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World Famous in Bundaberg

For 51 years Kent Wong has stood over the deep fryer at the Busy Bee Fish Bar, serving his iconic secret recipe battered chips to generations both old and young within the Bundaberg community as an essential formative experience of growing up in the town. Now, with Kent's retirement looming, it is in the hands of his son Andrew - still unsure of his direction in life at age 47 - to decide whether he can keep the Busy Bee open for future generations.

  • James Latter
    Director
  • James Latter
    Producer
  • Jeffrey K Golden
    Producer
  • Kent Wong
    Key Cast
    "Himself"
  • Andrew Wong
    Key Cast
    "Himself"
  • Brodie Poole
    Director of Photography
  • Joe Morgan
    Music
  • James Latter
    Writer
  • Jeffrey K Golden
    Writer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Drama, Comedy
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 18, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    0 AUD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - James Latter

James Latter is a film maker born and raised in Bundaberg, Queensland who currently resides in Brisbane.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

World Famous in Bundaberg was not originally conceived of as a festival film. The purpose behind the production was to provide a focus point for the people of Bundaberg in Central Queensland to honour the hard work provided by fish and chip owner Kent Wong in supplying fish and chips to the community for over 50 years. The chips cooked up at Kent's store, The Busy Bee Fish Bar, are an icon within the community - a beloved talking point between anyone who has ever lived in the region. 4 to 5 generations of families in the area have been brought up on Kent's fried goods, and due to his humble nature Kent has shown complete humility over the years and doesn't even have a social media page for the business - it survives entirely on word of mouth.

The short documentary was initially released at a pop up screening event next to the Busy Bee where it was screened 3 times in order to accommodate for sold out numbers. It was then released online via Facebook with a focus on the Bundaberg region and organically gained over 75 thousand views and interactions with coverage from every news outlet in the region. To read the Facebook comments is to see Kent's hard work finally recognised en masse by the community.

Sadly following the release of this film Kent Wong passed away at the age of 78, less than three weeks after his final day of work. It shook the community and was recognised nationally by ABC Australia. This film helps allow his memory to live on.