by FilmInk Staff
Godless scribe tackles action genre in latest short film.
Rubber Ducky is a highly ambitious, female led, martial arts action short film, shot entirely in Melbourne with an all-local crew. The story follows a young mother (Natasha Kaminsky) who incites a violent brawl with her daughter’s teacher (Briana Esme) while attempting to recover her child’s confiscated toy – a rubber ducky.
The project, written and directed by Alex Angliss-Wilson, stands in thematic contrast with his previous work, Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism, a religious horror film inspired by real events that premiered at MIFF, won the 2023 Sitges Audience award and is currently streaming on Binge.
The project has required a significant amount of preparation from its stars, neither of whom have backgrounds in martial arts. Co-leads Briana Esme and Natasha Kaminsky have been honing their MMA prowess through group classes, personal training and pilates under the guidance of Hex Fight-Series Champion, Lisa Kyriacou. Starting from the end of the month, stunt coordinator and local legend Graham Jahne, whose work includes Halo, Upgrade and Ghost Rider, will lead them in learning their choreography for the fight.
As the crew behind Rubber Ducky prepare for filming, the team is seeking additional funds by sharing industry expertise with students and emerging film-makers. Workshops will be held in October online and in-person in Melbourne, on key topics including:
• Writing for Genre
• Camera and Art Workshop
• One on One Q&A Calls
“This film is about every teacher’s worst nightmare;. The Tiger Mum,” said writer/director Alex A-W. “So much so, an alternative title for this film could be ‘Crouching Tiger Mummy Hidden Dragon’. Making films on any scale is extremely difficult and if I’ve learnt anything from Godless and Not An Animal, it’s simply not to dampen ambition by focusing on reality. With the right support network and producers anything is possible, even here in Australia. We can make our own Hollywood action films in our backyard. To me that’s a large part of the Kickstarters mantra, we’re really not just seeking extra funds, this film happens with or without that. It’s an outlet for us all to share our collective knowledge with the community. ”
