Adam C. Briggs is a prolific voice in Australian cinema, with acclaimed films like A Grand Mockery, Boogie Bobby, and his new film, Phillip Philadelphia, arriving over the span of a few years. His films are the result of collaborations with equally vital voices in Australian cinema, whether it be with Sam Dixon who co-directs A Grand Mockery and features in Phillip Philadelphia, or with Sarah Moore, who he made the short film It Flew Once with.
Phillip Philadelphia is at once a lurid experience, and yet, a somewhat mournful one as well. It follows Phillip, a Golden Globe nominated British screenwriter who finds himself whiling away his existence with fuckboy boyfriend Antony (Oliver Cameron) on the vibrant Gold Coast. The neon lights of The Pink Poodle bathe Phillip and Antony as they exist in this desperate town that masquerades as a city.
Phillip Philadelphia examines colonialism through a modern perspective, with Phillip regularly swilling liquor from the decapitated head of a Captain Cook bottle. There's a garish tone to the film that welcomes you to luxuriate in it, all the while the theme song by Sanfeliu lingers in the background.
It's one thing to pontificate over the film, but it's another to ask Adam about the making of it, what his intentions are with the film, and more. I've been fortunate enough to run a couple of Q&A sessions with Adam at Perth's Revelation Film Festival so have an understanding of what kinds of questions Adam likes - or doesn't like - to answer.
It's that perspective about how he likes to discuss his work that opens the following interview. We explore the perception of his films, the nose that Phillip has on his face, and engaging with Sanfeliu to create the theme for Phillip Philadelphia.
Phillip Philadelphia screens at the Melbourne International Film Festival on 7 & 9 August 2026. Visit MIFF.com.au for tickets.
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