Check out Curiously West Film Club, a creative lab for film lovers, cofounded by Western Sydney University staff and alumnus Addy Fong and Diego Murillo. All you need is curiosity!
What’s special about filmmaking workshops at CWFC?
Unlike other film screening clubs or traditional filmmaking classes, CWFC embraces grassroots, ‘do-it-yourself’ spirit. Every free two-hour session is fast-paced and playful – a creative lab where real-time learning happens through practical experience.
The workshops often start with a casual warm-up chat. Participants come from all walks of life: actors, camera, and sound workers, students trying something new, and even locals looking for a creative unwind.
Facilitators introduce basic film theories and discuss emerging arts opportunities in the Greater Western Sydney area. This season’s themes include screenwriting, pre-production, cinematography, and colour design. Participants then break out into teams to create something on the spot.
(The props and costumes provided at PYT Fairfield – Photo by Linh Pham, 2024)
In a 2024 character and production design workshop, participants received a simple prompt: create a scene set in space. Team members collected props like hologram pieces, mirrors, drums, and costumes to build makeshift backgrounds, while others worked on camera and lighting setups.
“In CWFC, we try to make short films in the space of 2 hours. It’s a very fast-paced, run-and-gun type of filmmaking, but I think this messiness is how we learn because there is no time to think,” Fong said.
Cofounders Murillo and Fong work hard to make the space accessible, aware that participants may have a limited technical background. This approach has shaped the flexible, hands-on nature of the workshops.
“I used to treat the technical side like I was a robot,” Murillo said. ‘Then I realised, to be good at this job, you need fresh creative feelings too. Working with different participants each week helped me translate technical language into creative, and I realised making films is more of an art than a science”.
Fong loves the place to be called a “creative lab”: “There’s definitely a lot of experimenting and vibing in the room. The best way to learn filmmaking is to create safe places where everyone can be silly, play and experiment”.
This spirit of grassroots, hands-on exploration is what makes CWFC stand out among Sydney’s filmmaking communities.
How an idea turned into a movement
Before founding CWFC, Fong worked as Western’s technical support officer from 2015 – 2024. During her time here, she started the “WSU Film Club” – a small-scale club where students, including Murillo, a media arts student at the time, could come together to talk cinematography and sometimes create short films.
After graduating, Murillo became a social enterprise manager at CuriousWorks, an arts and cultural organisation based in Fairfield. Passionate about working with young creatives, he reached out to Fong in late 2022 with an idea:
“Maybe we could get to a space where I bring in the emerging artists, and you bring in the students who love filmmaking – we get them together”.
That proposal turned into the Curiously West Film Club – a community hub for grassroots filmmaking, fueled by creativity, connection and curiosity.
Since 2023, CWFC has been running with support from Curious Works and PYT Fairfield with grants from local councils. Curious Works provides equipment and production support, while PYT Fairfield provides the venue and the actors.
Today, Fong continues to work as the creative producer and facilitator of CWFC, while Murillo takes on his job as the Technical Support Officer at WSU.
Why this place matters, and who it’s for
CWFC is certainly not a typical film club. There are no auditions, no entry requirements, no “right” or “wrong” answers. It’s free and open to anyone.
Murillo said this structure is appealing for busy creatives who don’t want to socialise at bars for fun. “They would just hang out and talk about their next projects,” he said.
Beyond that, CWFC is about something deeper. It’s about raising Western Sydney voices and the creatives who’ve grown up in the region.
Western Sydney is home to some of the most diverse communities in the country: Vietnamese, Middle Eastern, African, South Asian – families who speak many languages and carry many stories. However creative scenes and opportunities are often concentrated in the city.
Murillo sees this gap clearly. “Western Sydney is where most stories come from”.
Many Western Sydney creatives don’t feel they belong in traditional film spaces. Fong knows what it feels like to not be taken seriously or not belong.
“Being told you’re “not good enough” because you don’t have this or that is the most dangerous thing to tell a creative,” Fong said. ‘I spent my 20s very unsure of who I was … so being able to create a space where everyone is welcome – is a magical thing to be a part of.”
CWFC was created to fight assumptions and ‘give emerging artists a chance, “maybe to create something for their portfolio,” said Murillo.
Fong and Murillo also emphasise the significance of collaboration.
Their recent short film “Waves” was a moment when participants came together and created something joyful and bold.
“I love the collaborative process when you get a crowd of people to come together to work on your idea. The more insights you get, the more beautiful things there are to do,” Murillo said.
The sessions provide a place to form friendships and take advantage of networking opportunities, with a lot of experienced participants becoming mentors for newcomers.
The Bigger Vision: What’s next for CWFC?
Like many grassroots projects, CWFC faces challenges. Funding is limited, and legal processes make it hard to connect formally with universities like Western. Most of what they do happens thanks to people’s time, shared equipment, and community support. But the vision is still growing.
“I’d like Curiously West Film Club to bring on more facilitators and the opportunity for another short film project like Waves. It’s now a grassroots filmmaking club… and it would be amazing to shift into a mentorship model – where things are sustainable and the club can provide professional Western Sydney filmmakers opportunities to encourage the creativity of new participants,” Fong said.
She also hopes for more support from local arts organisations, both in resources and visibility. Meanwhile, Murillo shares a similar hope. He wants CWFC to remain playful and fun – but also to “look cool, look great”.
“Filmmaking doesn’t have to be 99% perfect, but we need to constantly adapt to the new technology,” he added.
Hesitant about joining? Just show up!
Curiously West Film Club meets fortnightly on Thursdays, from 17th April to 7th August, at PYT Fairfield.
“Let your curiosity and nervous energy fuel you”, says Fong.
Murillo agrees: “I grew up being taught by films. So chase the feelings you get from films.”
CWFC is always ready to welcome you – nervous, curious, or anywhere in between.
(The workshop on “Characters, Costume and Production Design – Photo by Linh Pham, 2024)
Just follow on Instagram, register in advance, bring a friend if you’d like, and show up! As their slogan goes: “If you build it, they will come”.
