Landing Success

Australian independent filmmaker Luke Sparke cut his directorial teeth with Queensland-shot creature feature Red Billabong (2016), about two brothers and their friends battling against an ancient urban legend. His second feature, Occupation (2018), is a different beast altogether: the film is an alien-invasion sci-fi thriller, which boasts a starrier cast, high-octane action sequences and superior production values. It even has a sequel already green-lit.

I speak to Sparke – who took on screenwriting duties alongside directing – and producers Carly and Carmel Imrie about learning curves, building creative confidence and the importance of collaboration in an independent production.

Oliver Pfeiffer: With its big action sequences and international ensemble cast, Occupation is quite a step up from your film-making debut. What gave you the confidence to up your game this time around?

Luke Sparke: Every filmmaker will say their first film is very difficult. The first one’s your hardest, but it’s also the one you’re always going to remember as your first, so I still have a soft spot for my intentions with Red Billabong – although it didn’t pan out the way I exactly wanted, for certain reasons. With Occupation, however, I put everything into the pot, as I was confident we