It was easily the standout of the festival. Everyone I spoke to who saw it was very impressed. There were a lot of people asking if we were going to run it again. Because of the local connection, we were keen to get it back again for another season.
- Greg Gent
HOME-GROWN documentary Volcano Man will be back on the big screen in Warrnambool this week after proving a hit with Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) audiences.
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The popular documentary scored third place out of 369 films in the Audience Award voted by cinema-goers at last month's festival screenings in Melbourne and regional Victoria.
On the back of a sell-out Warrnambool session and strong audience inquiry, the city's Capitol Cinema will bring the film back on Thursday for a minimum week-long run.
Capitol Cinema manager Greg Gent said of the 10 films screened in Warrnambool over the two weekends of the local MIFF season, Volcano Man was a clear audience favourite.
"It was easily the standout of the festival," he said.
"Everyone I spoke to who saw it was very impressed."
The cinema added a second screening of Volcano Man on the night of its August 13 premiere after tickets sold out a week earlier.
"There were a lot of people asking if we were going to run it again," Mr Gent told The Standard.
"Because of the local connection, we were keen to get it back again for another season."
He said it was a good result for a local film, given this year marked the resumption of MIFF in Warrnambool for the first time since 2008.
Tower Hill photographer Richard Crawley, who is the subject of the documentary, said he was delighted with the response which augured well for the film's chances of mainstream cinema release, television, streaming and overseas film festivals.
Directed and co-written by Crawley's filmmaker son James, the documentary follows the story of the family and the aftermath of the tragic loss of their wife and mother, Carol, in 2009.
"It has a very strong emotional core with universal themes which I believe audiences will relate to," Crawley said.
"I think people will come away feeling they've seen a story of hope and survival."
The film will screen nightly from Thursday through until next Wednesday, with a possible extension determined by audience response and scheduling commitments.
Daytime sessions could also be added, Mr Gent said.
