Setting Sun Film Festival - No Measure of Health
Anti-ad activist Kyle Magee’s sustained campaign of civil disobedience comes at a great personal cost - but ‘doing nothing’ is not an option.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Jessica Hutchison
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thanks! I made this film as a conversation starter. The catalyst for me was a quote by the philosopher Jiddu Krishnatmurti who said “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society”. I wanted to talk about what constitutes a sane and proportionate response to an increasingly crazy world where, in Australia, 8 people succeed at taking their own lives every day. I wanted to talk about ‘duty of care’ and the impact that advertising and consumption is having on our psychology, our democracy and the biosphere we inhabit. Also, my background is in visual art and in recent years my work has tended towards public performances, activism and interventions, so I have a shared interest in disobedience as performance and have found it to be an effective anti-depressant.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
A lot has happened in politics since this film was completed in 2014. Growing concern over the contagion of right-wing populism and the inequality that has spawned it, has made sentiments such as #RESIST and #FIGHTBACK into household hash-tags that no longer issue solely from the realm of the radical left - civil disobedience is so-hot-right-now you can (almost) put it in a Pepsi ad. And while it remains to be seen as to whether we can mobilize the critical mass to prevent Walt Disney buying Banksy as we descend into a post-capitalist dystopia of our own making, it’s becoming pretty clear that a hash-tag is insufficient and that we need to organize, log out, leave the house and physically disrupt business-as-usual. In this respect I hope that with the passing of time Kyle will be regarded by the judiciary as less of a depressive eccentric, and more as a deeply concerned father and, dare I say, model citizen. You be the judge.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I think that the themes in this film oscillate between the personal and the universal. Particularly around the notion of ‘duty of care’. The catalyst for Kyle’s campaign was his depressive illness. A depression bought about by a sudden awareness, followed by a very personal crisis of conscience. He says he “needs to do this - to be happy”. But the psychological fraternity’s objective is to protect him from the dangers of state punishment by tempering his discontent through medication in an effort to stop him. They say that they have a “duty of care” to him. Kyle challenges this: “but what if your duty of care was to everyone? What then would be the right thing to do?” This contradiction is particularly relatable when he talks about fatherhood: He wants to be a good father and to “not go along with things he knows to be wrong,” but he understands that his convictions will probably have him spend more time in jail: “I’m still choosing what leaves me less guilty”.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
The line between advocating for Kyle’s public cause and exploring his private and personal motivations was one I wanted to navigate delicately. As a storyteller you are drawn to the dynamics of contradiction but as a collaborator you are bound by trust. The interview was long and there were things that Kyle said that in high insight he didn’t want included, and I honored those requests, but in the end I had to imagine that I was making a film that his daughter would watch later and maybe learn something more about her father. Knowing the frailty of our hero’s is what makes them all the more relatable.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Seeing as the film champions the protagonist, feedback comes in the form of either solidarity or cynicism. Either way it usually results in a conversation.
Probably the best feedback came by way of the films inclusion in ‘Be a Better Being’ film forum hosted by the Junge Akademie as part of of the 32nd Interfilm Short Film Festival Berlin 2016 where it was described as being “A fascinating reflection of the embroilment between individual and societal level within one person. Even though we are individuals, we are not alone and the most complicated point is that an individual meets other individuals, who are sometimes the personification of the state and society at large. Communication starts to oscillate between individual level and societal level.”
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I’m frequently surprised at how un-radical many left-leaning thinkers have become. Some think Kyle’s efforts are futile. And they may well be right, but without relentless optimism there is no struggle, and (as history tells us) with no struggle there can be no change.
Who do you need to come on board to amplify this film’s message?
The themes of this short student film are gaining pertinence and have potential to be explored more thoroughly. I’m open to meeting with potential collaborators with a view to develop something in long form.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
While I think it serves to build solidarity, the film’s radical themes, more often than not find it ‘preaching to the choir’. Ideally I’d like for it to be used in the broader conversation around society and mental health in Australia - as it has been in Germany.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
If our society is dysfunctional, what does it mean to function well within it?
Would you like to add anything else?
Kyle is doing well. Despite being jailed for 7 days for ‘posting bills’ his resolve is still strong. He has recently upped the ante by using paint instead of paper and targeting animated digital screens. http://subvertisers-international.net/video-ad-screens-wiped-out-melbourne-australia/– This is yet to go before the court…
He now runs a ‘Necessity’ defence, which is called the ‘Sudden or Extraordinary Emergency’ defence in the state of Victoria.
Together with an international network of activists Kyle has founded Subvertisers International in an effort to build global movement. He has also published a comprehensive essay titled ‘What the f*#ck do you do that for?’ which explains everything I couldn’t (or wouldn’t) in the film.
Kyle’s website: http://democraticmediaplease.net/
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I am one of several Australian and international artists participating in Art/Politics/Action Artists Intensive presented by A Centre for Everything and CLIMARTE as part of ART+CLIMATE=CHANGE 2017. I’m also writing and researching a documentary about the food delivery phenomenon that explores themes such as the gig economy, gentrification, digital connectivity and loneliness.
Interview: April 2017
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. 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
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No Measure of Health
Anti-ad activist Kyle Magee’s sustained campaign of civil disobedience comes at a great personal cost - but ‘doing nothing’ is not an option.
Length: 11 minutes
Director: Jessica Hutchison
Producer: Jessica Hutchison
Writer: Jessica Hutchison
About the writer/ director / producer:
Jessica Hutchison comes to filmmaking from a fine-art sculpture background. Her award winning student films have screened at festivals around the world including Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2016.
Key cast: Participant - Kyle Magee
Made in association with: VCA School of Film and Television
Release date: November 2016
Where can I watch it in the next month?
Setting Sun Short Film Festival, Yarraville.
It screens on Opening Night and in the Rogue Program.
After which it can be found online at thoughtmaybe.com