Here Out West

The film consists of eight loosely connected sections, each following different characters in Western Sydney.

• Directed by Lucy Gaffy, written by Nisrine Amine

Nancy (Genevieve Lemon) is unexpectedly left to babysit her neighbour Amirah (Mia-Lore Bayeh). She visits her imprisoned daughter in the hospital where she had just given birth to a baby named Grace, and kidnaps the baby.

• Directed by Ana Kokkinos, written by Matias Bolla

Jorge (Christian Ravello), a security guard in the hospital's carpark who has a fraught relationship with his son, writes poetry in Spanish while working. Nancy tries to leave the hospital with Grace, and as Jorge runs after her, his son stumbles across Jorge’s notebook, reading one of his poems.

• Directed by Leah Purcell, written by Arka Das

Three friends—Dino (Thuso Lekwape), Rashid (Rahel Romahn) and Robi (Arka Das)—get into a fight. They see a man get hit by a car (driven by Nancy, who flees), and carry him to the hospital. The segment ends with Ashmita (Leah Vandenberg) approaching Robi.

• Directed by Ana Kokkinos, written by Bina Bhattacharya

Ashmita is at the hospital visiting her dying father. He reverts to speaking only his native Bengali, so Ashmita asks Robi to interpret. Ashmita sings the song "Mama Chitte" and her father has a moment of lucidity.

• Directed by Fadia Abboud, written by Dee Dogan

A Kurdish bağlama-maker tries to find work in Australia to support his family.

• Directed by Fadia Abboud and Ana Kokkinos, written by Tien Tran

Tom returns to his old neighbourhood.

• Directed by Julie Calceff, written by Vonne Patiag

A Filipina nurse works a long shift at the hospital, during which she witnesses Nancy kidnapping the baby.

• Directed by Leah Purcell, written by Claire Cao

A mother and daughter work together on the closing night of their restaurant.

Each subsection of the film was written by an emerging writer, all from different backgrounds. The film includes dialogue in ten languages: Tagalog, Bengali, Arabic, Kurdish, Spanish, Turkish, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Kurmanji, and English.{{Cite web |last=Trigg |first=Che-Marie |date=4 August 2022 |title=Where To Eat Bangladeshi, Chilean, Lebanese and Other Cuisines in Sydney |url=https://www.broadsheet.com.au/sydney/food-and-drink/article/bangladeshi-chilean-lebanese-other-cuisines-sydney-according-writers-directors-actors-here-out-west |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816111527/https://www.broadsheet.com.au/sydney/food-and-drink/article/bangladeshi-chilean-lebanese-other-cuisines-sydney-according-writers-directors-actors-here-out-west |archive-date=16 August 2022 |access-date=26 February 2023 |website=Broadsheet}}

The food docu-series 8 Nights Out West was inspired by the movie, hosted by Here Out West writer and actor Arka Das. Each episode features a member of the cast or crew showcasing and discussing food from their cultural background. The docu-series aired in anticipation of the launch of Here Out West on the ABC's streaming service.

• Geneviève Lemon as Nancy
• Christian Ravello as Jorge
• Arka Das as Robi
• Leah Vandenberg as Ashmita
• De Lovan Zandy as Keko
• Khoi Trinh as Tuan
• Brandon Nguyen as Andy
• Christine Milo as Roxanne
• Jing Xuan Chan as Angel
• Befrin Axtjärn Jackson as Xoxe
• Mia-Lore Bayeh as Amirah
• Rahel Romahn as Rashid

Tania Lambert, writing in The Conversation, considers that "the film while imperfect in that some stories are stronger than others, is a nuanced examination of race and class."{{Citation | last= Lambert | first= Tania | title= Here Out West: a film that centres Western Sydney through tales of marginality | url= https://theconversation.com/here-out-west-a-film-that-centres-western-sydney-through-tales-of-marginality-176449 | date= 7 February 2022 | periodical= The Conversation | access-date= 4 August 2023 | archive-date= 31 July 2023 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230731035640/https://theconversation.com/here-out-west-a-film-that-centres-western-sydney-through-tales-of-marginality-176449 | url-status= live }} The Guardian's Luke Buckmaster gave it 3 stars and concluded that "the film comes across more as a number of parts rather than the sum of them. This is a drama of modest qualities, more adept at painting pockets of time in the characters’ lives rather than self-contained (or thematically related) narratives."{{Citation | last= Luke Buckmaster | first= Luke Buckmaster | title= Here Out West review – western Sydney anthology is tender, but modest | url= https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/nov/04/here-out-west-review-western-sydney-anthology-is-tender-but-modest | date= 4 November 2021 | periodical= The Guardian | access-date= 4 August 2023 | archive-date= 4 October 2024 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20241004111558/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/nov/04/here-out-west-review-western-sydney-anthology-is-tender-but-modest | url-status= live }} Wenlei Ma of news.com.au gave it 3 1/2 stars, saying "The result is a collection of stories that is genuine, moving and revealing. They have something to say about a community that’s home to millions of Australians and whose stories are often told by outsiders and without compassion."{{Citation | last= Ma | first= Wenlei | title= Here Out West brings out the humanity in western Sydney's stories | url= https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/movie-reviews/here-out-west-brings-out-the-humanity-in-western-sydneys-stories/news-story/095779845cf01ae1b3f171f3722b7bc3 | date= 3 February 2022 | periodical= News.com.au | access-date= 4 August 2023 | archive-date= 9 March 2022 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220309123043/https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/movie-reviews/here-out-west-brings-out-the-humanity-in-western-sydneys-stories/news-story/095779845cf01ae1b3f171f3722b7bc3 | url-status= live }}

Reviewing for The Sydney Morning Herald, Paul Byrne awards the film 4 stars finishing "It’s a clever construction, and it helps that there is only one editor, Martin Connor, keeping the tone consistent throughout."{{Citation | last= Byrne | first= Paul | title= This brilliant comedy-drama breaks the 'skip ceiling' in 10 languages | url= https://www.smh.com.au/culture/movies/this-brilliant-comedy-drama-breaks-the-skip-ceiling-in-10-languages-20220202-p59t72.html | date= 2 February 2022 | periodical= The Sydney Morning Herald | access-date= 4 August 2023 | archive-date= 31 July 2023 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230731035641/https://www.smh.com.au/culture/movies/this-brilliant-comedy-drama-breaks-the-skip-ceiling-in-10-languages-20220202-p59t72.html | url-status= live }} Also in The Sydney Morning Herald, Debi Enker gives it 4 1/2 stars, stating: "Getting the tone, pace and balance right on an anthology isn’t easy. This inventive and insightful production nails it."{{Citation | last= Enker | first= Debi | title= Many standouts in a vibrant portrait of Sydney's inner west | url= https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/here-out-west-is-a-vibrant-portrait-of-sydney-s-immigrant-communities-20220805-p5b7ng.html | date= 10 August 2022 | periodical= The Sydney Morning Herald | access-date= 4 August 2023 | archive-date= 31 July 2023 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230731035640/https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/here-out-west-is-a-vibrant-portrait-of-sydney-s-immigrant-communities-20220805-p5b7ng.html | url-status= live }}

{{awards table|5}}

|-

|rowspan="3"|2022

|rowspan="3"|12th AACTA Awards

|Best Film

|Here Out West – Co-curious and Emerald Productions

|{{nom}}

|rowspan="3"|{{center|{{cite web|last=Knox|first=David|title=AACTA Awards 2022: nominees|url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2022/10/aacta-awards-2022-nominees.html|date=23 October 2022|website=TV Tonight|publisher=TV Tonight|access-date=4 August 2023|archive-date=25 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025013252/https://tvtonight.com.au/2022/10/aacta-awards-2022-nominees.html|url-status=live}}}}

|-

|Best Costume Design

|Wendy Cork

|{{nom}}

|-

|Audience Choice Award for Best Actor

|Christian Ravello

|{{nom}}

|-

|2023

|Logie Awards of 2023

|Most Outstanding Supporting Actor

|Arka Das

|{{nom}}

|{{Center|{{cite web|last=Knox|first=David|title=TV Week Logie Awards 2023: nominees|url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2023/06/tv-week-logie-awards-2023-nominees.html|date=19 June 2023|website=TV Tonight|publisher=TV Tonight|access-date=4 August 2023|archive-date=25 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625014228/https://tvtonight.com.au/2023/06/tv-week-logie-awards-2023-nominees.html|url-status=live}}}}

{{end}}

{{reflist}}

• {{IMDb title|id=13387266|title=Here Out West}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Here Out West}}

Category:2021 films

Category:2021 drama films

Category:Australian drama films

Category:2020s English-language films

Category:2020s Arabic-language films

Category:2020s Bengali-language films

Category:2020s Cantonese-language films

Category:2020s Tagalog-language films

Category:2020s Turkish-language films

Category:2020s Spanish-language films

Category:Kurdish-language films

Category:2020s Vietnamese-language films

Category:Australian multilingual films

Category:2020s Australian films

Category:2021 multilingual films