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Meet the Filmmakers: Shane Crosland and David Hungerford, “The Chieftain of the Pudding Race”

Shane Crosland (Director/Writer)
Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
SC: I became a filmmaker after starting out skateboarding with friends growing up. I absolutely loved the beauty of motion and what light could do to an image and shortly after starting falling in love with cinema. Through learnings and teachings, I was further able to seek more knowledge and more interest in the world entirely, driving me to write and create films based on first hand experience.

Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
SC: You will be seeing The Chieftain Of The Pudding Race, a short film following our lead Sunny who floats through different social circles of diverse travellers and affluent locals while acting as the vessel for social ideals and contradictions that are instigated upon him throughout his life growing up in a tourist town.

It has screened at other festivals including IndieX Festival, New Renaissance Film Festival London, Byron Bay International Film Festival, and many more.

Q: What else are you working on?
SC: Currently, I am working on branded content pieces to further create stories with forward thinking brands and companies and have just finished a second short film which will be active in festival circuits soon titled, ‘The M Word’. This film is essentially a monologue to camera from the perspective of a nihilistic bartender based on a handful of stories and experiences from myself, friends, and peers working in the hospitality industry.

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
SC: I guess one weird thing is I think I’m the only person I know that can’t stand Bruce Springstein and I always catch heat for it.

As for my films, I like to play with the concept of ‘truth is stranger than fiction’, capturing reality while also giving it a surrealistic twist.

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
SC: You can check out my website at shanecrosland.com or follow a production company I have helped build in Byron Bay, Australia called Byron Film at byronfilm.com.

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
SC: I think this project is a great way for young and emerging filmmakers to really voice themselves. I think it is an excellent forward thinking idea that thrives on the essence of giving artists a chance and shows that anyone really has the ability to create pieces that are beautiful, raw, honest, and genuine.


David Hungerford (Writer)
Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
DH: The love of going to the movies as a viewer first and seeing the power of the moving image. If I had to pinpoint it, somewhere between seeing Minority Report and Waking Life.

Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
DH: You’re going to see a young man named Sunny live a wild cultural life in Australia with an experimental narrative form guiding the way.

It has screened in Colorado, LA, Austin, Portland, Australia, London and many, many other film festivals across the globe.

Q: What else are you working on?
DH: I am currently working as Executive Producer with Shane on a film he wrote and directed titled: The M Word, which is in post-production and due to premiere later this year.

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
DH: This film, The Chieftain of the Pudding Race was filmed around the time of all of the Australian covid-19 laws and it halted the production at times.

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
DH: Instagram is my usual place to post work: @davidhpictures. You can find my full portfolio at davidhpictures.com

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
DH: It’s one of the only places in Denver keeping the Colorado experimental and contemporary film culture alive.

The Chieftain Of The Pudding Race will screen during The Emerging Filmmakers Project on Thursday, April 20th, 2023 at The Bug Theatre.