AHH … ROLLOWAYS in the 1980s.

A nubile grotto couched in Fanta and big hair, where teenage boys glided around — briefly escaping suburbia — and pashed girls in boob tubes or shoulder pads.

Indie film maker Matt Mitchell is paying homage to 80s skating subculture in his low-budget film Skaters Love, a nostalgic rom com being filmed at Rolloways in O’Connor this week.

Mitchell was 17 years old back in 1984 and the movie is based on his experiences in Perth’s rollerdomes.

• A scene from Matt Mitchell’s film about love on the roller rink.

Speed skater

“I couldn’t afford roller skates so my dad got my footy boots and put wheels on the bottom of them,” he laughs.

“I was a bit of a speed skater back in the day and loved going to Rolloways in Morley on a Saturday night.

“Unfortunately my dad was a policeman and he took a job up in Hedland where there was nothing to do. I used to fantasise about going back to Perth and hitting Rolloways.

Skaters Love is self/crowd-funded and Mitchell is hoping to get it made for around $10,000.

Filming began at Rolloways on South Street last week, but not long after the camera started rolling, 11-year-old skating extra Amalea Lawrence fell awkwardly during a scene and was whisked to hospital in an ambulance.

• Rolloways today: Have you got a great yarn about who you pashed there in the 80s? Let us know at news@fremantleherald.com or check it out on our Facebook page.

“Thankfully there were no broken bones and she only suffered bad bruising to her coccyx,” says Mitchell.

The film maker says he has rescheduled filming at Rollaways to February and now hopes to have Skaters Love completed by April next year.

The cast includes Noah D’Annunzio (Paper Planes), Michael Garcia and James Matthews (Red Dirt).

If you fancy seeing a slice of WA nostalgia hit the big screen then donate at http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/skaters-love-music#/.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK