Hagar’s Hut embarks on a journey through the complexities of psychological trauma and that of the lines it often blurs between reality and fantasy. Hagar’s Hut follows Skye (Zarlia Chisholm), a young girl fleeing from the clutches of abuse inflicted upon her by her psychiatrists, who seeks solace in the untamed wilderness. There, she encounters Xan (Lincoln Lewis), a mysterious figure whose motives and identity remain shrouded in enigma. As Skye navigates the delicate balance between truth and illusion, Hagar’s Hut unfolds as a suspenseful exploration of resilience and survival.
Leading up to the premiere of Hagar’s Hut at the 2025 Gold Coast Film Festival, Nick L’Barrow spoke with the film’s star and returning GCFF ambassador, Lincoln Lewis, about the excitement around the film’s premiere, and the importance of celebrating local talent at this year’s festival.
Nick: I’d love to start with the film of yours that is premiering at the Gold Coast Film Festival – Hagar’s Hut! Now, I’ve known you for a while, and you’re such an approachable, friendly, energetic guy. And Xan in this film is so mysterious, dark, and enigmatic. I’m curious to know how exciting a role this is for you as a performer, to explore areas that are so different to your personality?
Lincoln Lewis: Over the last couple of years, every time I’ve bumped into Stephen Osborne, we’ve had chats about his last film that premiered here, Dome House Six. And I just loved the tone of that film, and I worked with one of the leads of the film, Jordan Abbey-Young, and I just liked his darker style of films. I told him I’d love to work with him one day, if he’d be up for it.
And another thing I’ve been trying to do, because I’ve been really lucky with playing a lot of fun roles over the last couple of years where I’m a larrikin, is not get typecast. Sometimes it’s easier for people to cast you in something more often than not because they’ve seen you presenting, or in your other roles. And there’s been times where I go well, where does the characters start and I end?
So, Stephen showed me the script, and I told him that I wanted to take on a darker role. And as we talked about it, it became something I really wanted to sink my teeth into. I wanted to get into something that was so far removed from me.
You know what’s crazy – we shot, like, 80% of this movie in four days! Give or take about 70 pages worth of script. And what I really loved was how Stephen was directing Zarlia [Chisholm] and I. We met the afternoon before shooting, and the moment we jumped into our first scene together, we just clicked. And Stephen would let these moments of tension between us just go. These long silences. Off set, we got on like a house on fire! But in those moments, there was so much tension between those characters, and the dynamic was always shifting, so it was a very fun project to be a part of!
Nick: This movie is very much so a two-hander between you and Zarlia. I’m curious to know what that process was like in finding that antagonistic chemistry and intimacy on screen was like?
Lincoln Lewis: I love that you asked that. I really appreciate that question. Honestly, because it was such a small and intimate crew, it allowed us to really be in our own bubble. And sometimes with a bigger production, or an ensemble cast, there’s so many moving parts. Don’t get me wrong, I love them. I love that atmosphere. But we had no distractions on this movie, whatsoever.
Being out in the bush as well really made it easy to find the isolation of that character. You’re not hearing cars speeding by, or the backlot of a studio noise. It was really raw. And I love that. If anything, it’s probably something I enjoyed more than a few other things because I felt really present in the moment. Zarlia and I were just so locked in. And she was just shy of 19 when we filmed this – what a talent Zarlia is! She’s obviously just starting out in the industry, she’s got a few credits to her name, but she’s someone I can’t wait to see go from strength to strength.
Nick: And obviously this film is part of such a diverse line up of programming at the Gold Coast Film Festival this year. I’d love to get your take on the importance of something like this festival highlighting such a wide variety of films and talent.
Lincoln Lewis: The Goldie is great because it’s fast becoming a hub for Australian film and television. But thing about HOTA and the arts precinct is that it doesn’t just have the cinemas here, but it’s got the amphitheatre outside that will be showcasing SIPFEST. Plus, all the cafes and restaurants around here. There is something for everyone. It’s this totally immersive festival experience. This is such a growing industry here in Queensland and seeing HOTA and the Gold Coast Film Festival being a part of that is really exciting.
And I think the importance of having such a diverse program is not just to show films that are for the “film buffs”. There is a film playing for every taste and preference. Especially the retrospective films, where we have Crocodile Dundee, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Grease! So, we have something for the old souls.
And SIPFEST is something that really highlights the emerging filmmakers, and people who are trying to get a foot in the industry. But they’re celebrated with the awards and prestige that come with it. And there is money for the winners to give them a leg up. We’re expecting a massive audience for that at the amphitheatre this year!
Our closing night film, Blue Horizon, is such a beautiful film. One of the actors in the movie was actually a volunteer here at the Gold Coast Film Festival for several years, and his passion was always to have been in a movie. And all of a sudden, here he is doing a film that is the closing night pick!
Also, LSKD are a sponsor this year, and they’re doing a whole yoga session. Plus, other sponsors are doing these insane goodie bags. So, this isn’t just a festival to come watch incredible movies. It’s a wholly immersive thing that people can get really involved in.
Nick: I’d love to dive even more into SIPFEST, because it’s such an incredible way for up-and-coming talent to get recognised. As someone who at one point needed to get a start in the industry, how valuable is something like SIPFEST for emerging filmmakers?
Lincoln Lewis: You can’t even put its importance into real words, you know what I mean? It’s to nurture that talent that we need to carry on the industry. It’s great to see people who have made a career and name for themselves, but time doesn’t stop for any of us, and we need to find that emerging talent and let them be mentored by the people who have been killing it!
We’ve all got to start somewhere. And the “first day” in any job is daunting. To get started in something is going to scare the shit out of you! Especially this industry which is based on rejection and is super competitive. To be able to provide a platform where people can say, “Here is a pathway for you to get some experience and exposure, and network with people,” is so important for the industry as a whole.
And in art, everyone has different, creative ideas. Especially young people who come into this industry with fresh ideas and points of view. So, they have something so special to offer as the new blood. I mean, this is literally how I met Stephen Osborne, and now a few years later, we have a film playing at the Gold Coast Film Festival!
Nick: I think the allure of the festival experience for me is watching a film I know literally nothing about and being completely floored by the experience. Has there ever been a film from this festival that had that same impact on you?
Lincoln Lewis: I think it might’ve been my first year as ambassador for the Gold Coast Film Festival, but it was a film directed by Tyler Atkins, and starring Rasmus King, Savannah La Rain, and Luke Hemsworth. Bosch and Rockit. That film was beautiful. I think that was Tyler’s first film he had developed. And he’s actually just done his second film starring Russell Crowe and Dan McPherson!
But, yeah, that film just blew me away. The way it was shot, the story it was telling. It had so much soul to it. It’s this father and son story that has so much Australian charm and humour, which can sometimes be the downfall of Australian projects, right? But it had this authentic connection with surf culture, and you just felt these characters radiating off the screen.
I think it was Rasmus’ first acting job, Tyler’s first directing job. They got Luke a week before shooting started. And all of those elements just came together, and the finished product was just beautiful.
Thank you so much to Lincoln for his time, and to Gold Coast Film Festival and PJ Marketing and Media for organising the interview. Hagar’s Hut is premiering at the festival on May 8th, and you can find more information here.
