David Black interview with Bill Mousoulis for the Australian Short Film Network Journal
Portrait of Bill Mousoulis, Athens, Greece, 2011
When it comes to the stalwarts of the local indie film industry, it would be hard to think of anyone more prolific than Bill Mousoulis. Bill runs a couple of websites, “Melbourne Independent Filmmakers” and “Pure Shit Australian Cinema”, which have been my go to sources when researching for interviews. He also runs the “Unknown Pleasures: Australian Independent Cinema” screenings.
Bill has made over 10 feature films and 100 shorts since 1982, but even this is barely scratching the surface of how much this filmmaker, critic and programmer has done. I won’t be able to cover it all in this short interview, but I am hoping to get a decent over view of the work of this tireless man.
Still from “Family Life”, Mousoulis’ first Super 8 short, 1982
DB – DB – thanks for taking the time to chat to me today Bill. You’re love affair with filmmaking starts at least as far back as 1982 when you bought your first super 8 camera and made a 3 minute short called “Family Life”. Can you tell us a bit more about your early days in filmmaking and your motivations?
BM – Thanks for your interest, David! Yes, I’m coming up to my 40th anniversary soon of my involvement in film, and it’s been a great ride! Back in 1982, as an 18 year old, I really had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, but I had begun to fall deeply in love with cinema, discovering European cinema that year. I was at my local library one day, looking at the film books, and I noticed a book on Super 8 filmmaking.
It all of a sudden occurred to me that I too could buy a Super 8 camera and start making my own films! This revelation led me to my first short film, “Family Life”, in October of that year, which was the very first roll of film I filmed (and I then changed its order, learning how to edit in the process, it was all a physical process in those days of course). It was just shots of my daggy Greek family, but from that moment I was hooked. Many more Super 8 shorts followed in the next years in the ‘80s, as well as some 16mm. shorts, and grants and festivals and awards, etc.
Mousoulis running Super 8 Group screening in 1989
DB – You got into organising and helping out the local indie film industry soon after by starting “The Melbourne Super 8 Film Group” in 1985, which ran for over 15 years. Can you tell us more about your work in helping other local filmmakers?
BM – Yes, at first I was involved with a Super 8 Club at RMIT, in 1983, and then the main Super 8 Group was formed in late 1985, with activities then commencing in early 1986. The monthly screenings we had were like West Side Shorts or Filmonik these days, just a group of filmmakers bringing films along and a nicely social atmosphere. It was a vibrant scene, but in the late ‘90s everything shifted to digital filmmaking, and the online sphere was slowly building, and also a more individualistic philosophy started taking hold of indie filmmakers, rather than the co-operative philosophy. I’m glad groups like West Side exist now still.
In the 2000s, I myself focused on my own work a lot, and then also I went overseas for around 10 years, but I still kept my support of indie filmmakers going through my website “Melbourne independent filmmakers”.
Now, back living in Australia again in the past few years, I’ve been running monthly (Covid-permitting, which it hasn’t!) screenings of Australian indie film works, the “Unknown Pleasures” screenings, together with Chris Luscri, who is also someone who helps indie filmmakers out a lot.
Mousoulis sitting in on an international festival panel, Cyprus, 2012
DB – Bill, you’ve also been very active in documenting the local film industry as a journalist. In 1999 you started an online journal, “Senses of the Cinema”. I believe that you have also written for Neos Kosmos and other outlets. Please tell me more about your journalistic work.
BM – Yes, in a way, I’ve been interested in all kinds of connection to cinema (indie cinema in particular) – organiser of screenings, filmmaker, website manager, avid cinephile, but also critic. For “Senses of Cinema”, I did broad criticism too, of international cinema – festival films, analyses of various directors, etc. (though I’m far from an “academic” type of person).
This can get a little tricky, as my support of indie filmmakers in Australia is egalitarian, but if I’m doing a review of a local indie filmmaker’s work, I’ll be honest in my assessment. With “Senses of Cinema”, I ran it only for a couple of years, at the start, but did continue writing for it in later years, especially from 2009 to 2012, as a critic based in Greece. This was a thrill, being able to attend various festivals in different European cities, as I got to soak in the deep cultural atmosphere of European cinema, in the process meeting some of my favourite directors (and critics too actually).
And yes, I wrote for the Greek paper in Melbourne, “Neos Kosmos”, reports on Greek cinema, but also some social-observation type pieces, which were fun to do. I’ve enjoyed writing over the years, but only as a side-interest in a way.
Mousoulis shooting 16mm. short “Between Us” in 1989
DB – We’ve barely touched your filmmaking in this interview, and I take it that making films is your main passion? You have done so much in this area, that I will leave it to you to give our readers an overview.
BM – Yes, separate to all my film cultural work, my filmmaking has been my main passion. And I’ve always been only interested in my own projects (though with collaborations with others involved too of course, especially for the writing stage). I’ve never entertained anything commercial, or tried to tailor my films to be marketable (or “indie hip”, etc.).
I’ve made 100 shorts, most were made quickly and were great fun, but the main body of my work is in the 10 features I’ve made. My work has changed over the years. I used to rely more on scripts, but from my 6th feature onwards, the films have been mainly improvised. And my last two features (in 2012 and 2017) were made in Greece (one of them co-shot in Italy), and this opened my cinema up to different styles and themes. I found that it was quite easy to do the no-budget guerrilla approach in Greece, as people were very giving with their time and enthusiasm.
In Australia these days, everything is more about money, which is a shame. But there are still lots of indie filmmakers around who break that industry paradigm and just proceed to do their own thing, people like Matthew Victor Pastor in Melbourne for example is a real inspiration in how he makes his work.
Mousoulis shooting “Songs of Revolution” in Athens, Greece, in 2016
DB – You have done such a wide variety of things in support of the local film industry Bill, and I’m sure that we’ve missed some things. An article like this can’t cover everything, so rather than covering more of what you have done, can you tell us about your future plans?
BM – My future is “more of the same” in a way, but with a lot less activity! I can’t make films any more like I used to in my 20s and 30s, where I would spend all my waking hours for weeks and months sometimes, making films. Also, one realises after a while, that there other things in life, that need time to truly do them justice: travel, relationships, reflection, and all the simple things in life like walking and appreciating nature.
That said, yes, there is another feature film in the works (to be shot in Adelaide, where I am based), and plans for more screenings in Melbourne, and other things where I can be of service to the work of indie filmmakers, past and present. I feel sharper and more political these days too, in terms of being more anti-industry, anti-commercial, etc., so who knows where that might take me also!
Super 8 short film "Winter" in 1998
DB – Thanks for taking the time to chat to me today Bill. I am totally blown away by all the work you have done. Is there somewhere where our readers can follow your work?
BM – Thanks for your time too, David! Yes, people can go to innersense.com.au, and from there there is links to all my films (most are on Vimeo for free), and my writings, and info on the screenings I put together. Cheers!