Warwick Thornton
Encyclopedia
Warwick Thornton is an Australian film director, screenwriter and cinematographer. His debut feature film, Samson and Delilah
won the Caméra d'Or
at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival
.
(CAAMA), and was the Director of Imparja Television
for its first 10 years and, for a time, she was the only female chair of a television network in the world. In 1993 she, together with Philip Batty, won the $50,000 international prize in communications, the McLuhan Teleglobe Canada Award.
At 13, Thornton was sent to school in Australia's only monastic town, New Norcia, Western Australia
, although he later declared he became angry with Christianity and did not consider himself religious.
One of his sisters, Erica Glynn, is also a well-known film writer and director.
His brother, Scott Thornton, is an actor who played the role of Gonzo in Samson and Delilah (2009 film)
.
from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. Thornton began his career making short films and has achieved success with them at film festivals around the world, including Payback at the Telluride Film Festival
and Green Bush and Nana at the Berlin International Film Festival
. He describes his decision to become a filmmaker in an interview in 2007:
Samson and Delilah (2009 film)
Samson and Delilah is a 2009 Australian film and was directed by Warwick Thornton. It stars Rowan McNamara and Marissa Gibson, both young first time actors. It was filmed in and around Alice Springs...
won the Caméra d'Or
Caméra d'Or
The Caméra d'Or is an award of the Cannes Film Festival for the best first feature film presented in one of the Cannes' selections ....
at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival
2009 Cannes Film Festival
The 62nd annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 13 to May 24, 2009. French actress Isabelle Huppert was the President of the Jury. It was announced on March 19, 2009, that Pixar's film Up would open the festival...
.
Family
Thornton was born and raised in Alice Springs. His mother, Freda Glynn, co-founded, and was the first Director of the Central Australian Aboriginal Media AssociationCentral Australian Aboriginal Media Association
The Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association is an organisation founded in 1980 by Freda Glynn, Phillip Batty and John Macumba in order to expose Aboriginal music and culture to the rest of Australia from its Alice Springs media centre through the film-making industry, commencing broadcast...
(CAAMA), and was the Director of Imparja Television
Imparja Television
Imparja Television is an Australian television network servicing remote eastern and central Australia, that began broadcasting on 2 January 1988. It is based in Alice Springs, where it has a studio and satellite uplink facility. Notably, it is controlled by Australian Aborigines through ownership...
for its first 10 years and, for a time, she was the only female chair of a television network in the world. In 1993 she, together with Philip Batty, won the $50,000 international prize in communications, the McLuhan Teleglobe Canada Award.
At 13, Thornton was sent to school in Australia's only monastic town, New Norcia, Western Australia
New Norcia, Western Australia
New Norcia is a town in Western Australia, north of Perth, along the Great Northern Highway. It is situated next to the banks of the Moore River, in the Shire of Victoria Plains.New Norcia is the only monastic town in Australia...
, although he later declared he became angry with Christianity and did not consider himself religious.
One of his sisters, Erica Glynn, is also a well-known film writer and director.
His brother, Scott Thornton, is an actor who played the role of Gonzo in Samson and Delilah (2009 film)
Samson and Delilah (2009 film)
Samson and Delilah is a 2009 Australian film and was directed by Warwick Thornton. It stars Rowan McNamara and Marissa Gibson, both young first time actors. It was filmed in and around Alice Springs...
.
Career
He graduated in cinematographyCinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. Thornton began his career making short films and has achieved success with them at film festivals around the world, including Payback at the Telluride Film Festival
Telluride Film Festival
The Telluride Film Festival was started in 1974 by Bill and Stella Pence, Tom Luddy and Jim Card in the town of Telluride, Colorado, United States. It is operated by the National Film Preserve....
and Green Bush and Nana at the Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
. He describes his decision to become a filmmaker in an interview in 2007:
Where I grew up in Alice I was a DJ for a radio station (CAAMA). The station began a film unit and so I watched people pack cameras and equipment into cars and take off to make films. I was alone at the radio station and I thought that I really wanted to go with them. That’s how it started, I made a film called Green Bush which is basically about that time. Eventually I went to AFTRS in Sydney and got really involved as a Director of Photography. I’ve been in the business for 9 years now.
Awards and nominations
- 2007: Melbourne International Film FestivalMelbourne International Film FestivalThe Melbourne International Film Festival is an acclaimed annual film festival held over three weeks in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1951, making it one of the oldest in the World....
. Melbourne Airport Award for Emerging Talent for Nana - 2007: Inside Film AwardsInside Film AwardsThe Inside Film Awards is an annual awards ceremony and broadcast platform for the Australian film industry, a format created by Australian Producer Andrew Dillon...
(or IF Awards). Best Short Film for Nana - 2008: Berlin International Film FestivalBerlin International Film FestivalThe Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
. Best Short Film for Nana - 2009: Cannes Film FestivalCannes Film FestivalThe Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
. Caméra d'Or for Samson and DelilahSamson and DelilahSamson and Delilah may refer to:*Samson, a Biblical figure*Delilah, a Biblical figure*Samson and Delilah, a Biblical narrative* Samson and Delilah , a painting by Peter Paul Rubens* Samson and Delilah, the club mascots of the Sunderland A.F.C... - 2009: Australian Writers' GuildAustralian Writers' GuildThe Australian Writers' Guild is the professional association for all performance writers, that is, writers for film, television, radio, theatre, video and new media. The AWG was established in 1962 and is recognised throughout the industry in Australia as being the voice of performance writers...
Award: Feature Film Screenplay (Original) for Samson and DelilahSamson and DelilahSamson and Delilah may refer to:*Samson, a Biblical figure*Delilah, a Biblical figure*Samson and Delilah, a Biblical narrative* Samson and Delilah , a painting by Peter Paul Rubens* Samson and Delilah, the club mascots of the Sunderland A.F.C... - 2009: Deadly awards: Outstanding Achievement in Film for Samson and DelilahSamson and DelilahSamson and Delilah may refer to:*Samson, a Biblical figure*Delilah, a Biblical figure*Samson and Delilah, a Biblical narrative* Samson and Delilah , a painting by Peter Paul Rubens* Samson and Delilah, the club mascots of the Sunderland A.F.C...
- 2009: IF Awards: Best Director, Best Script, and Best Music for Samson and DelilahSamson and DelilahSamson and Delilah may refer to:*Samson, a Biblical figure*Delilah, a Biblical figure*Samson and Delilah, a Biblical narrative* Samson and Delilah , a painting by Peter Paul Rubens* Samson and Delilah, the club mascots of the Sunderland A.F.C...
, and Best Short Film Director for Nana - 2009: AFI AwardsAustralian Film Institute AwardsThe Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award, known as the AACTA Award , is an accolade presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts . The awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and television industry, including directors,...
: Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Samson and DelilahSamson and DelilahSamson and Delilah may refer to:*Samson, a Biblical figure*Delilah, a Biblical figure*Samson and Delilah, a Biblical narrative* Samson and Delilah , a painting by Peter Paul Rubens* Samson and Delilah, the club mascots of the Sunderland A.F.C... - 2009: The Dinosaur Design IF Award for Best Music for Samson and DelilahSamson and DelilahSamson and Delilah may refer to:*Samson, a Biblical figure*Delilah, a Biblical figure*Samson and Delilah, a Biblical narrative* Samson and Delilah , a painting by Peter Paul Rubens* Samson and Delilah, the club mascots of the Sunderland A.F.C...
- 2009: The National Film and Sound ArchiveNational Film and Sound ArchiveThe National Film and Sound Archive is Australia’s audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national collection of audiovisual materials and related items...
IF Award for Best Direction for Samson and DelilahSamson and DelilahSamson and Delilah may refer to:*Samson, a Biblical figure*Delilah, a Biblical figure*Samson and Delilah, a Biblical narrative* Samson and Delilah , a painting by Peter Paul Rubens* Samson and Delilah, the club mascots of the Sunderland A.F.C... - 2009: Northern Territorian of the Year.
As director
- From Sand to Celluloid: Payback (1996, short film, also writer)
- Willigan’s Fitzroy (2000, documentary, also writer)
- Mimi (2002, short film, also director, starring Aaron PedersenAaron PedersenAaron Pedersen is an Australian television and film actor of Arrente/Arabana Australian Aboriginal descent.-Career:Prior to Aaron's acting career, Aaron plied his trade as a journalist with ABC2 at Elsternwick studios in Melbourne....
and Sophie LeeSophie LeeSophie Lee is an Australian film, stage and television actress and author.-Career:Early in her career, Sophie Lee worked as a model, both in Australia and Japan appearing in print and on TV...
) - Green Bush (2005, short film, also writer, starring David Page)
- The Old Man and the Inland Sea (2005, documentary, also writer)
- Burning Daylight (2007, documentary)
- Dark Science (2007, documentary, co-director)
- Nana (2007, short film)
- Samson and DelilahSamson and Delilah (2009 film)Samson and Delilah is a 2009 Australian film and was directed by Warwick Thornton. It stars Rowan McNamara and Marissa Gibson, both young first time actors. It was filmed in and around Alice Springs...
(2009) - Art + SoulArt + Soulart + soul is an Australian cultural project, led by curator Hetti Perkins, that aims to convey the diversity and complexity of Indigenous expression in Australia...
(2010)
As cinematographer
- Marn Grook: An Aboriginal Perspective on Australian Rules Football (1997, documentary)
- RadianceRadiance (play)Radiance is a play by Australian author and playwright Louis Nowra. The play focuses on three Aboriginal half-sisters, who have gone their separate ways in life, and are reunited when they arrive for their mother's funeral service...
(1998, feature film, directed by Rachel PerkinsRachel PerkinsRachel Perkins is a film and television director, film and television producer and a writer. She is known for her films Bran Nue Dae, Radiance and One Night the Moon. Perkins is an Arrernte woman from Central Australia, who was raised in Canberra by parents Eileen and Charles Perkins...
) - Ngangkari Way (2001, documentary, directed by Erica Glynn)
- Kurtal: Snake Spirit (2002, documentary, co-cinematographer)
- Knot at Home Project (2004, documentary series, co-cinematographer)
- Queen of Hearts (2003, directed by Danielle MacLean)
- Wirriya: Small Boy (2004, documentary, co-cinematographer)
- Five Seasons (2005, documentary, directed by Steven McGregor)
- The Lore of Love (2005, documentary)
- My Brother Vinnie (2006, documentary, directed by Steven McGregor)