When the 9-to-5 shift ends and workers head home, Maia, an office cleaner, begins her workday. Adrian Francis accompanies her on her rounds as she ruminates on the solitary nature of her job, insisting that it is not a lonely one: She does not live with people themselves, but with the objects they have left behind.

Filmmaker Q&A

Introduce yourself:
After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Screen Studies and making several fiction shorts, Adrian Francis travelled extensively in Europe and Asia and spent four years teaching English in Tokyo.  He returned to Australia to complete a Graduate Diploma in Documentary in 2006,where he won student awards for his documentary short, SOFT WORDS. His films have screened at international festivals including Melbourne International Film Festival, NewFest New York LGBT Film Festival and Montreal Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.

LESSONS FROM THE NIGHT is funded through Open Channel’s 2008 Raw Nerve program for emerging filmmakers. Adrian is currently in Tokyo developing his next documentary. 
 

What inspired this film?   How did you find your subjects? 
I was motivated by an article about cleaners working in Melbourne’s CBD for wages considerably below the poverty line. I became interested in the notion of an invisible workforce – one that operates in a different physical and temporal space to most of us, and whose work is undervalued and underpaid, even though it is essential to society.

This concept evolved into a meditation on the nature of work – what does work mean to us? And in particular to someone like Maia whose work is ‘menial’ and repetitive? As a filmmaker, I aspire to work that allows an outlet for creative expression – and that will remain after I have passed away. Does Maia worry about leaving behind a legacy? Does cleaning give her life a sense of purpose? The title, LESSONS FROM THE NIGHT, encourages the audience to question what they might learn from Maia’s story.

LESSONS FROM THE NIGHT is intended to be subtly political. I hope the audience feels empathy for the plight of casual laborers who, like Maia, are often immigrants – their short disjointed shifts, social and physical isolation, time away from family and friends, poor wages and lack of respect. Conversely, I want the audience to see that Maia takes cleaning as seriously as anyone else treats their job – it is a livelihood and a source of pride.  
 

What were some of the biggest challenges/surprises? 
We wanted to shoot a cleaner going about his or her work in a big office building, but we found the tenants very uncooperative – I guess they all thought we wanted to do an exposé of their company. The main character Maia’s employer was also opposed to our project. It was frustrating to have a little project about a cleaning lady meet with so much suspicion.  
 
 

Who are some of your favorite filmmakers? 
Although I love documentaries, some of my favorite filmmakers are fiction directors. A few inspirations: Kurosawa, Kubrick, Michael Glawogger, James Longley, Wong Kar Wai, Jarmusch, Hal Hartley, Robert Bresson, Satyajit Ray, Woody Allen. 

What is your all time favorite documentary? 
I can’t answer this question, but in the last few years I really loved IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS, TARNATION and WORKINGMAN’S DEATH. 

What other projects are in the pipeline? 
I am currently researching a few ideas in Tokyo.

PROTEST
Since the student riots were crushed in the ‘60s, young Japanese people have been known as notoriously materialistic and apathetic when it comes to politics. Recently though, a growing number of youth have become disillusioned, and are beginning to challenge the status quo, sometimes by organizing direct, spontaneous actions. In a culture of mass conformity, what makes these individuals want to risk the disapproval of family and authority in their push for change? PROTEST is conceived as a 30 - 60 minute documentary following several young activists, their guerilla campaigns, and their clashes with family, friends, the media and police. 

THE TOKAIDO PROJECT
The Tokaido was the most important road in Japan during the Edo period, connecting Kyoto and Tokyo. It was immortalized in the 19th century by the wood-block artist Hiroshige in his famous series, 53 Views of the Tokaido. In this project, the filmmakers plan to travel the old road, capturing the same views as the original prints - and the locals they meet along the way. This 'documentary road movie' will be both a portrait of contemporary Japan, and a reflection on modernization and the passage of time. 

BURAKUMIN
A short film about the descendants of the former outcast community. Their ancestors worked with leather, in slaughterhouses, cremation, and so on, and were thus considered spiritually polluted. Discrimination still exists against these people, but can't be met head on because discussion of the issue is perhaps the biggest taboo in Japanese society. 
 

Why did you become a filmmaker? 
I think initially it was the first thing I found that allowed me to really express myself. And it was just so exciting to put the plastic elements together – cutting images, music, dialogue together to create something beautiful. 
 
 
 

What are some of your creative influences? 
I am inspired by films and many filmmakers, but also particularly by music, and the things I see around me in the city. 

Did you go to film school? 
I did a post-graduate documentary course at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Australia.  

What do you shoot on? 
Every project has been different, but my last film, LESSONS FROM THE NIGHT was shot on the Panasonic HVX 202 to P2 card. 

What has been the most unexpected thing to happen since taking the film on the festival circuit? 
Getting into some fantastic festivals – both general and specialist documentary. But the biggest surprise was being invited to – and attending - Sundance. 

Why did you want to screen your film at SILVERDOCS?
I always wanted my film to screen at specialist documentary festivals because sometimes then you know you have an audience that loves the medium. To have the film chosen by SILVERDOCS, one of the world’s preeminent documentary festivals is a real honor.