Lismore

A new feature film from acclaimed Australian Filmmaker Benjamin Gilmour

A teenage pizza delivery boy with an untapped musical talent falls in with a colony of elderly bohemian artists who open his eyes to a world of possibilities

Concept

Lismore is a coming-of-age drama set in the northern New South Wales town of Lismore amongst its vibrant art and music scene. Every day on countless street corners around Lismore you will find all manner of talented buskers.

Young Sam is stuck in a dead-end job, delivering pizzas in his hotted-up Holden after flunking out of high school. He lives with his ice addicted father Gary in a run-down brick house on the edge of town and is looking forward to a miserable existence until he stumbles upon a rambling warehouse inhabited by elderly musicians, artists, and buskers all of whom have an inspiring zest for life. Here he meets pianist John, who opens Sam’s eyes to his talent and the possibilities that lie within him.

Lismore will employ unorthodox methods in both development and production of the film. In many cases, we will seek to work with non-professional actors from the local community, who will also contribute to the writing process through storytelling, interviews, and workshops. We hope this process will lend a gritty authenticity to the film and find a more profound truth. Lismore presents an opportunity to create a uniquely Australian story with genuine emotional weight set in a distinctive and underutilized location.