Heath Davis.
Camera IconHeath Davis. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Book Week writer and director Heath Davis at Luna Leederville November 19

Tanya MacNaughtonEastern Reporter

AUSTRALIAN writer-director Heath Davis is a big believer in writing about what he knows.

So when a dream of his was crushed, he turned it into a script for new film Book Week – inspired by his other career as an English teacher.

“I had a film that was 10 years in the making in Hollywood,” Davis said.

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“The third time it got really close in pre-production where cameras were about to role and the financing fell through the day before, which really hurt.

“Three weeks after that I came back to western Sydney and was teaching; it was a strange experience for me to go between the two worlds.

“I tried to see the silver lining in the emotional turmoil, which was pretty painful.”

Book Week follows a week in the life of disillusioned English teacher and disgraced author Nicholas Cutler, who must demonstrate he is a changed man to get his latest manuscript published.

“I never say never about going back to teaching but if they see the film, they might not want me back,” Davis said.

“It’s a comedy about an artist trying to keep his dream alive in the modern world.

“If you ever had a dream, what would you do if it was taken away from you? How would you function?

“It happens to be a story about a guy who is not the most likeable, but it’s funny and timely.”

Davis filmed the low budget film in the Blue Mountains in the January school holidays and launched the film at two sold-out screenings at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August.

He will be in Perth for a Q and A screening at Luna Leederville on November 19 before the film’s general release on November 29.