Darius Devas is a very inspiring filmmaker, who calls Byron Bay home (in between creative moments in Melbourne). He grew up in Byron and throughout school always thought he was going to be an actor, but when he made a surf (bodyboarding) film in Year-12 that was well received, he was lead down a path of being behind the camera.
Here are a few questions we threw at Darius on the eve of the Goa Hippy Tribe screening this coming Wednesday 10th of August (7.30pm).
Tell us how you got into film-making, and a bit about your personal journey within your passion?
Making surf films was great because it was a really hands on approach to filmmaking, so I got really involved with many different aspects of the craft, it was a fun life for someone who had just left school. After a while though I got a bit stagnant with it, I think my passion truly lies in telling stories, and because I had always wanted to be an actor, I’m drawn to narrative filmmaking.
You are showing your latest treat, Goa Hippy Tribe on Wednesday at the Community Centre, how did this concept come to fruition?
My parents were hippies. I spent the first three years of my life living in Goa, so obviously I had a personal connection to the story. Cut to 2009, I’d just spent three years making my first feature film Further We Search. I was feeling pretty down about the minimal response the film was getting, then out of nowhere this opportunity popped up, and although it was documentary (another path I didn’t think I was going to follow), I just went with it and discovered a side of my expression that really made me come alive… Interviewing people and hearing their stories.
Goa Hippy Tribe documentary series – Introduction from Being Films on Vimeo.
Is this ‘sharing of stories’ a next step in your film-making evolution?
Yeah. My passion right now is in sharing peoples stories, but to expand on that, its about telling stories people can relate to, and in some small way connect the viewer into their own journey. It’s a visual dialogue about this strange experience we all share of being human.
Where do you see yourself in say 10 years?
Continuing on with film and evolving my creative output, its so hard to gauge as the world is changing so fast. I’d like to have a family at some point, that to me is life’s biggest creative project!
You are a sucker for creative punishment, tell us a bit about the reality of independent film?
Independent film is a cocktail of emotions really, it can be so challenging to get supported and financed, but at the same time the tools to realise your visions are so much more readily available which is really exciting. I just shot a filmclip with a friend, it was just a two man shoot and a really organic process, it reminded me why I’m a film-maker, some times you get so buried down in paperwork you can forget!
For those whom don’t know about Wednesday night, here is your chance to tell all!
On Wednesday I will briefly discuss my work to date, from my early surf films, to the experience working with Lonely Planet, and the journey of completing Further We Search. I’ll then talk through the creation of Goa Hippy Tribe and how the online platform reshapes not only the way films can be realised, but also how audiences can interact and engage with content. It should be a fun night, a good mix of discussion and film.
The Goa Hippy Tribe screening and discussion is on at the Byron Bay Community Centre, this Wednesday 10th of August at 7.30pm. Tickets available on the door. See you there!