AustLit
Latest Issues
AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'The film is set entirely in the remote Indigenous community of Toomelah, located on the NSW, QLD border. It was created as a mission during the 1930s, bringing together Gamilaroi and Bigambal people from the surrounding area.
'The story centres on Daniel, a small ten year old boy who dreams of being a gangster. He is kicked out of school and befriends a local gang leader, until a rival gangster arrives back from jail to reclaim his turf. A showdown ensues and Daniel is caught in the middle, leaving him with a choice to make about his uncertain future.
'Toomelah is a deeply personal story, that intimately depicts mission life in contemporary Australia. The film reveals the challenges facing the young Gamilaroi people of the Toomelah Community. Robbed of much of their traditional culture by Government policy, it is a community on a cultural edge, struggling for an identity. It is a provocative and yet comic story that transports audiences inside the community, creating an authentic world and way of life that is Toomelah.'
Source: Toomelah website.
Notes
-
For further information, see the Toomelah website, www.toomelahthemovie.com
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
Here and Now
single work
review
— Review of The Tall Man 2011 single work film/TV ; Toomelah 2011 single work film/TV ; Burning Man 2011 single work film/TV'TWO of the best films made in Australia, in this and most other years, are now finishing short runs at marginal sites in our cities. Many who care for cinema per se, and others who see these stories as central in the landscape, are likely to miss them altogether. They can be sought on DVD, but they repay the big-screen impact and should be allowed more of it, with more talk around them, more energetic promotion.' (Introduction)
-
The Past, Present and Future of Toomelah (Ivan Sen, 2011)
2019
single work
review
— Appears in: Senses of Cinema , October no. 92 2019;
— Review of Toomelah 2011 single work film/TV'The bulk of Ivan Sen’s cinematic oeuvre – documentary and fiction (not that there is always great disparity between the two) – converges around a set of core themes: the intractable legacy of British colonialism and racism; the complex inscriptions on, and meanings of, landscape; the resilience of Indigenous Australia; the importance of cultural connection; and a quiet optimism for a just, caring Australia – one in which historical wounds can be healed.' (Introduction)
-
Meet the Woman Bringing Aboriginal Cinema to the Screens of Paris
Sandra R. Phillips
(interviewer),
2016
single work
interview
— Appears in: The Conversation , 2 June 2016;'In a tiny cinema in the Latin Quarter of Paris, something very unusual for French filmgoers is on display. For five days, the programme at Cinema La Clef is devoted not to the latest Hollywood blockbusters, nor to the finest French cinema, but to the best examples of Australian Indigenous film-making.'
'The first Festival of Australian Aboriginal Cinema (La Festival du Cinéma Aborigène Australien) will showcase films that may have garnered awards at Cannes, but are nonetheless unfamiliar to audiences in one of the world’s capitals of cinematic culture. It is the first festival of its kind in Europe.'
-
Respecting Protocols for Representing Aboriginal Cultures
2014
single work
criticism
— Appears in: JASAL , vol. 14 no. 3 2014; 'This essay undertakes a detailed discussion of how respecting protocols for representing Indigenous cultures supports the interests of Indigenous communities and producers of stories with Indigenous content. To highlight the importance of Indigenous protocols I review the prominence and reception of Aboriginal stories in Australian film and literature and discuss how protocol guidelines can prevent problematic representations. I demonstrate how protocols influenced writing Calypso Summer (2014), a novel exploring issues relating to my cultural group, the Nukunu, to illustrate the challenges encountered and benefits gained from employing Indigenous representation protocols. ' (Author's introduction) -
Case Studies
2014
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Indigenous Film and Television Digital Bibliography 2014;'Synopsis and bibliographies for selected Indigenous Australian films from locations across Australia including: Samson & Delilah, Beneath Clouds, Bran Nue Dae , The Sapphires, and Toomelah. '
-
Darkly Amusing but Dangerously Close to the Bone
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 20 June 2011; (p. 11)
— Review of Toomelah 2011 single work film/TV -
Untitled
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 7 July 2011; (p. 16)
— Review of Toomelah 2011 single work film/TV -
New Release
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 20 November 2011; (p. 17) The Sun-Herald , 20 November 2011; (p. 7)
— Review of Toomelah 2011 single work film/TV -
Intimate Glimpse into Rugged World
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 24 November 2011; (p. 20)
— Review of Toomelah 2011 single work film/TV -
Violence Disguised as Myth
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 26 - 27 November 2011; (p. 16-17)
— Review of Toomelah 2011 single work film/TV -
A Fairytale Existence
2011
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 1 May 2011; (p. 8) -
Two Aussies Find They Really Cannes
2011
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 16 -17 April 2011; (p. 5) -
Untitled
2011
single work
column
— Appears in: The Australian , 20 April 2011; (p. 15) -
Local Work Makes Top Tier after a Lean Decade
2011
single work
column
— Appears in: The Australian , 11 May 2011; (p. 29) -
Director Ducks to the Mainstream Shoot Toomelah
2011
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 17 May 2011; (p. 10)
Awards
- 2000-2099
- Moree - Mungindi - Boggabilla area, Far North NSW, New South Wales,
