Told he only had a short time to live, Joshua Belinfante sought out dedicated talents around the world striving their best at what they always wanted to do as kids; trying to find what he would do if given a second chance.

Interview with Director/Producer/Editor Joshua Belinfante

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Becoming an artist and making films wasn’t something that seemed possible at an early age, so I went to university and studied to become a solicitor whilst also studying filmmaking, my real passion. Then in 2014, out of the blue, I received a phone call that changed my life. I was in the middle of a university lecture and I was told that I had something growing inside my lungs and that I needed to stop what I was doing and call an ambulance and head to the hospital.

In a flash, I thought about how nothing I was doing at that moment mattered to what I was now staring down. At that moment I thought of everything I wanted to do if this hadn’t happened.

I was lucky enough to get that second chance and as soon as I was fit and able I booked a flight to Europe and my quest to make The World’s Best Film began!

I wanted to tell the stories of people that might not normally have their stories told, everyone from the dog sitter, to the town planner, the zaniest or the most seemingly mundane to show that you can make a life and a living doing whatever you want.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

If you’re someone that’s ever felt lost with what to do in your life, or if you’ve been putting off that new hobby or passion this film is for you. It’s perhaps a cliché that’s thrown around at the moment, that there’s never been a better time to find a new hobby. If you want to sit back and watch a plethora of examples of things you could do with your life, from the comfort of your living room, or the comfort of a cinema when they open back up, check out these 13 stories of colourful oddballs and beautiful souls from around the world who followed their own path and made it work!

Rachel Cole Wilkin, the World's Best Toilet Tour Guide

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

The central theme of The World’s Best Film is following your passions; maybe that’s doing something that other people told you not to do, reconnecting with what you always wanted to do as a child or maybe you don’t know what it is yet and you’re still working it out. It’s about overcoming adversity thrown at you, against your will and being the best version of yourself that you can be.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

I started the journey with an idea and a grassroots workflow, arriving in a new country, asking locals “hey whose doing something bizarre and interesting in this town?” and trying to find people face to face. The film evolved through throwing myself in the deep end, in sometimes uncomfortable, dangerous and hilarious situations. The results are mostly embodied in the finished film. Through the course of the editing process, I realised that the audience would probably need to hear from me, in order to appreciate the context of why they were hearing the stories they were hearing. I realised my personal link to each individual needed to be documented, it was a strange realisation to have!

My process of editing was always for the film to tell me what it needed, where it needed to go, what part of my life was necessary to include to make things flow and connect. It wasn’t about what I wanted as a person but what the film needed from me as a filmmaker.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

I was blown away by the things people confessed to me about their own lives, and how showing my own story allowed them to rethink their own life decisions. One person told me they were going to finally do the thing they have been putting off for years. Straight after the credits rolled, without me so much as saying a word. That has been one of the highlights for me so far.

Gabriela Bonér - The World's Best Dog Sitter

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

I know in my heart I made the film for people facing some kind of adversity or for people who are feeling lost in their lives, who may have faced backlash from other generations about the things they chose to do for a living. I know that I made it for those people that have changed professions and life paths multiple times and are still working it out, just like I was doing. Some people told me to totally remove entire individuals from the film because they had such a strong reaction to what these people were doing with their life! I am actually proud that the film sparked those kinds of reactions and conversations. Some people say things like “What? I’m sorry they do what for a living? That’s not a real profession. Wait is it?!”

The feedback was very useful in striking a balance between my goals as a filmmaker and what I felt comfortable with saying and showing as a person, I know strange to say they are different things, but when you’re featured in your own movie out of necessity, it’s a necessary distinction to make morally. There were certain elements of my personal life in the original version of the film that aren’t in the finished piece and I was challenged on that throughout test screenings. Those elements proved completely polarising.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I would love for people to join the conversation on social media about the film. I would really love to hear from people about what they think they are the world’s best at! They don’t actually have to be the world record holder for something, it can be enough that they affirm their beliefs in themselves and then follow through! Affirming it in your mind can be all you need to take the first step.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

At the moment I’d really love for journalists and film festival directors to check out the film. I’m immensely appreciative of any review, story or feedback be it good, bad, ugly or beautiful. I want to grow as a filmmaker and continue to make good, engaging cinema. I want to contribute to the “new grammar of images” as Werner Herzog famously said in 1980! It’s been a mammoth marathon making the movie in an independent pipeline, and I definitely am hoping that the little community we’ve started to build around the project continues to grow and eventually is able to produce even more stories, with even more stakeholders involved.

Most festivals have been cancelled and some of the ones like the lovely Melbourne Documentary Film Festival and the Perth Revelation International Film Festival: Couched are moving online! Which is fantastic and I’m super excited to be screening an advanced preview of the film at both festivals!

Behind the scenes of The World’s Best Film - Joshua shooting 'Bazaar Taxi' in the backseat of Narong Sairat's taxi

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

If even one person watches this film and has a moment of, “you know what, I think I’d be really good at juggling spoons and I think I’m going to devote my life to that, because it fills me with joy and happiness and I want to share that happiness with those closest to me” then I will be endlessly happy. The most rewarding reception I’ve had so far was showing the film to some of the film’s participants and my parents, many tears were shed. I’d love if the same kind of warmth might radiate from people I don’t know! So I, of course, can’t wait to hear from people that watch the film.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

If you could be the world’s best at ANYTHING, what would you be the world’s best at doing?

Would you like to add anything else?

I’d like to say that if you have a fire inside you to do something, put steps into making it happen now. Nobody is over tomorrow, live today and be the best version of yourself you can be.

I’d also love to publicly thank all the amazing cast and crew whose work made The World’s Best Film possible. Particularly my Australian crew consisting of the sound mixing talents of Liam Moses and Anthony Marsh, stellar colour grading of Shane Burrell, the wonderful original music of David Bruggemann, amazing camera assistance of Joshua Marks and the beautiful hand-drawn graphics of Ben Mitchell. As well as all my cast!

I’d love to hear about your journeys and what you guys might be the world’s best at on Facebook

Or on Instagram at Instagram

Or tweet me on Twitter

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I’m currently developing a bunch of exciting new projects that I can’t wait to share. I’m also involved in an exciting international collaboration that hopefully will come to light when the pandemic lifts its ugly head!

You can keep up to date on my other projects at www.finesilver.com.au and all things The World's Best Film at www.theworldsbestfilm.com

Interview: July 2020

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

The World's Best Film

Length: 1:29:00

Director: Joshua Belinfante

Producer: Joshua Belinfante

Writer: Joshua Belinfante

About the writer, director and producer:

JOSHUA BELINFANTE is an Australian-Polish filmmaker with an eye for the eccentric and the surreal. He founded Finesilver Media in 2018 and has been producing short films, music videos and stop motion animations since 2008. In 2008, at the age of 18, Joshua won an international documentary competition 'My Israel' and was flown to Washington DC to screen his short film, in front of international delegates from around the globe. Since that time he has worked on numerous features and TV shows in Australia for networks such as Discovery Channel, National Geographic, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Channel 9 & SBS. His short doc Requires Review screened at festivals and garnered plaudits such as Best Short Documentary at the Hong Kong Arthouse Film Festival, Around International Festival in Berlin, and the Sydney Indie Film Festival. He is currently a PhD candidate of Design at the University of Newcastle Australia.

Key cast: Björn Lindqvist, Johan Lenhoff, Narong Sairat, Stevie Edwards, Rachel Cole-Wilkin, Gabriela Bonér, Stanisław Kurkowski, Kamil Skicki, Gervais Koffi, Yannick Kofi, Maddy Slabacu, Alexandru Ciorba, Evelin Bodea, Arany Joszef, Ivar Fors, Kurt Fuchs

Looking for: journalists, film festival directors, buyers, distributors

Facebook: The World’s Best Film

Twitter: @JDBelinfante

Instagram: @theworldsbestfilm

Hashtags used: #theworldsbestfilm #finesilvermedia #passion #independent #requiresreview #bazaartaxi #filmmaker #documentary #director #doco

Website: www.theworldsbestfilm.com

Other: IMDb, Vimeo

Made in association with: www.finesilver.com.au

Funders: Self-funded

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Melbourne Documentary Film Festival/Melbourne - 30th June -15th July 2020; Revelation Perth International Film Festival: Couched/Perth - 9th July - 19th July 2020.