Synopsis: Another child star who fucked up.

Melbourne Community Voice (MCV) Arts - Film Feature "Crazy Richard" by Mark Ellis (edited)

...CRAZY RICHARD (is) about the doomed comeback and drug death of a long-forgotten child TV star. But the power of fame, ably supported by a bustling, self-important film crew, is such that people are convinced (or want to be convinced) they have basked briefly in fame's fickle flicker.

Instead of asking a nightclub for permission to film, Francis (producer) and his team - in full American drawl - constructed a compelling conceit. They rang a club and told them a Hollywood star (Richard Veed) was planning to visit, accompanied by a film crew from LA who were making a bio-pic about him for US TV. Francis says that the club, once they were "reminded" of who the star was, gave Veed and crew star treatment.

"Punters bought the myth and believed the star was real - queues of people formed wanting his autograph," he said.

The 'real life' footage is included in the film, complete with one girl who is so enamoured of the star that she wants to pash him, and she does. You can just hear her squealing to workmates first thing Monday morning: "You'll never guess who I snogged on the weekend?" And of course they never will.

Since completion in April this year, CRAZY RICHARD has screened at several gay and lesbian film festivals in Portugal, Brazil and Philadelphia, as well as London, which according to Francis, is the world's second largest queer film festival and Britain's second largest film festival overall. Richard (played by local actor Richard Viede) spoke before the film in Philadelphia and answered questions afterwards.

"The response has been overwhelming and the timing has been good, especially given the hype surrounding reality TV," Francis said.

The film also screened last week at Ausfest, dedicated to digital filmmaking, where it was the opening night film, a choice Francis describes as "extraordinary" given Brisbane's conservatism. It was also the first screening for a non-gay audience and was well-received.

Francis is currently negotiating with both the Melbourne Queer Film Festival and Mardi Gras' Queer Screen for possible screenings next year...

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Page last updated: 6 August, 2004