The queer filmmaker talks about her directorial debut and telling LGBTQIA stories
BY NIC CROSARA, IMAGE BY SKY CINEMA
Sky Cinema kicked off this year’s Pride Month with the release of the feel good film Bonus Track. We meet George, a socially awkward youth who only cares about music. But when the very charming Max joins his school, George realises he just might be the key to writing the perfect song.
Bonus Track is a heartwarming coming-of-age film with a mighty creative team behind it. The script was penned by Josh O’Connor and Michael Gilbert and was directed by queer filmmaker Julia Jackman. We caught up with Julia to find out more about the film and her career journey.
DIVA: What inspired you to make Bonus Track your directorial debut?
Julia: Bonus Track was sort of unexpected for me. I received the script through my lovely agent during lockdown, one of the strangest times any of us has experienced. I was drawn to the humour and warmth of it, and really feeling the value of a comfort watch in a scary landscape. There was an added element of nostalgia for that time, when I was in school and having my first experiences, and the opportunity to do something fun and wholesome in that space felt new and appealing to me.
What do you hope LGBTQIA audiences take away from the film?
Some of my absolute favourite films are thrillers or more social realist, and I have a massive respect for films with queer characters that delve into the very real challenges we face. But I hope that this film can be a fun, comforting, lo-fi watch when the stress is all getting a bit much and you want to see some awkward Y2K baby queers figure it out (while dressed terribly). Also, queer legends playing incredibly overzealous kayaking instructors, screaming fans and more.
Can you remember the moment you knew you wanted to go into filmmaking?
It really cemented for me when I made my first short! I always enjoyed writing but didn’t have time to do much of it in my job. Directing felt far out of my comfort zone and I didn’t know what to expect, but standing behind the monitor watching an actor work was fascinating, working with the crew to bring something to life was exciting, and the collaborative element brought me out of my shell.
What has it been like for you navigating the industry as a queer filmmaker?
The industry side is still pretty new for me. I would say I’ve been lucky to find incredibly supportive collaborators, especially in Erebus Pictures. But as a filmmaker in general, this past year has been really hard with the strikes. If any filmmakers are reading this, a lot of us work non-film jobs to stay afloat, it’s not just you, you’re not alone! Let’s try to hang in there.
Now back to the queer film landscape, I do think there’s still a lingering tendency to treat “queer” as a film genre, and I hope that this passes somewhat. But I have faith it will as we get more and more stories out there, whether escapist or heartbreaking or action-packed or whatever we want to say. It’s happening!
Are you working on any other projects you can tell our readers about?
I’m working on a project called The 100 Nights Of Hero, based on a graphic novel. It’s about a woman called Cherry and her maid Hero, who find themselves trapped in a castle with an unwanted suitor called Manfred. Some exciting things are happening with that, so fingers crossed we get to make it soon.
Bonus Track is available now on Sky Cinema.
I hope that this film can be a fun, comforting, lo-fi watch when the stress is all getting a bit much
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