FIRESTARTER
THE STORY OF BANGARRA
Directed by Wayne Blair
& Nel Minchin
'Beautifully captured.'
- Sydney Morning Herald
'What an experience. What a joy. I've watched it twice and emerged both times deeply moved.'
- The Guardian
'A modern dance company unlike any other...remarkable, imaginative and richly varied.'
- New York Times
'This is a vital, none-more-timely film that speaks to Australia's complicated past and present yet remains hopeful for the future. A must watch.'
- Flicks.com.au
AVAILABLE TO STREAM NOW ON
FIRESTARTER: THE STORY OF BANGARRA
Theatrical | 2020 | 96min
From its early beginnings in the late 1980s, through the politically tumultuous 90s and into the new millennium, Bangarra Dance Theatre has grown to be one of Australia's most revered cultural institutions.
Globally recognised as a leading performing arts company with a distinctive theatrical voice and utterly inimitable soundscapes, music and design - Bangarra’s unique signature style also encompasses authentic storytelling, outstanding technique and deeply moving performances.
Marking Bangarra Dance Theatre’s 30th anniversary, Firestarter takes us through its birth and spectacular growth, recognising the Company’s founders and telling the story of how three young Aboriginal brothers — Stephen, David and Russell Page — turned the newly born dance group into a First Nations cultural powerhouse.
Featuring remarkable archival footage and interviews with those integral to Bangarra’s establishment, including co-founders Carole Johnson, Cheryl Stone along with a number of former dancers and creatives, Firestarter is a tale of pride, heartbreak, adversity and empowerment – with the transformative strength of Indigenous dance at its centre.
AWARDS & NOMINATIONS
AACTA AWARDS 2021
WINNER - Best Feature Documentary Award
Nominated - Best Editing in Documentary
Nominated - Best Sound in a Documentary
ROSE D'OR AWARDS 2021
WINNER - Best Arts Program
LOGIE AWARDS 2022
WINNER - Most Outstanding Factual or Documentary
AUSTRALIAN DIRECTORS GUILD AWARDS 2021
WINNER - Best Direction in a Documentary Feature
SCREEN PRODUCERS AUSTRALIA AWARDS 2021
WINNER - Feature Documentary Award
ADELAIDE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2021
WINNER - Documentary Award
WINNER - Inaugural Change Award
PAN AFRICAN FILM + ARTS FESTIVAL 2021
WINNER Best Documentary Award
AIDC AWARDS 2021
Nominated - Best Feature
AUSTRALIAN SCREEN SOUND GUILD AWARDS 2021
Nominated - Best Sound in a Documentary
AUSTRALIAN SCREEN WRITERS GUILD AWARDS 2021
Nominated - Best Documentary
TBI CONTENT INNOVATION AWARD 2021
Nomination - Best Representation on Screen
FILM FESTIVALS
BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2020
Closing Night Film
BYRON BAY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2020
Opening Night Film
REVELATION PERTH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2020
Opening Night Film
SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL SUMMER SERIES 2020
Opening Night Film
BIRRARANGGA FILM FESTIVAL 2021
Opening Night Film
PERFECT LIGHT FILM FESTIVAL 2021
Opening Night Film
PORT TOWNSEND FILM FESTIVAL 2021 (US)
Special Jury Commendation Prize
SCREENWAVE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2021
Official Selection
HUMAN RIGHTS & ART FILM FESTIVAL 2021
Official Selection
DARWIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2021
Official Selection
CINEFEST OZ 2021
Official Selection
SAN FRANCISCO DOC FEST 2021 (US)
Official Selection
SHEFFIELD DOC FEST 2021 (UK)
Official Selection
DOXA DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL 2021 (Canada)
Official Selection
DOC LISBOA 2021 (Portugal)
Official Selection
SAN FRANCISCO DANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2021 (US)
Official Selection
DOCTOBER 2021 (US)
Official Selection
GUELPH FILM FESTIVAL 2021 (Canada)
Official Selection
CUCALORUS FILM FESTIVAL 2021 (US)
Official Selection
NEW ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2021
Official Selection
TWO RIVERSIDES FILM & ART FESTIVAL 2021 (Poland)
Official Selection
BERKSHIRE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2021 (US)
Official Selection
BELDOCS 2021 (Serbia)
Official Selection
