After making 10 films in 10 countries in 100 days, Elliot has been announced the winner of the rebooted Race Around The World.
Elliot’s final film, shot in Brazil, secured him the victory. But the video content producer from New South Wales – who beat out Jayden, Lucinda, Kate, Mikaela and William – tells TV WEEK that even though he made the choice to go to Brazil, he had moments when he doubted himself.
“Even though it was our dream film and we had time to plan, I had no idea what I was doing,” he admits. “You turn up to a location that you’ve chosen and you have this expectation to come up with something great.
“It’s not without challenges, trying to film in a Brazilian favela which is controlled by a very powerful gang. I rocked up, and was like, ‘Ooh, did I make a mistake here?’”
The Brazilian film ended up being one of the three films Elliot was proudest of, the others being his first one, about a Ukrainian refugee in Moldova, and his seventh one, about two fatherless girls in Azerbaijan. That was the film that was disqualified because he took a nap and slept through the submission deadline. Elliot says the disqualification left him feeling “pretty gutted”.
“But the film was played and that was the most important thing,” he says. “And at the end of the day I’ve come out with a victory, which is incredible. I still haven’t been able to wrap my head round it.”
Throughout the 100 days, Elliot says he only got really sick once – in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, after drinking the tap water.
“I got very sick, coming out both ends, just delirious, and also it was 24-hour sun, so I was like, ‘What the hell’s going on?’ That took a big chunk out of that episode. But I don’t often get sick. My stomach’s pretty good. I’ll always have a crack at street food and stuff like that.”
As winner of Race Around The World, Elliot gets his own film project produced and funded by the ABC. He says he’s excited about the possibilities that lie ahead.
“This is going to give me a platform to keep making important pieces and telling stories of people who don’t necessarily have a voice that may reach Australia – or even in Australia, being able to tell stories that I think are important or need to be told. It’s incredible.”
Watch Race Around The World on ABC iview.
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