Robert Connolly | |
|---|---|
 Connolly in 2012 | |
| Born | 1967 (age 56–57) |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, producer, screenwriter |
Robert Connolly (born 1967) is an Australian film director, producer, and screenwriter based in Melbourne, Victoria. He is best known as the director and writer of the feature films Balibo , Three Dollars , The Bank and The Dry and its sequel, as well as the producer of Romulus, My Father and The Boys . He is head of the film distribution company, Footprint Films, owned by Arenafilms.
Connolly was born in 1967. [1] Along with David Wenham, he worked in theatre before transitioning to filmmaking. They were both involved in a production of The Boys at the Griffin Theatre Company in Sydney. [2] Connolly graduated from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) in the late 1990s, [1] where he undertook a three-year course that included directing. [2]
Connolly made his first feature film as producer, The Boys in 1998, which had its world premiere in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival. [2] His first film as director, The Bank , was produced by his former mentor and later business partner at Arenafilm John Maynard. [3]
In 2007 Connolly and Maynard together produced the period immigration drama Romulus, My Father, [3] directed by Richard Roxburgh, starring Eric Bana and Franka Potente.
By 2013, he had written and directed four feature films and produced around 12 others, as well as doing work for television. [1]
He directed and produced Paper Planes (2014), The Dry (2020), Blueback (2022) and Force of Nature: The Dry 2 (2024) [4] and has been nominated for or won numerous Australian and international awards (see lists below). [5]
In 2009, Connolly directed Balibo, which he co-wrote with David Williamson. The film examines the politically fraught deaths of Australian-based journalists the Balibo Five and Roger East during the Indonesian invasion of East Timor in 1975. Maynard produced the film, which starred Anthony LaPaglia in the lead role of East. Balibo was the first feature to be shot in East Timor.< [6]
Indonesia continues to maintain that the Balibo Five died accidentally in crossfire as its troops battled East Timorese Fretilin rebels, a version of events accepted by successive Australian governments. But the film depicts the young journalists, who were working for Australian TV networks and presumed their nationality afforded them protection, being slaughtered on the orders of Indonesian military chiefs to prevent news of the invasion reaching the world. [7]
Connolly refuses to apologise for his film's hardline stance, stating that an Australian coroner found in 2007 that the journalists were executed as they tried to surrender to Indonesian forces. He said: "It's quite clear the journalists were murdered... The current Indonesian and Australian (Government) point of view that they were killed in crossfire is quite frankly absurd. I'd imagine the film will be confronting because it represents something contrary to the official view." [8] He points out that the East Timorese Truth and Reconciliation Commission found that up to 183,000 East Timorese people died as a result of the conflict, when the total population was only around 600,000, while both the Australian Government under the Liberals and the opposition Labor Party were focused on oil and gas resources and regional influence. [9]
Connolly has been definitive about his political approach to filmmaking, saying "Without a doubt, in recent times, the political agenda of the work is what drives us. We feel a responsibility to use cinema to put a blow torch to contemporary Australia and contribute to some discussion or debate about where we're headed. That's what I find most rewarding about it." [2] Three Dollars (2005), The Bank (2001) and The Boys (1998) all have a strong political agenda, and have been released in Australia as a DVD box set along with the documentary The Political Arena, which explores the social and political strands of the films. [10]
In 2008, Connolly published a white paper outlining his views on all that could be improved about the Australian film industry, which includes a ten-step plan for reducing production costs. [11]
Arenafilm was first incorporated in 1987 by film producer John Maynard [12] [13] [3] and produced The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey (1988) and Jane Campion's film s Sweetie (1989) and An Angel at My Table (1990) (with Maynard's partner Bridget Ikin). The company went on to produce The Boys (1998) and several other of Connolly's films, including Balibo. [14] Its history is not clear, but Connolly and Maynard [2] became directors of the company during the 2000s. Connolly relocated to set up the Arenafilm Melbourne office in late 2006 [10] (including Arenamedia) and subsidiary companies. [15] [1]
Footprint Films is the film distribution company owned by Arenafilm. [1] [a] Maynard had earlier had a production company called Footstep Films. [12] In December 2007, Film Victoria provided A$750,000 of funding to be shared among Footprint and two other companies. [17]
In 2009, Footprint Films was the Australasian distributor for Balibo and Sarah Watt's My Year Without Sex (both made by Arenafilm), and in the same year, it expanded its operations to acquire and release third-party films. Its first two distribution-only films were Warwick Thornton's Samson and Delilah , and Kriv Stenders' Lucky Country (film) . The physical work of distributing is handled by Transmission Films, headed by Richard Payten and Andrew Mackie and backed by Paramount Pictures Australia. Connolly believes that it is healthy for filmmakers to become involved in distribution. [18] [12]
The Boys was nominated for 13 AFI Awards including Best Film, and won awards for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. In 1998, Connolly was named by Variety as one of the 10 best emerging producers in the world. [2]
Connolly has screened his films at over 30 international film festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival and San Sebastian Film Festival. He received a Centenary Medal for services to the Australian Film Industry in 2001. [19]
Romulus, My Father won four Australian Film Institute Awards (AFI) including Best Film, and Connolly has also garnered AFI Awards for writing The Bank and Three Dollars.
Matthew Campora, head of screen studies at AFTRS, wrote in 2013 that Connolly was "a director who could be considered amongst the most successful contemporary filmmakers working in Australia today", and "Connolly’s films combine characteristics of the Hollywood thriller with archetypal Australian character types and narrative arcs to create a body of films that continue a particular style of filmmaking identified by [Graeme] Turner in the 1990s". [1]
In 2008 Connolly was appointed to the inaugural board of Screen Australia. His term ended on 30 June 2011. [20] [21]
He also served on the boards of the New South Wales Film and Television Office (FTO, predecessor to Screen NSW) and the Australian Directors Guild, as well as the University of New South Wales Dean's Council. [20]
In 2011 Connolly worked on and influenced the development of the unreleased video game Warco , that could be used to train journalists to work and report in war-torn regions. [22]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | The Boys | No | No | Yes | |
| 2000 | The Monkey's Mask | No | No | Yes | |
| 2001 | The Bank | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2005 | Three Dollars | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2007 | Romulus, My Father | No | No | Yes | Also second unit director |
| 2009 | Balibo | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2013 | The Turning | Yes | Yes | Yes | Segment: "Aquifer" |
| 2015 | Paper Planes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2021 | The Dry | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2022 | Blueback | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2024 | Force of Nature: The Dry 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Roses Are Red | No | No | Yes |
| 1997 | Rust Bucket | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2015 | These Final Hours | No | No | Executive |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Creator | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Rush | Yes | No | No | No | 1 episode; series 3 episode 18 |
| 2011 | The Slap | Yes | No | No | No | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Underground: The Julian Assange Story | Yes | Yes | No | No | Television film |
| 2015 | Gallipoli | No | No | No | Yes | Miniseries |
| 2016 | Barracuda | Yes | No | No | No | |
| 2017 | The Warriors | No | No | Yes | Yes | Also executive producer |
| 2018 | Deep State | Yes | No | No | No | 4 episodes |
The Balibo Five was a group of journalists for Australian commercial television networks who were murdered in the period leading up to the Indonesian invasion of East Timor. The Balibo Five were based in the town of Balibo in East Timor, where they were killed on 16 October 1975 during Indonesian incursions before the invasion. Roger East travelled to Balibo soon after to investigate the likely deaths of the Five and was later executed by members of the Indonesian military on the docks of Dili.
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.
Kath Shelper is an Australian film producer, known for Samson and Delilah. Her production company is called Scarlett Pictures.
The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS), formerly Australian Film and Television School, is Australia's national screen arts and broadcast school. Opened to students in 1973 as Film and Television School (FTS), after accreditation with CILECT it was renamed Australian Film Television School (AFTS) in 1976. To coincide with a move to a new location around 1986, the school was renamed the Australian Film Television and Radio School. The school is a Commonwealth Government statutory authority, and is ranked by The Hollywood Reporter as one of 15 top global film schools.
Romulus, My Father is a 2007 Australian drama film directed by Richard Roxburgh. Based on the memoir of the same name by Raimond Gaita, the film tells the story of Romulus and his wife Christine, and their struggle in the face of great adversity to raise their son, Raimond, played by the nine-year-old Kodi Smit-McPhee. The film marks the directorial debut for Australian actor Richard Roxburgh. It was commended in the Australian Film Critics Association 2007 Film Awards.
South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) is a South Australian Government statutory corporation established in 1972 to engage in film production and promote the film industry, located in Adelaide, South Australia. The Adelaide Studios are managed by the South Australian Film Corporation for the use of the South Australian film industry.
Rachel Perkins is an Indigenous Australian film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. She founded and was co-director of the independent film production company Blackfella Films from 1992 until 2022. Perkins and the company were responsible for producing First Australians (2008), an award-winning documentary series that remains the highest-selling educational title in Australia, and which Perkins regards as her most important work. She directed the films Radiance (1998), One Night the Moon (2001), Bran Nue Dae (2009), the courtroom drama telemovie Mabo (2012), and Jasper Jones (2017). The acclaimed television drama series Redfern Now was made by Blackfella Films, and Perkins directed two episodes as well as the feature-length conclusion to the series, Promise Me (2015).
Balibo is a 2009 Australian war film that follows the story of the Balibo Five, a group of journalists who were captured and killed while reporting on activities just prior to the Indonesian invasion of East Timor of 1975. The film is loosely based on the 2001 book Cover-Up by Jill Jolliffe, an Australian journalist who met the men before they were killed.
Ranko Markovic is an Australian film and television producer and is the company director and producer of Templar Entertainment. Markovic's career started out in property development and investment before moving into film. Since then Markovic has studied at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School(AFTRS) and the Metroscreen Film College. He came together with Jeff Purser in 2004 after completing his studies to form Templar Entertainment alongside Purser.
Ego Lemos is a permaculturist and singer-songwriter from East Timor who sings in his native tongue, Tetum.
Warco: The News Game was an unreleased first-person videogame created by now defunct Australian game studio Defiant Development in collaboration with ManiatyMedia and Arenamedia. The game is made to train journalists to work in war environments. In the game, players control a journalist filming and travelling through war zones.
Rosemary Blight is an Australian film producer, credited with films such as The Sapphires, The Tree, and Clubland. Her television work includes the Lockie Leonard series. She has been principal partner and company director with Goalpost Pictures since 1992, and a board member of Screen Australia since 2013.
Richard Johns is a UK film and television producer. As well as producing many commercially successful and critically acclaimed films, he has helped discover and foster the next generation of directors and writers across the UK, Europe and the US.
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.
Escape from Pretoria is a 2020 prison film co-written and directed by Francis Annan, based on the real-life prison escape by three political prisoners in South Africa in 1979, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Daniel Webber. It is based on the 2003 book Inside Out: Escape from Pretoria Prison by Tim Jenkin, one of the escapees.
Nívea Elisabeth C. dos Reis, known professionally as Bety Reis, is an East Timorese actress, director and film producer.
Bridget Ikin is a New Zealand film producer who has lived and worked in Australia since 1990.
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.
Serhat Caradee is an Australian filmmaker, writer and actor based in Sydney, New South Wales. He is known for feature films Cedar Boys (2009) and A Lion Returns (2020) and short films previously.
John Maynard is an Australian film producer and film distributor who also played an important role in the development of New Zealand art museums.
Film Victoria has allocated $750,000 in Slate Funding support to be shared by Arenafilm Melbourne, Burberry Productions and Southern Arc Films. Arenafilm Melbourne is the new arm Robert Connolly...
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