article courtesy of AFP

Aboriginal director Warwick Thornton's Samson and Delilah, a tale of young love in a troubled indigenous community, was Sunday awarded the Camera d'Or first film prize at the Cannes festival.

Thornton's feature takes an unflinching look at the problems facing Australia's remote Aboriginal communities: violence, substance abuse and poverty.

Shot in a derelict Aboriginal community near Alice Springs, it follows the slow, shy courtship between a boy who spends his time sniffing petrol and lost in music, and a girl forced to care for her ailing grandmother.

French actress Isabelle Adjani awarded the Camera d'Or of the 62nd Cannes film festival to what the jury described as "the best love film we've seen for many a year, 'Samson and Delilah.'"

Played by first-time Aboriginal actors Rowan McNamara and Marisa Gibson, both 14 at the time, the film is marked by long silences, and what little is spoken is mostly in the Central Australian language Warlpiri.

"Thank you for believing in our first born baby," Thornton said as he accepted the award. "I don't don't know what to say. Viva Cannes, viva le cinema."

The 38-year-old filmmaker drew on his own experience of growing up on the streets of Alice Springs when writing the screenplay, and approached local Aboriginal communities for help in finding his actors.

"It is about Aboriginal kids growing up and how incredibly strong and resilient and beautiful they are, and how they are neglected, not only by their own people and their own families but by the system."

In an interview with AFP, Thornton said a sense of his identity ran strongly through his work.

"I'm an Aboriginal and I will be all my life," he said. "The stolen generation, that's me. I'm actually not supposed to be here, it was actually government policy to breed us out and get rid of us."

"When you're writing your first feature you have to ask yourself, have you got something to say? Is there a fire inside of you, that you can translate to the film?"

"That's what it was. Everything that's in the film I've seen personally."

CONGRATULATIONS WARWICK!!!!

Heather Rae, received the Piaget Producers Award, last night at the 2009 Spirit Awards for her work as producer of Frozen River and Ibid. Now in its thirteenth year, the Piaget Producers Award honors emerging producers, who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality, independent films.

Check back next week for a special All Roads Spotlight honoring Heather Rae.

Netflix is offering an "opportunity of a lifetime for a first time filmmaker" with the Find Your Voice Film Competition. In addition to providing a platform of distribution through the eight million+ Netflix member network, the winning project will also receive a prize package including a cash production grant of $150,000, four-week camera package and 25,000 feet of Kodak Color Negative Film.

Check netflixfindyourvoice.com for more details.

Deadline for entries: February 9, 2009.

All Roads seed grant recipients Teareapa Kahi and Quinton Hita were on the scene with their film Taua at the 58th Annual Berlinale International Film Festival. Screening as part of the Generations program, the film proved to be hit among viewers, at times some 1700 strong. In one extraordinary scene, Kahi was actually mobbed for autographs following a relentess Q&A session that lasted well over 45 minutes.
Also on the scene was All Roads alumni, Warrick Thorton, whose film, Nana took home the "Golden Teddy" for Best Children's Film.

As the 2007 festival season winds to a close, All Roads Seed grantees continue to find success on the circuit. Sterlin Harjo's "Four Sheets to the Wind" was honored as Best Dramatic Feature at the 8th Annual ImagineNative Film & Media Arts Festival. Other honorees include Billy Luther's "Miss Navajo" and Tearepa Kahi's "Taua" receiving Honourable Mentions in the categories of The Alanis Obomsawin Best Documentary Awards and Best Dramatic Feature respectively.

The 7th Annual imagineNative Film+Media Arts Festival has wrapped it's 2006 operations with another successful year.  Among this year's attendees were representatives from the All Roads Film Project who were "impressed by the contemporary take on the perspectives of Native Peoples lives." 

All Roads Board member, Alanis Obomsawin, picked up the Best Documentary award for her compelling portrayal of the history of the Abenaki people in Waban-Aki: People From Where the Sun Rises, which was described by the jury as "an example of masterful, elegant filmmaking."  Also special kudos to AR veteran Blackhorse Lowe, whose piece Minor Disturbance was honored as Best Music Video.