Warwick Thornton

Warwick Thornton
Born Alice Springs, Australia
Nationality Australian
Occupation film director, screenwriter and cinematographer

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.

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 Association (CAAMA), and was the Director of Imparja Television for its first ten years. 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.[1]

At 13, Thornton was sent to school in Australia's only monastic town, New Norcia, Western Australia,[2] although he later declared he became angry with Christianity and did not consider himself religious.[3]

One of his sisters, Erica Glynn, is also a well-known film writer and director.[4][5]

Thornton is married to screenwriter and film director, Beck Cole, and they live in Alice Springs. "She's the boss," he laughs. "I ask 'Can I shoot your film babe?' and she says, "Well, if you do the washing up and mow the lawn.' She's bulletproof and much stronger than me." Together they have a daughter, Luka May, while Thornton also has another daughter, Rona, and a son, Dylan, from a previous relationship.

He has two brothers, Scott Thornton, an actor who played the role of Gonzo in Samson and Delilah (2009 film), and Rob Thornton who is an indigenous liaison officer in Cairns Base Hospital, Queensland.

Career

He graduated in cinematography 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.[6] 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.[6]

Awards and nominations

Filmography

As director

As cinematographer

References

  1. ↑ "Supplement- 39th Annual Report". Le Conseil des Arts du Canada. 31 March 1996. Archived from the original on 19 February 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  2. ↑ Dow, Steve (27 April 2009). "Salvation in Cinema". Stevedow.com.au. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  3. ↑ Smith, M. "Thornton nails his latest work", The Koori Mail, 21 September 2011, p. 84.
  4. ↑ "Erica Glynn". Deadly Vibe (78). September 2003. Archived from the original on 5 August 2008.
  5. ↑ Erica Glynn at Australian Screen
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Emerging Talent program - Profiles - Warwick Thornton". Melbourne Airport. Archived from the original on 5 January 2009.
  7. ↑ "Aboriginal director honoured at Cannes". Australia: ABC News. 25 May 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  8. ↑ "Australian Performance Writing Shines at the 2009 AWGIEs". Australian Writers' Guild. 31 August 2009. Archived from the original on 11 November 2009.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "The 2009 Deadlys". Vibe Australia. Archived from the original on 11 February 2011.
  10. ↑ Darwin (21 January 2010). "Filmmaker fears Southern Cross becoming a swastika". The Age. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
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