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Honouring Andrew Pike the man behind Electric Shadows

Not far from the Canberra Centre, between London Circuit and The Canberra Times fountain, lies an impressive collection of pavement plaques honouring people who have helped shape the nation’s capital as we know it today.

They include the city’s designer Walter Burley Griffin, Australian historian Manning Clark, property developer and philanthropist Terry Snow, marathon runner Robert De Castella, and the Co-Chair of Reconciliation Australia, Professor Tom Calma.

In the first of a series on those commemorated in the ACT Honour Walk, The RiotACT is paying tribute to many of the more than 50 individuals, families and organisations who make up the walk, with a collection of stories and biographies compiled by our writers.

Belinda Cranston compiled this report on film entrepreneur Andrew Pike OAM, who made the list in 2005.

I first came across Andrew at a workshop run by Screen ACT for people in the education sector. It was early 2013, and the Canberra-based film distributor, historian and documentary producer didn’t mince his words as a discussion on the rise of social media took place.

The founder of Canberra’s long-running Electric Shadows, which screened its first film in 1979 and its last in 2006, was of the view that films were best appreciated when watched on the big screen. And that platforms like YouTube were a blight on the industry.

His voice quavered and his face reddened as he made his point – so it was with hesitation that I revealed I had purchased a film distributed by another company he co-established, Ronin films, courtesy of a trailer I had watched on YouTube.

He thanked me for doing so, and the conversation went no further.

Eighteen months later, Andrew and I were both at the opening of a photographic exhibition at the Australian National University’s new Australian Centre for China in the World building. I recognised him as the man who didn’t think much of on-the-run YouTube and Facebook clips. Then a remark by a man standing next to me got my attention.

“See that man,” he said to me while nodding in Andrew’s direction. “He’s the guy who got Strictly Ballroom off the ground.”

Curious to know more, I eventually invited Andrew to be a guest speaker at an event I was involved with in early 2017. He was receptive to the invitation, and a colleague and I met with him beforehand, to make a short promotional film ahead of his talk. Asked about Strictly Ballroom, Andrew gave a measured explanation as to why he supported and distributed the film.

“The producers of Strictly Ballroom had been all around the world to places like Cannes and other markets, looking for backers,” the Order of Australia (OAM) recipient explained.

“And they basically had doors closed on them.

“In the end they drove three hours down the Hume Highway, from Sydney to Canberra.

“And gave us their pitch. By that stage they had perfected the pitch. It was one of the best I heard in my career. I felt immediately, if I could get their enthusiasm across to the audience, it would all work extremely well.”

Aside from a young Paul Mercurio striking a chord with female viewers of all ages as its dashing lead dancer, Strictly Ballroom went on to win awards all over the world and become an essential inclusion in DVD collections.

Other standout films backed by Ronin Films include Shine, Road to Nhill and Message from Mungo.

Now Andrew is involved with the production of a film that could revolutionise the advice GPs and surgeons give patients undergoing heart surgery.

Contributed by Greg Lynch - dimensional1@bigpond.com