Matt's Movie Reviews Podcast · Matthew Pejkovic

Saturday Conversation - Matthew Holmes

November 15, 2025·1 hr 10 min·5 clips

Matthew Holmes joins Matt's Movie Reviews for a chat that starts with admiration for his run of independent features. It begins with *The Legend of Ben Hall* and its strong chart performance on Stan, where it was reportedly up near number two. The host frames Holmes as an outlier in an Australian industry where getting one film made is hard enough, let alone several. That opens the door to a conversation about grit, self belief, and not letting naysayers shut the work down. Holmes says he was naive in the best possible way when he started *Ben Hall*. He explains that if he had known how hard the process would be, he probably would never have begun. That kind of ignorance, he argues, can help at the start because it gets you moving before fear takes over. The conversation then turns to what he expected once he finished a film that looked professional and played well. Holmes thought the industry would notice the craft and open more doors. He compares that hope to his earlier experience in animation, where showing promise as a teenager led to real opportunity and training. Film, he says, did not work out that way. In his view, the industry is not especially impressed just because you can make a good movie. That lands as a disappointment, but also as a useful reality check. The talk keeps coming back to the value of simply continuing. Holmes and the host circle around the idea that independent filmmakers often have to move without waiting for permission. There is no neat reward system waiting at the end. Instead, there is persistence, self belief, and the willingness to ignore the people who would rather you stop. The episode is also a small celebration of the films themselves. *The Cost* and *The Legend of Ben Hall* get named directly, with the host encouraging listeners to check them out. The closing stretch shifts into practical promotion. Holmes points people toward the film pages he keeps updated on social media. He also asks for reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb, or Google, because even a small boost matters. The overall effect is a conversation about craft, survival, and keeping faith in your own output when outside validation is thin.

As heard by us

A candid filmmaker conversation about grit, expectation, and the realities of making films.

Matthew Holmes speaks to the long, stubborn work of making films outside the system. He reflects on The Legend of Ben Hall, on the grind of finishing successive features in Australia, and on the kind of independent resolve that keeps a project moving when encouragement is…

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Press play if you want a blunt, film-fan conversation about making movies anyway.

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