About Play It Safe

PLAY IT SAFE is the debut feature film from writer/director Chris Pahlow. The film stars Nicholas Kato as Jamie, a 26-year-old musician who is out of work and down on his luck. When Jamie's band breaks up, he's left with no money, no career and no girlfriend. Now he teaches piano at a soul-destroying music school. Will he take a risk and follow his dreams? Or will he surrender to his new-found unhappiness and play it safe?

Following in the footsteps of filmmakers like Andrew Bujalski, Lena Dunham, Noah Baumbach, and the Duplass Brothers, PLAY IT SAFE explores a generation caught between endless opportunity and the pressures of conformity. The film features unobtrusive black and white camerawork, naturalistic dialog, and unaffected performances. The result is an engaging, refreshing look at twenty-something life filled with authentic emotion, humour, and pathos.

Part of our mission with PLAY IT SAFE is to support great independent music, and in many ways the film is a love letter to Melbourne's music scene. The soundtrack features music from over twenty incredible Melbourne-based acts, including:

Big Scary, Mantra & Nathan Liow, Lower Spectrum, Speed Painters, Brothers Hand Mirror, Ron Rude, Aaron Choulai, Polo Club, Aoi, DOS4GW, Yes/No/Maybe, Patinka Cha Cha, Dyl Thomas & Must, Spacecadet Lullabies, Merc Swazey X Nettsmoney, Villains, Gus Rigby.