RAINMAKER MEETS FILMMAKER

On 26th January, in response to my cultural cringe at white Australians driving round in cars with Australian flags stuck on the window, I took myself to the movies to see Bran Nue Dae. It was just the tonic this white chick needed. A couple of weeks later I returned with friends to see it again and enjoyed it just as much the second time around.

The Australian box office reflected this, a credit to the vision of director, Rachel Perkins, the producers, cast and crew. This week I was absolutely delighted to find a fantastic review in the LA Times.
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/Sep/10/entertainment/la-et-bran-nue-dae-20100910

It is great to see an Australian film that travels well. What was even better was that the reviewer understood the context, which is more than could be said for the reviewer on Triple J.

So why is a rainmaker writing about filmmaking? Because currently, when I'm not rainmaking or eating clouds, I am a filmmaker. A powerful young Indigenous lore woman, Suzanne Thompson, and I are forming Murubakgira Productions to make the feature film Liquid Assets.
I began the screenplay some 15 years ago, thinking it was going to be a mainstream comedy about an art con which takes place in drought stricken, outback Australia. Somewhere along the way I realised the characters and the country itself had taken over and that the screenplay was writing me, as it were. Then I met an Indigenous rainmaker and experienced the miracle of rainmaking and so began the series of amazing “coincidences” which has resulted in Liquid Assets. Both the film and Murubakgira Productions have the blessings of the Central Australian elders who have asked me to walk this journey beside the beautiful Suz. They are the ones who called me the rainmaker some years ago.

Next week I am off to Sydney to take the next step along the road to a successful international feature film. What a privilege. What a magical, mystical journey. Thank you Bran Nue Dae for paving the way.

PS. the DVD of Bran Nue Dae is currently available on http://www.donedirtcheap.com.au/