Nel Minchin

Last updated

Nel Minchin (born 1984 or 1985) is an Australian documentary film director.

Contents

Early life and education

Nel Minchin is the daughter of Ros and David Ellison Minchin. [1] Her father and grandfather were both surgeons in Perth. [2] She was raised in suburban Perth, the youngest of four siblings, Dan, Tim and Katie. [3] [4] She is a descendent of R. E. Minchin. She graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts with a degree in broadcasting and then moved to London. [3]

Career

Minchin worked in television for 10 years, including as a researcher for Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery series, [3] before working for production company In Films. [3] In 2014, she was involved in producing ABC documentary Gaycrashers about gay comedians Joel Creasey and Rhys Nicholson living in Colac for a week. [5] [6]

In 2016, Minchin wrote, narrated, and co-directed (with Rhian Skirving) Matilda and Me about her brother Tim Minchin's career and Matilda the Musical being staged in Australia. [4] [7] [8] She said, "I think it was important not to be too objective in some ways, particularly about him ... You have to be objective about the telling of the story.” [7] The film was nominated for Best Documentary Television Program at the 2016 AACTA Awards. [9]

In 2017, Minchin directed Making Muriel about the making of the film Muriel's Wedding . [10] [11] In April 2020, she was asked to look at 20 hours of candid footage of cricketer Steve Waugh in India to "see if there was a film in it". Minchin and editor Peter Crombie interviewed other Australian and Indian cricketers remotely during COVID-19 lockdowns. The one hour film Capturing Cricket: Steve Waugh in India aired on the ABC in November that year. [12] [13] [14]

In 2019, Minchin and Wayne Blair co-directed Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra about the origins of the Bangarra Dance Company and its director Stephen Page and his brothers. It was released theatrically through Icon Films and then aired on the ABC. [15] It received very positive reviews, [16] [17] with The Guardian 's Luke Buckmaster calling it "an exquisite new documentary directed with a fittingly rhythmic sense of motion and movement" by Blair and Minchin. [18] Firestarter won the Adelaide Film Festival's documentary competition and inaugural "Change Award", which recognises "a film that celebrates social and environmental impact, while expressing a desire to live in new ways." [19] It won the 2020 AACTA Award for Best Documentary, the 2021 Rose d'Or international award for best arts program, [15] and the 2021 Walkley Documentary Award. [20] Minchin and Blair won the 2021 Australian Directors' Guild Awards Best Direction in a Feature Documentary. [21] [22]

In 2021, Minchin wrote and directed the SBS special The Truth About Anxiety with Celia Pacquola, with comedian Pacquola interviewing other well-known people who experience anxiety disorders, as well as medical experts. [23]

Minchin directed a two-part series called Folau about the cultural impact and tension of rugby player Israel Folau's Christian faith in sport in relation with the LGBTQ+ community. [24] She said "It was about understanding where people come from, I don’t think it suggests we should sympathise [with Folau] as much as understand." [25] The film was set to air on the ABC in November 2022, but was pulled by the broadcaster a few days beforehand. [25] [26] It was finally shown on the ABC in May 2023. [27]

Personal life

Minchin is married to Guy Patrick, an advertising art director. [3] They have two daughters and live in Sydney. [3] [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Grant (journalist)</span> Australian journalist (born 1963)

Stan Grant is an Australian journalist, writer and radio and television presenter, since the 1990s. He has written and spoken on Indigenous issues and his Aboriginal identity. He is a Wiradjuri man.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangarra Dance Theatre</span> Indigenous Australian dance company

Bangarra Dance Theatre is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance company focused on contemporary dance. It was founded by African American dancer and choreographer Carole Y. Johnson, Gumbaynggirr man Rob Bryant, and South African-born Cheryl Stone. Bangarra means "to make fire" in the Wiradjuri language.

The Adelaide Film Festival is a film festival usually held for two weeks in mid-October in cinemas in Adelaide, South Australia. Originally presented biennially in March from 2003, since 2013 AFF has been held in October. Subject to funding, the festival has staged full or briefer events in alternating years; some form of event has taken place every year since 2015. From 2022 it takes place annually. It has a strong focus on local South Australian and Australian produced content, with the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund (AFFIF) established to fund investment in Australian films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Minchin</span> Australian musician, writer, actor and comedian (born 1975)

Timothy David Minchin AM is an Australian actor, writer, musician, poet, composer, songwriter and comedian.

Stephen George Page is an Aboriginal Australian choreographer, film director and former dancer. He was artistic director of the Bangarra Dance Theatre, an Indigenous Australian dance company, from 1991 until 2022. During this time he choreographed or created 33 works for the company, as well as several other major works, including segments of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Sydney Olympic Games. He was artistic director of the 2004 Adelaide Festival of the Arts, and has also done work for theatre and film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nial Fulton</span> Australian television producer

Nial William Fulton is an Australian film and television director, producer and writer. Focused on social justice issues, his works include investigative documentaries Revelation, Hitting Home, Borderland, The Queen & Zak Grieve and Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leigh Sales</span> Australian journalist and author (born 1973)

Leigh Peta Sales is an Australian journalist and author, best known for her work with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). She has won three Walkley Awards, and in 2023 won the Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television.

The 22nd Australian Film Institute Awards ceremony, presented by the Australian Film Institute (AFI), honoured the best Australian feature films of 1980, and took place on 17 September 1980 at Regent Theatre, in Sydney, New South Wales. The ceremony was hosted by Graham Kennedy and televised in Australia on ABC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Graham</span>

Craig Graham is an Australian producer of television shows such as "The Embassy", 2014 Channel 9. "Air Rescue", 2013 Channel 7. "Hatch, Match and Dispatch", 2016 ABC. "Moment of Truth", 2016 ABC iView. "Maurice's Big Adventure", 2016 ABC Kids. "The Justine Clarke Show", 2017 ABC Kids. RPA,Once Upon a Time in Cabramatta, The Great Outdoors, Border Security, Zumbo, and Contract Killers.

Daniel Frederiksen is an Australian actor who has worked in television, film and live theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celia Pacquola</span> Australian comedian and actress (born 1983)

Celia Pacquola is an Australian comedian, writer, presenter and actor who performs predominantly in Australia and the United Kingdom.

Hunter Djali Yumunu Page-Lochard is an Australian stage and screen actor of both Aboriginal Australian and African-American descent. He is known for his roles in the films The Sapphires (2012), Around the Block (2013) and the 2016 TV series Cleverman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Coles Smith</span> Australian actor and musician (born 1987)

Mark Coles Smith, also known as Kalaji, is an Aboriginal Australian actor of stage and screen, sound designer, field recordist, writer, and composer. He is known for his roles in the feature films Last Cab to Darwin (2015), Picnic at Hanging Rock (2018), and Occupation: Rainfall (2020), as well as the television series Mystery Road: Origin (2022), and the Canadian series Hard Rock Medical (2013–18).

Tania Nehme is an Australian film editor. She has edited a number of films directed by Rolf de Heer and won and been nominated for many awards for her editing work.

Hitting Home is a Walkley and AACTA winning television documentary series, consisting of two episodes, broadcast on ABC in November 2015. Presenter Sarah Ferguson reported on domestic violence in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In Films</span> Australian television production company

In Films is an Australian independent television production company. It specialises in social justice documentaries and is known for Hitting Home and Revelation; the US series Borderland; and Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Darling</span> Australian filmmaker

Ian David Darling is a documentary film director and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caro Meldrum-Hanna</span> Australian investigative journalist

Caro Meldrum-Hanna is an Australian investigative journalist.

Darren Dale is an Indigenous Australian film and television producer. He joined film production company Blackfella Films as a producer and later co-director, and as of August 2024 is managing director. Dale is known for co-producing many films and television series with Miranda Dear since 2010, with their most recent collaboration being the second season of Total Control.

Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra is a 2020 Australian documentary film directed by Wayne Blair and Nel Minchin. It tells the story of the three Page brothers' – Stephen, David and Russell – and their role in the development of Bangarra Dance Theatre.

References

  1. ↑ "Tim Minchin: My life as a dad". The Guardian. 12 November 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  2. ↑ The Book of Minchin Dorothy Minchin-Comm, Trafford 2006 pp500-503
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Behind the scenes with big brother Tim Minchin". The West Australian. 19 March 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  4. 1 2 Naughton, Julia (28 March 2016). "'Matilda And Me': Tim Minchin's Younger Sister On The Man Behind The Hit Musical". Huffington Post. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  5. ↑ "Gay Perth comic gets the last laugh". The West Australian. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  6. ↑ Dale, David (9 November 2014). "Joel Creasey goes back to Colac to sound out the locals". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  7. 1 2 Meade, Amanda (1 April 2016). "Tim Minchin on his Groundhog Day musical and George Pell's 'moral obligation'". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  8. ↑ "Matilda and Me: Documentary Review". The Otaku's Study. 9 May 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  9. ↑ Maddox, Garry (27 October 2016). "Teresa Palmer celebrates as Hacksaw Ridge lead AACTA 2016 nominations". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  10. ↑ Quinn, Karl (10 September 2018). "Where's Muriel? PJ Hogan on the agony of casting Australia's daggiest bride, again". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  11. ↑ Welsh, Caitlin (18 November 2017). "Muriel's Wedding the musical: how channelling Mark Latham brought Muriel up to date". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  12. ↑ Minchin, Nel (15 November 2020). "ABC documentary, Capturing Cricket, charts Steve Waugh rediscovering the simple joys of the game in India". ABC. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  13. ↑ "'Modern-Day Hero' Virat Kohli Represents 'New Attitude Of India': Steve Waugh". Outlook India. 1 March 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  14. ↑ Chatterjee, Saibal (27 February 2021). "Capturing Cricket: Steve Waugh In India Review - The Documentary Is A Captivating Portrait Of A Nation's Passion For Cricket". NDTV. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  15. 1 2 Slatter, Sean (20 November 2021). "Wayne Blair and Nel Minchin's 'Firestarter' wins Rose d'Or Award". if.com.au. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  16. ↑ Collins-Gearing, Brooke (18 February 2021). "Firestarter review — Bangarra's story is a film of national and personal tragedies, with light in the dark". The Conversation. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  17. ↑ Enker, Debi (30 June 2021). "'Compelling, joyful, heartbreaking': the story of the three brothers behind Bangarra". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  18. ↑ Buckmaster, Luke (17 February 2021). "Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra review – an engrossing celebration of artistic creation". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  19. ↑ "Wayne Blair and Nel Minchin's 'Firestarter' continues winning streak". if.com.au. 2 December 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  20. ↑ "Samantha Maiden wins the Gold Walkley Award". The Walkley Foundation. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  21. ↑ Slatter, Sean (5 November 2021). "Double nominations for Wayne Blair, Shannon Murphy at ADG Awards". if.com.au. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  22. ↑ Knox, David (4 December 2021). "Australian Directors Guild Awards 2021: winners". TV Tonight. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  23. ↑ "'The Truth About Anxiety with Celia Pacquola' (Trailer)". if.com.au. 17 September 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  24. ↑ McManus, Bridget (15 November 2022). "ABC documentary takes a 'meticulous look' at Israel Folau's rise and fall". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  25. 1 2 Mitchell, Thomas (17 December 2022). "ABC to delay Israel Folau documentary". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  26. ↑ Knox, David (17 November 2022). "Bumped: Folau". TV Tonight. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  27. ↑ McManus, Bridget (3 May 2023). "ABC to finally air shelved Israel Folau documentary". The Sydney Morning Herald . Nine Newspapers. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  28. ↑ "Nel Minchin (AUS)". AIDC.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.