Samson and Delilah takes Cannes.
May 25th 2009 05:21
The Australian feature film Samson & Delilah (writer/director Warwick Thornton, producer Kath Shelper) has won the coveted Caméra d’Or, one of the major awards of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.
The Caméra d'Or is awarded to the best first film screened in Official Selection (Competition and Un Certain Regard), Directors' Fortnight or International Critics' Week. This year 26 films were eligible. The award last went to an Australian in 1996, when Shirley Barrett won it for Love Serenade.
Fresh from attending the Festival’s closing ceremony last night, Screen Australia CEO Ruth Harley reported that the announcement had been greeted with huge applause. “It was clear the closing night audience endorsed the jury’s decision,” she said. “The award is a wonderful achievement and we congratulate all those involved in making this beautiful film.”
Screening recently at the Adelaide Film Festival it recieved an extended standing ovation, but the cast and crew were unsure how it would be accepted over in the massive European Film Market. This result shows just how much appeal the film has where in Cannes it once again received standing ovations for its official screenings , and is now one of THE films that everyone wishes to have sopme association with.
In Australia, it continues to achieve high screen averages, taking close to $850,000 in three weeks of release on only 16 screens.
“There’s no doubt the film is connecting with audiences everywhere,” added Harley. “It’s a unique love story that passes through tragedy to redemption, told with unsentimental compassion by a director/cinematographer with an extraordinary cinematic eye. The Caméra d'Or is a well-deserved testament to the talent and skill of Warwick and his team.”
Samson & Delilah is the first feature film funded through Screen Australia’s Indigenous department, which supported Warwick Thornton’s first short, Payback, in 1996 and has since supported his internationally acclaimed short films Nana and Green Bush.
Both he and producer Kath Shelper had attended the awards ceremony as part of the Cannes experience and had no expectations for the evening. With the presentation ceremony in French, they were not even sure when their category was to be presented until someone nearby informed them the next award was for the Camera d'Or.
French actress Isabelle Adjani awarded the prize to what the jury described as "the best loved film we've seen for many a year."
SAMSON & DELILAH screened in Official Selection in "Un Certain Regard" - a category reserved for films that express a personal vision, with an emphasis on special cultural expression and cinematic innovation.
"Thank you for believing in our first born baby," Thornton said as he accepted the award. "I don't know what to say. Viva Cannes, viva le cinema."
In an interview on ABC National Radio in Australia Director Warwick Thornton was blown away by the award.
'This is a once in a lifetime chance. This award is for a first time director and you never get another chance.' said a still stunned Thornton down the line from Cannes.
Thornton has never expected too much. As a filmmaker he seems to have that rare quality where he is never in a rush in much the same way the films storyline pans out. In a recent interview with FilmInk, he let everyone in on his secret.
"I've thought about this film for ten years. I don't like to write or do drafts.I tink a film through and then it takes for or five days to write a first draft. It's just so painful to me, so I get it all out in one go."
One thing he now knows for sure that the film had already created a great deal of interest from distributors and studios throughout Cannes. Thornton can be assured that his next feature will recieve a far larger slice of funding than this low budget love story.
Samson & Delilah
www.samsonanddelilah.com.au
(101 mins)
Production companies: Scarlett Pictures Pty Ltd, CAAMA Productions Pty Ltd
Writer/director: Warwick Thornton
Producer: Kath Shelper
Australian distributor: Footprint Films
International sales: Elle Driver
Finance: Screen Australia, NSW Film and Television Office, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Adelaide Film Festival
Cast: Rowan McNamara, Marissa Gibson, Mitjili Gibson, Scott Thornton
Synopsis: The world is a small place when you’re Samson and Delilah – an isolated community in the desert. Their silent love for each other takes them on a journey of survival. Lost, unwanted and alone, they discover that life isn’t always fair but love never judges.
Source: Lantern PR, Screen Australia, Filmink
The Caméra d'Or is awarded to the best first film screened in Official Selection (Competition and Un Certain Regard), Directors' Fortnight or International Critics' Week. This year 26 films were eligible. The award last went to an Australian in 1996, when Shirley Barrett won it for Love Serenade.
Samson and Delilah
Screening recently at the Adelaide Film Festival it recieved an extended standing ovation, but the cast and crew were unsure how it would be accepted over in the massive European Film Market. This result shows just how much appeal the film has where in Cannes it once again received standing ovations for its official screenings , and is now one of THE films that everyone wishes to have sopme association with.
In Australia, it continues to achieve high screen averages, taking close to $850,000 in three weeks of release on only 16 screens.
“There’s no doubt the film is connecting with audiences everywhere,” added Harley. “It’s a unique love story that passes through tragedy to redemption, told with unsentimental compassion by a director/cinematographer with an extraordinary cinematic eye. The Caméra d'Or is a well-deserved testament to the talent and skill of Warwick and his team.”
Samson & Delilah is the first feature film funded through Screen Australia’s Indigenous department, which supported Warwick Thornton’s first short, Payback, in 1996 and has since supported his internationally acclaimed short films Nana and Green Bush.
Both he and producer Kath Shelper had attended the awards ceremony as part of the Cannes experience and had no expectations for the evening. With the presentation ceremony in French, they were not even sure when their category was to be presented until someone nearby informed them the next award was for the Camera d'Or.
French actress Isabelle Adjani awarded the prize to what the jury described as "the best loved film we've seen for many a year."
SAMSON & DELILAH screened in Official Selection in "Un Certain Regard" - a category reserved for films that express a personal vision, with an emphasis on special cultural expression and cinematic innovation.
Warwick Thornton - Getty Images
In an interview on ABC National Radio in Australia Director Warwick Thornton was blown away by the award.
'This is a once in a lifetime chance. This award is for a first time director and you never get another chance.' said a still stunned Thornton down the line from Cannes.
Thornton has never expected too much. As a filmmaker he seems to have that rare quality where he is never in a rush in much the same way the films storyline pans out. In a recent interview with FilmInk, he let everyone in on his secret.
"I've thought about this film for ten years. I don't like to write or do drafts.I tink a film through and then it takes for or five days to write a first draft. It's just so painful to me, so I get it all out in one go."
One thing he now knows for sure that the film had already created a great deal of interest from distributors and studios throughout Cannes. Thornton can be assured that his next feature will recieve a far larger slice of funding than this low budget love story.
Samson & Delilah
www.samsonanddelilah.com.au
(101 mins)
Production companies: Scarlett Pictures Pty Ltd, CAAMA Productions Pty Ltd
Writer/director: Warwick Thornton
Producer: Kath Shelper
Australian distributor: Footprint Films
International sales: Elle Driver
Finance: Screen Australia, NSW Film and Television Office, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Adelaide Film Festival
Cast: Rowan McNamara, Marissa Gibson, Mitjili Gibson, Scott Thornton
Synopsis: The world is a small place when you’re Samson and Delilah – an isolated community in the desert. Their silent love for each other takes them on a journey of survival. Lost, unwanted and alone, they discover that life isn’t always fair but love never judges.
Source: Lantern PR, Screen Australia, Filmink
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