On Friday, October 10, 2025, moviejuice screened a program of films made by participants
in a Port Adelaide 16mm film Wombat Workshop run by Bryce Kraehenbuehl.

In the following interview Associate Professor Mike Walsh from Flinders University talks to
Bryce Kraehenbuehl about the project and his interest in shooting and processing 16mm film.

Bryce, can you outline what material you covered in the workshop you ran?

The workshop comprised a 6-month course for the 20 students, which covered learning the whole process of using 16mm film. So that included learning how to shoot film: loading, exposing and using film cameras in an efficient and economical way, then developing their own 16mm negative film stock. We also started each workshop with a screening of experimental films shot on celluloid film and concluded the whole project with a screening held in conjunction with the Moviejuice group at the Port Adelaide Church space.

What is so important about continuing to shoot on film as opposed to digital image capture?

Apart from the two most obvious reasons—because we can, and to keep the medium alive—I think the most important part of shooting on film is that it brings together people from disparate art forms to collaborate. For filmmakers these days there is a prestige that comes with actual film due to the history of their favourite films being shot on celluloid. For more traditional artists the intrigue comes from the more tactile, hands-on approach that you get from using film.

I think working on film in this more hand-developed way also helps to push and open up new possibilities in the art form through experimentation and mistakes that aren’t as open to you when you shoot digital. I know this from my own practice, and we certainly found it to be the case in the workshop.

What is so important about learning to process film yourself?

I believe that hand processing the film yourself is so important because it adds a further level of tactility to the film art form. Many times, I find that we as filmmakers can feel very removed from the process of creating. With hand development I am literally touching every frame I shoot. I personally also like the look of hand-processed film and it allows you to create images that easily stand out against the many digital-looking images being created these days.

What film stocks are you most interested in right now, and why?

I think the most interesting film stock for me at the moment is the new Kodak Vision 3 stock which no longer has a remjet layer. Although this sounds highly technical it just means that Kodak has developed a film that requires one less step (the pre-bath) in the development process which allows for not only cleaner film when hand developing but also opens the hand developing process up to more filmmakers.

What were the main benefits to workshop participants that you saw?

I think the main benefits my participants got from these workshops was both the ability to network with like-minded artists, and also just giving them an opportunity to think about their work and art differently.

Something I am very proud of is the fact that many of the participants felt like they didn’t have time in their usual artforms or jobs to create a film project. This workshop gave them the structure to be able to make a film and by the end of the workshops everyone who was involved had a film screen at the Moviejuice screening. This brought the project to an immediate sense of closure through contact with an audience.

The workshop had funding from the Port Adelaide Enfield Council. Were there local benefits that flowed from the workshop?

I am extremely thankful for the Port Adelaide Enfield Council’s funding for this project. The main local benefits included activating the church space as an artist hub, and having the artists see Port Adelaide as a destination to produce these, and future, projects. Most of the exterior locations were sourced around the port. This put a lot of the grant money back into the local economy through materials and food purchases throughout the workshop. I am hoping in future that the church space will continue to function and push Port Adelaide as a place for artists to produce their work.

What are your plans for developing the use of film in your own work?

I think at the moment my creative projects are about 50% digital and 50% film. In terms of film, all of my experimental work will be shot on film which includes several overseas experimental films I plan to shoot.

BREAKING NEWS: The 16mm Workshop will be back in 2026 ! It will be held around Feb/Mar, and if you are interested, please fill in this Google form https://forms.gle/5RGhCxHMQ9oTFyjFA

Nate Hutton, Vera Daye, Rosina Possingham, Hamish Ludbrook, Alinta von der Borch	Watching 16mm film

Films Screened at 2025 Wombat Workshop/Moviejuice Port Screening

Industrial Sidewalk in the Mid-Afternoon - Adam Lemmey, Ella Burton, Nicole Schoen

Razzle Dazzle - Vera Daye, Hamish Ludbrook, Eleanor Scicchitano, Rosina Possingham, Alinta von der Borch, Nate Hutton

Semiosis - Luna Grzan, Pierah Summers

Wist - Katarina Ongal, Grace Surmon, Cez Eliott, Frankie Acacia

Clown - Aubrey Porter, Daniel Tune, Emily Pottinger, Gabe Bath, Bridget McDonald, Pierah Summers

Emanations - Adam Ovadia

Space and Special Thanks - Allison Chhorn

Above photos all taken by - Bryce Kraehenbuehl

Semiosis	Clown

Emanations	Wist

Razzle Dazzle	Industrial Sidewalk in the Mid-Afternoon

Bryce Kraehenbuehl is one of the founders and principals of Two-Up Films, an Adelaide-based company which specialises in corporate videos and music clips. His own short films include Carrie’s Doing Great, Red Earth and Tunnel Vision which recently screened at the Adelaide Film Festival.

Mike Walsh is Associate Professor in Screen and Media at Flinders University. He has also worked for AFF since 2002 as programme consultant and writer of program notes.