Blackfella Films

Blackfella Films
Company typeDocumentary and narrative production company
IndustryFilm and Television
Founded1992
FounderRachel Perkins
HeadquartersPaddington, New South Wales,
Sydney
,
Australia
Key people
Darren Dale (managing director)
Websiteblackfellafilms.com.au

Blackfella Films is an Australian documentary and narrative film production company headquartered in Sydney, founded in 1992 by Rachel Perkins. The company produces Australian short and feature-length content for film and television with a particular focus on Indigenous Australian stories. Its productions have included the documentary series First Australians and The Australian Wars, the documentary film The Tall Man, the television film Mabo, and the drama series Redfern Now and Total Control.

As of August 2024, producer Darren Dale, who joined the company in 2001, is managing director of Blackfella Films.

History

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Blackfella Films was founded in 1992 by Arrernte writer, producer, and director Rachel Perkins. Producer Darren Dale joined the company in 2001,[1] while former head of drama at the ABC, Miranda Dear, joined in 2010 with a focus on producing the company's dramatic content.[2][3]

From 2002 to 2011 Blackfella Films curated the Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival, showcasing Indigenous cinema from around the world. The festival was held at the Sydney Opera House before touring the country.[4][5][2]

In 2013 producer Jacob Hickey was appointed Head of Factual.[1]

In 2020, Miranda Dear left the company, and in 2022, Rachel Perkins moved on to other things.[1]

In 2020 Erin Bretherton joined the company as Head of Scripted Development and producer. After her departure in 2023, in 2024 Penny Smallacombe was appointed Head of Scripted.[1]

As of August 2024 Darren Dale is managing director.[6]

Location and description

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Blackfella Films is a film production company owned by First Nations Australian filmmakers. It creates both factual and drama content in various formats, for cinema release as well as both feature and series forms on television and online platforms. It is headquartered in Sydney and also has an office in Melbourne, where factual content is produced.[1]

Productions

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The company's most successful production has been the multi-award-winning seven-part 2008 documentary series First Australians. This series experienced both national and international success, including screening to over 2.3 million viewers in Australia on SBS,[7] and has since become the best selling educational DVD in Australia.[2]

The 2011 documentary, The Tall Man, won the inaugural Walkley Award for "Long-form Journalism: Documentary".[7] In 2012 they released the docudrama Mabo, a telemovie, and produced the six-part television drama series Redfern Now.[2][4][8] In late 2012 a second series of Redfern Now was awarded funding from Screen Australia,[9] and went into production in May 2013.[10]

In October 2021 the series Addicted Australia, by Jacob Hickey and Darren Dale of Blackfella Films and SBS Television, was one of three documentaries shortlisted for the Walkley Documentary Award.[11]

The 2022 TV documentary series The Australian Wars won several awards, including Best Documentary/Factual Series at the 3rd Australian International Documentary Conference Awards in March 2023,[12][13] and the Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Factual or Documentary Program.[14]

Recognition and awards

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Many of the films and TV series made by Blackfella Films have won acclaim and awards.

In June 2019, the company won the Sydney UNESCO City of Film Award, worth A$10,000. The prize is given each year by Create NSW, under the auspices of Sydney UNESCO City of Film, and was awarded at the 66th Sydney Film Festival. It was presented by Deborah Mailman to Dale, Perkins, and Dear.[15]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "About". Blackfella Films. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Blackfella Films". Official site. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  3. ^ "Blackfella Films". Official website. Blackfella Films. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  4. ^ a b c "Blackfella Films @ Sydney Film Festival". artsHub. 22 May 2012. Archived from the original on 10 December 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  5. ^ "Message Sticks 2013". Official website. Sydney Opera House. 2012. Archived from the original on 28 May 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  6. ^ "Darren Dale appointed as a member of Screen Australia Board". CommsRoom. 26 August 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  7. ^ a b c "2011 Walkley Award winners: Long-form Journalism: Documentary". Official website. The Walkley Foundation. May 2013. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  8. ^ "Redfern Now: About". Official website. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  9. ^ "2nd Series of "Redfern Now" heads Screen Aus funding announcement". Official website. Film and Television Institute WA Inc. 13 November 2012. Archived from the original on 2 January 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  10. ^ "Redfern Now season 2 goes into production". Official website. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  11. ^ "The Walkley Documentary Award". Walkley Foundation. 21 October 2021. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ^ Keast, Jackie (8 March 2023). "'Wash My Soul in the River's Flow', 'The Australian Wars' win AIDC Awards". IF.com.au. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  13. ^ "AIDC 2023 Award Winners Announced". AIDC. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  14. ^ Kelly, Vivienne (30 July 2023). "2023 Logie Award Winners". Variety. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  15. ^ "Blackfella Films wins the 2019 Sydney UNESCO City of Film Award". TV Blackbox. 17 June 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g "All titles produced by Blackfella Films". Australian Screen Online. National Film and Sound Archive. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  17. ^ "The Party Shoes (2009)". IMDb. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  18. ^ "Jacob (2009)". IMDb. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  19. ^ "Lani's Story". IMDb. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  20. ^ "DNA Nation (2016) - The Screen Guide". Screen Australia. 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  21. ^ "Total Control". IMDb. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  22. ^ Payne, Anne Maree; Norman, Heidi (21 September 2022). "In The Australian Wars, Rachel Perkins dispenses with the myth Aboriginal people didn't fight back". The Conversation. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  23. ^ "'Meet the Neighbours' follows a bold initiative that could change our country towns". SBS What's On. 3 October 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
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