Underdog’s galactic success

Award-winning filmmaker Kai Smythe has seen it all, from the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles to the podium in Logan at the inaugural Underdog Film Fest, where he took home the Best Animation prize in September.

His submission, First-ish Contact, is a ‘silly space epic’ about a lowly government employee who makes first contact with an alien species.

A nod to the science fiction genre, the film explores themes of loneliness and isolation with a touch of self-awareness, delightfully offbeat humour and 1970s rock music.

Kai’s signature animation style, which can be described as hyper-stylised, hand-drawn and fantastical, also shines through.

‘It felt amazing to be recognised at the Underdog Film Fest because, although a lot of my films are quite heavy on the animation, I’ve never had an accolade for animation,’ Kai says.

‘I worked so hard on the animation and I’ve been building this style for so long, so it’s lovely to feel like it wasn’t all in vain.’

Besides working behind the scenes as an animator, Kai also starred and filmed the short, with help from friends.

It took around 18 months to complete First-ish Contact, which was shot at his mother’s Mount Tamborine home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘I was developing a television series and features with my manager in America until the pandemic pulled the rug,’ Kai says.

‘I moved back to Australia and was up in the mountains, wondering what I should do with my life.

‘What inspired the script was me being stuck and feeling isolated, which turned into a script about a government worker who’s in the middle of space all by himself.’

Once the script was complete, Kai built the entire film set in the garage using leftover wood from a feature film set he had previously worked on.

These world-building details have always been important to Kai, who grew up watching fantasy films such as The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and The Dark Crystal.

Kai says his film’s win was a surprise.

‘At the start, I had a bunch of rejections from film festivals and then all of a sudden, people were saying how much they loved it,’ he says.

‘I want to thank everyone at the Underdog Film Fest. It’s been such an amazing first year and it’s only a sign of things to come.’

Kai is already working with his US producer to develop First-ish Contact into a feature film … all from his family’s Buccan home, where he has a new workshop to build his future sets.

‘Logan is so lovely as a creative, there’s a beautiful and diverse melting pot of cultures here. It’s where I’m going to live forever.’

Follow Kai on his Instagram for more updates on his work.