The Other Option – a feature length documentary on
the fascinating history of Australian punk and hardcore bands touring
South East Asia – is now available on DVD after a short run of
successful advanced screenings.
So far the overwhelming feedback from those who were unaware of the
strong historical ties between the regions was that the film had been an
insight to, “a world of punk rock they never knew existed“.
After screenings in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, The Other Option
has also been launched in Asia with a debut screening in Singapore and
some unique DIY events being organised to show the film in far flung
towns and villages in Malaysia and Indonesia.
It brings to an end a three-year project, filmed across four
countries and covering 15 years of crucial Australasian underground
music history. It was compiled by an individual with no budget, no crowd
funding and limited experience – and the film’s producer hopes it
reflects the kind of DIY spirit that remains so important to punk and
hardcore communities.
From the most unlikely of trailblazers within Australia’s punk and
hardcore scenes, through to some of the biggest alternative acts the
country has ever produced, The Other Option shares the amazing stories that until now had only been part of underground folklore. The film features interviews with Warsore, Pisschrist, Miles Away and Michael Crafter as well as South East Asian heavyweights Carburetor Dung and Straight Answer.
In Australia, physical copies will be available at selected
independent record stores (Beatdisc, Resist, Clarity, Heartland etc.) as
well as online at otheroptionfilm.com.
While in South East Asia, specific effort is also being made to make
DVDs available at selected stores and punk/hardcore distros.
Written, produced and directed by Rohan Thomas, producer of D.I.Wireless Podcast. Rohan has also produced successful documentary style web series for Australia’s Poison City Weekender and The Fest in Gainesville Florida. This is his first film.
When researching bands to interview for his podcast, Rohan came across Gold Coast band Not OK
who he learnt had recently returned from a South East Asia tour. The
fact there was scene in South East Asia sparked his interest – let alone
the fact it was possible for a relatively unknown punk band to play
there with emphatic responses from audiences.
For so long, the only option for an Australian punk or hardcore band
to tour overseas lay in the promise lands of Europe and the United
States.
But as it turned out just a few hundred naughtical miles off the
northern Australian coastline, lay a group of three countries striving
to develop their own passionate, underground scenes in diverse cultural
environments and against the backdrop of some of the most exotic
locations in the world.
After working on projects in Australia and North America, the time
had come to explore exactly what was happening in South East Asia and
how it all began.
