Press Release from The Lantern Group
Short films by Deborah Mailman, Adrian Wills and Leah Purcell will be among those showcased when Screen Australia’s The New Black premieres at a free screening at Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival in Sydney this month.
Actor Deborah Mailman (Radiance, The Secret Life of Us) makes her directorial debut with Ralph, the story of 10-year-old Madeline, who needs more than just dreaming to survive; she needs a friend.
In Bourke Boy, by writer/director Adrian Wills (Jackie, Jackie), a father and his adopted, troubled teenage son take a trip to the son’s birthplace of Bourke, where they try to find the right words to say to each other before it’s too late.
Theatre and film actor/director/writer Leah Purcell (Box the Pony, Black Chicks Talking) tells the story of Aunty Maggie & The Womba Wakgun, and what happens when Aunty Maggie’s quick thinking solution to feeding her nephews shocks the family and makes her famous.
Also screening are new works by directors Sio Tusafa’aaefili, Romaine Moreton, Michelle Blanchard and Dena Curtis.
“Screen Australia is very proud to be bringing films by the next generation of Indigenous directors to the screen,” said Sally Riley, Head of Screen Australia’s Indigenous Department. “The films feature stories that are both moving and uplifting, with a strong focus on children and their view of the world from within often complex family dynamics. The New Black also features the debut of three new Indigenous producers and has unearthed a raft of wonderful Indigenous child actors.”
The New Black is an initiative of the Indigenous Department of Screen Australia, in association with the ABC, New South Wales Film and Television Office (FTO) and the Pacific Film and Television Commission (PFTC).
The New Black films will be introduced by the filmmakers and followed by a Q&A session. The program screens on Friday 8 May over two sessions at 7:30pm and 9:00pm and is repeated on Sunday 10 May at 4:30pm and 6:30pm.
For screening and ticket details see www.sydneyoperahouse.com/whatson/messagesticksfridayprogram.aspx
The New Black films will screen throughout Australia as part of the Message Sticks Touring Film Festival.