“It’s definitely a human story. This is a story about a young father who also happens to be an artist. I hope that this film relates to audiences that aren’t just art fans, because you connect emotionally with his journey, these are tangible things for all of us as human beings.”
Eddie Martin’s masterful film documents the life of Anthony Lister, now a world-renowned artist, but whose humble beginnings were in a broken home in Brisbane and the conflicted city’s controversial street art scene.
But Have You Seen the Listers? is far from a celebration of the artist, even though his passion, pursuits and actual art make for an intriguing mise-en-scene. The take away from the film is ultimately the human condition.
“I always thought, what would it have been like if someone had made a film about Keith Haring or Basquiat, because you see these snippets of these great artists and they seem so invaluable. I was inspired to do an art doco but I wanted it to be culturally relevant to Australia. I thought of Anthony and he felt like the right character because he is a larger than life kind of guy and his sense of freedom is inspirational too. He is so open and out there, which are qualities we would all like to have.”
Eddie Martin is one of this country’s most exciting documentary makers. His debut Jisoe (2005) followed the life of a street artist, then came Lionel (2008) about indigenous boxer Lionel Rose, and arguably his best film, 2014’s All This Mayhem, which tracked the turbulent life of the Pappas brothers, skateboarding prodigies busted for drug importation.
Based on a filmography filled with outsiders making waves in the mainstream, but ultimately victims of the spotlight, Have You Seen the Listers? is a logical step for Eddie Martin.
“Because he isn’t really a graffiti artist he tends to get a lot of hate from that scene, but since he isn’t a fine artist he also gets a lot of hate from that scene. So, he is walking this fine line of doing his own thing, which is what I quite like. It is fair to say that he does have a lot of haters, not in an overt way. It’s funny though because he is so respected overseas, I’m not sure if it’s that Australian thing, but there are a lot of contradictions in his world.”
Anthony Lister popped on Eddie Martin’s radar when an early show of Lister’s was entitled ‘No Win Sitch’, a specific line from Martin’s Jisoe.
“In the street art world, there were always dudes with cameras so I thought to myself that there could be something here,” says Martin about his initial thinking around making the film. “I met Anthony and hung out, and luckily he was open to the idea of potentially doing a project together.”
Lister had just broken up with his partner and mother of his three children, Ineke.
“Over time we got to know each other, and then he told me that he had his own personal archives,” says Martin about Lister. “He basically just dumped this crate full of archives with me; there was so much material because he is just that type of character that recorded everything. It was amazing because I saw an opportunity to do a film; he captured decades of not only his life, but also his family and his career. That was the point where we started to take the project seriously because we started to dig deep into all of that material.”
The result is a mix of footage caught by Martin post-break up and archival Lister growing up in Brisbane, meeting Ineke, having children, and the early years of the artist’s career and its impact on a young family.
The candour captured by Martin is extraordinary and informs the structure and themes of this incredibly human story, which is itself a work of art.
Anthony Lister and his daughter Lola flank Eddie Martin at the Melbourne International Film Festival premiere. Photo by Sandy George on Twitter
“It was a process of working together and gaining his trust,” Martin ends when asked how he managed to capture such a frank account. “I was really fortunate in the fact that Anthony is an artist and was so open to the creative process. We worked through it and I showed him the final cut, and everyone was happy. I know personally how daunting it can be putting yourself out there, because you are exposed. I think since he is an artist by nature, it was a blessing for the project because he let me explore different areas for the film.”
Have You Seen the Listers? is playing at the Adelaide Film Festival
