A Griffith Film School alumnus and his partner are the masterminds behind the hilarious and heartfelt new Australian feature film 'Santa Hunters'.
The mockumentary-style movie tracked the escapades of three individuals as they each tried to capture the jolly man, using deft tactics and ingenuity while those around them rolled their eyes.
Available for viewing now on Amazon Prime, writer/director duo Richard Jamze and Natalie Rose have also now signed on with Channel 9, meaning you'll be able to watch it on television every Christmas from 2025.
Originally written as a 10-minute play back in 2019, Santa Hunters was reworked and made into a feature film with the aim of lifting people's spirits during 2020.
"We'd been looking at developing an indie film around that time, something very arthouse and achievable for us," Mr Jamze said.
"Then COVID-19 and lockdowns happened and we just thought, no-one wants to watch a sad arthouse film right now so let's do something fun."
Having written but not produced the play themselves, Mr Jamze and Ms Rose didn't get to see the play until it was finished but were elated when they joined the audience who were all laughing out loud and enjoying the show.
They've been far more involved in the film's production though, filming and editing it, and even briefly appearing in it themselves.
Beneath its comedic surface, Santa Hunters delivers a poignant message, reflecting a feeling of resilience for those who dare to dream.
"It starts as a goofy tale, but then pulls the rug out from under you," Mr Jamze explained.
"Our goal was always to have people who are going for a bit of a laugh come out thinking, 'why am I feeling emotional and sulking at this silly Santa movie?'
"For us, there are a lot of parallels between the film's plot-of three people trying to achieve a goal that no one around them necessarily believes is possible-and the creative arts.
"Filmmaking is a particularly difficult industry and a lot of people look at you as if you're crazy if you want to pursue it, but despite near impossible odds, we have big dreams and we push on."
Originally hailing from Townsville, Mr Jamze moved to Brisbane to study at Griffith Film School, where he met many of the film's crew and collaborators, and where they even returned to film some scenes in Santa Hunters.
"We were looking for a university location and Nat and I made it a competition between us on whose uni would be more supportive, and Griffith won big time," he said.
"They let us run amok on campus for two weeks, taking over whole rooms and hallways, trashing the place to film police raid scenes (obviously we cleaned up afterwards), without any hesitation.
"My lecturers were always so encouraging and I think one of the key differences with Griffith is these people have actually worked in the field and really know what they're talking about and that made a huge difference.
"Griffith have been absolute supporters and I don't think we would have been able to achieve this without them."
