Dance
How to make a genre-bending film on the chasm between old and young
The Australian director talks about his journey from gap-year surfer to filmmaker – and his mission to make us all more connected.
At the age of 18, Australian Stefan Hunt set off – in an ice cream van, accompanied by his friend Jonathan Durrant – on a mission to surf in all 50 US states, despite most of them being landlocked. The documentary Hunt made of his adventure, Surfing 50 States, was a hit, and so began an eclectic filmmaking career that has since seen him shoot documentaries, short films, commercials and music videos across six continents.
The award-winning director injects every project with the same sense of adventure that got him started in the industry.
“Filmmaking is still the byproduct of me trying to jam-pack my life with the things I love,” he says, “whether that’s travel or surf or, more recently, more social-impact issues.” Hunt’s latest short, They Saw The Sun First, shines a light on the older generation in New York City – the place the 32-year-old now calls home. Through an unusual combination of stories and dance, the film is an uplifting reminder to grab life by the horns.
8 min
They saw the sun first
Five New Yorkers reflect on the fearlessness of youth, while five others dance their words.
The Red Bulletin: Your entry into the world of film wasn’t all that conventional…
Stefan Hunt: No! I spent my gap year driving an ice cream van around America for seven months, making a surfing documentary. When I was 17 and in my final year of high school, my mate Jonno [Durrant] emailed a group of mates, saying he’d been reading On The Road by Jack Kerouac and wanted to travel all 50 US states. It ended up being just me and him, and, as we both love surfing, we decided it would be amazing to do that. At first, we thought it wouldn’t be possible – 30-plus states are landlocked. But we decided to get creative.
We definitely stretched the definition of surfing
So, how do you surf with no sea?
We were dragged behind a tractor on a potato farm in Idaho and pulled by cowboys on horseback in Texas; we surfed on the Great Lakes and [across the set of] a stage play of The Wizard of Oz in Kansas. We definitely stretched the definition of surfing.
But it became a travel documentary of this incredible, eye-opening experience about humans and culture and the value of travel. It got a great response: we were invited to film festivals and it played on TV. We had no idea about filmmaking before that. Now I use [the medium] to try to leave a positive message out there in the world.
If you hadn’t gone on that trip, what would you be doing now?
When I was about eight, my dad asked what I wanted to be. I said a children’s entertainer, because I never liked the idea of becoming an adult. So in another life I would be a professional clown. But I fell into filmmaking, and I had enough naivety – at least at first – to just go for it and not to think about failing.
I became curious to hear what the older generation have to say
Where did you get the idea for They Saw The Sun First?
I haven’t had anyone elderly in my life for many years. I started to realise that all the opinions and advice in my life, from podcasts or films or interviews or whatever, came from younger people. So I became curious to hear what the older generation have to say. I knew there must be value there, but they just don’t have the platform to share it, because they’re not on Instagram or Facebook. The conversations I got into became these free-flowing talks containing all these gems of wisdom. One friend described the film as a love letter to life.
Is ageism something we still need to tackle?
Ageism is definitely still a thing. There’s a big disconnect between younger people and the older generation in any era, but today more than ever. When I spoke to these people in their eighties and nineties, you could see their young self as they were talking.
It was a reminder that the only differences between us and the older generation are a few more wrinkles and a little less physical ability. There’s so much wisdom in the interviews. They’re words a young audience should listen to time and time again. They are empowering younger people to go for it, to not grow old with regret.
I have a real desire to inspire the audience to be more connected and empathetic
You chose a younger dancer to represent each older voice in the film. How did that come about?
Listening to their stories was mesmerising, and my wife – who’s a choreographer – and I felt dance fitted that really well. It’s not these big, flashy dance moves; it’s quite minimal and it matches the tone and pace of the voices. The performers chose which older person’s story resonated most for them, then we allowed them to dance or move based on that. There was a lot they could relate to, which comes across in the power of the performances.
So, the message is that we all have more in common than we realise?
Absolutely. I have a real desire to inspire the audience to be more connected and empathetic. Just because you don’t have older people’s voices in your life on a regular basis doesn’t mean they’re not important or that they don’t deserve the time to be heard. As the African saying goes: “Old people’s speech is not to be dishonoured – after all, they saw the sun first.” That message is more relevant than ever.
