him at all, but he was not the reason why she needed to have that experience. She was not a victim of him. She was not a victim of a bad marriage. That world was fine, but it just wasn’t enough. I like films that explore difficult questions.

How did you convince an actress to ride naked on a bike?

I found an incredibly brave, committed actress, I was very lucky to have her. It was in a very secluded park with a bike path. And we had dressing gowns on both ends for her. The whole film required such bravery on her part. And the sex scene was very challenging as well. If she wasn’t having sex, she was riding naked or swimming in a cold pool or having a cold shower.

What makes a great short film to you?

It needs to be a really committed vision. I like exploring something in detail, something that isn’t normally studied. Small story in magnified detail.

Given that you are also a film teacher, what advice do you have for young filmmakers who are about to make their first short film?

I always tell my students that instead of trying to predict what an audience will like, explore your own obsessions in detail. These are the films the audience will end up responding to. We are all trying to look for formulas. And that’s a real problem with Australian films as well. We think: Oh, that was really successful. Let’s try to make something like that again. I am not saying it’s a bad or a good thing. I just think that you have to get in touch with your own personal obsessions, interests, or fascinations and then magnify those on screen. I think short films should be about that.

The cinematography in the film is wonderful. Can you tell us about it?

The cinematographer’s name is Aron Leong. He is a delightful man and he loves what he does and he is lovely to work with. Our film has won a gold Cinematography Society Award among a few others.

What advice do you have for the husband in the film?

It’s not about the husband. I am interested in her. He had a bigger story initially, but I cropped him in the edit because I realized it wasn’t about him.

Tell us about your next project, the feature film.

It’s called Collaborators. And it’s been a very long collaboration. I am working with a writer Shane Danielsen. He is a fairly well-known Australian and he used to be the artistic director of the Edinburgh Film Festival He has seen every film ever made and he also has been a film critic for 20 years. It’s a story about a friendship between two women who were teenage friends and they reconnect after 20 years. It’s a love triangle story with elements of a thriller and rather daring sexual exploration. It has a controversial edge to it.