click here to help support Banjo’s War documentary on Pozible.
Funding Being Sought for Animation
Having discovered archival evidence of Banjo’s 1949 walk-off, I’ve decided to re-create this significant historical event using animation. In the style of animation by Israeli film director Ari Folman in his powerful animated portrayal of the horrors of the 1982 Lebanon war, “Waltz With Bashir”, I’ll be working with Adelaide animation studio Monkeystack to recreate the 1949 walk off at the Lake Nash Cattle Station. This piece of animation will be incorporated into a new teaser trailer to be used to pitch the project to broadcasters. I’ll be doing this at the Australian International Documentary Conference in Adelaide in Feb, 2012.
I’m now looking to raise $15,000 to cover the costs of animation for this stage of development. Remember, donations are tax deductible through the Documentary Australia Foundation. For more information on making a donation to help with this stage of the project, please email me.
The Story Comes Together
This is Banjo’s story as it’s being pieced together, from the 1949 walk-off at Lake Nash to the walk-off from Ampilatwatja that started in 2009. Some great archival material through oral histories weave together life at Lake Nash in the late 1940′s as well as attitudes towards Aboriginals working on the station at that time. The 1949 walk-off will be re-created using animation and I’m looking forward to being able to work with the great team at Monkeystack on this. There’s something exciting going on behind the scenes which aims at getting together the entire project budget so stay tuned for that news soon !
Lake Nash Police Journal
My recent research at the NT Archives in Alice Springs uncovered a great find ! The 1949 Lake Nash Police Journal where Constable Jack Mahoney devotes two entire pages to the walk off by Aboriginal stockmen in February, 1949. Banjo’s name is highlighted in red.
Banjo’s First Walk Off
I recently got some development funding from SA Film Corporation to allow me to research Banjo’s first walk-off which will be an integral part of the feature documentary. The research extended to include a trip to Darwin to meet up with Richard Downs where just yesterday we translated Banjo’s first interview shot out at Honeymoon Bore in 2010. In the second interview shot with Banjo in May this year, we found out that Banjo’s first walk off may have been the very first time Aboriginal stockmen walked off in the NT. This could be a historically significant event and more research at the NT Archives in Darwin and other significant places in Alice Springs will help provide some exciting visual material for the story. The development funding will also allow me to cut a new teaser with the information I gather over the next two weeks and to prepare pitch materials for the broadcasters.
Meeting Lindsay Murdoch
Veteran journalist from The Age, Lindsay Murdoch, was at Honeymoon Bore last weekend while I was there. Lindsay is the journalist who wrote the story about Banjo last year that I read and got so inspired by and which started the journey of the making of “Banjo’s War”. It was great to meet Lindsay out there at the walk-off camp. Thanks to Angela Wylie (The Age) for the photo. Check out The Age this Saturday (14 May) for Lindsay’s follow-up story about Banjo and the walk-off camp.
May Filming Trip
The filming trip in March was cancelled due to the heavy rains and washed out roads. I’ll be going out next week and am now looking to raise the last $500 to cover the costs of this trip. Any donations are welcome and can be made via the SUPPORT page or if you’d like a tax deduction for your donation, you can make your donation via the Documentary Australia Foundation. Click on “Make a Grant” on the left hand side and be sure to identify that it’s “Banjo’s War” that you want to support. Thank you ! And a big THANK YOU to Toben Darley, Director of Total Photographic Supplies in Adelaide for the loan of a DSLR to take out on the next trip.
Award Winning Documentary Maker Joins The Team
Think Films is thrilled to announce the newest filmmaking team member – Jonathan Stack. Jonathan Stack is a multiple Emmy Award winning and two- time Academy Award® nominated documentary filmmaker. During his career Jonathan has written, produced and directed over 25 films and 50 television programs including The Farm, which was honored as Sundance Film Festival’s 1998 Grand Jury Prize winner. He has distributed his films through HBO, BBC, Channel Four, Discovery Channel, A&E–among many others. Jonathan, based in New York, will act as Special Adviser to the filmmaking and distribution process.
