FIVE sell-out sessions out of seven proves people want to see more films from their own backyard, WA Made Film Festival director Matthew Eeles says.

In the weeks leading up to the inaugural festival Mr Eeles had been nervous about whether he could fill seats at all seven sessions, but there’s been such massive demand some screenings have been moved to bigger cinemas.

• A scene from The Light: ECU graduate Zack Inglis wrote and directed this dark small town tale.

Mr Eeles says he and festival coordinator Jasmine Leivers are “thrilled by the incredible support the WA filmmaking community and the general public have thrown behind the WA Made Film Festival.

“With this festival, our aim was to introduce local filmgoers to homegrown films made right here in our own backyard.”

Mr Eeles, who founded Cinema Australia and has a day job as production manager at the Perth Voice, says even after two years of planning, he and Ms Leivers were prepared to declare the festival a success if just one session sold out.

• Kia Kaha, about the modern day Maori warrior who declared war on his depression, screens at the free Northbridge Piazza.

“To sell out five sessions, with others selling quick, is a dream, not just for the festival but for the entire WA filmmaking community,” he said.

There’s only tickets left for two ticketed sessions: the doco Hunter: For the Record, the story of Perth hip hop legend Robert Hunter’s final days before dying from cancer in 2011, and ECU grad Zack Inglis film The Light, about a small town’s dark past and a mysterious criminal group (only 8 tickets are left.

There’s also a free screening at Northbridge Piazza of five documentaries, including Kia Kaha, the story of proud Maori man Leon Ruri who declared war on his suicidal thoughts, founding Haka for Life and using the war dance to bolster his mental health. It’s on Saturday March 14 at 7.15pm.

Details of cinema shifts for the overly popular sessions that had to be moved to bigger rooms will be up at facebook.com/wamadefilmfestival

by DAVID BELL