Director’s Statement

NICE SHOOTIN’ COWBOY is a contemporary Western/Drama that explores the complexity of a transaction between desperate buyers and sellers.

“I was immediately struck by the originality and depth of the characters,” Ben observes after his first encounter with Anson Cameron’s short story, NICE SHOOTIN’, COWBOY.

“Anson’s story is a fictionalized account of dealings on the banks of the Goulbourn River, near Shepparton, Victoria. I was fascinated by a group of ordinary people who find an extraordinary way to get ahead in life.”

NICE SHOOTIN’ COWBOY is built on the classic model of a Greek tragedy – every scene is a mini-tragedy that brings the characters closer and closer to their goal of making the sale. In this case, money won’t bring them happiness.

“I felt that we should adapt this unconventional story within an unconventional genre – the Western,” explains Ben.

This influence is clearly evident in John Brawley’s cinematography. The film is punctuated with a combination of extreme long shots and profile close-ups that capture the sparseness of the riverbank and the anxiety of the protagonists. The imagery is complemented by John Gray’s haunting score which blends the raw reverberations of an electric guitar with the mournful cry of the mouth organ.

NICE SHOOTIN’ COWBOY was funded with a grant from Screen Australia.