Beck Cole is an Australian filmmaker of the
Warramungu and
Luritja
The Luritja or Loritja people, also known as Kukatja or Kukatja-Luritja, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Northern Territory. Their traditional lands are immediately west of the Derwent River, that forms a frontier with the Arrernte p ...
nations. She is known for her work on numerous TV series, including ''
First Australians
''First Australians'' is an Australian historical documentary series produced by Blackfella Films over the course of six years, and first aired on SBS TV in October 2008. The documentary is part of a greater project that further consists of a ...
'', ''
Grace Beside Me
''Grace Beside Me'' is an Australian fantasy drama television series for children which premiered on NITV on 16 February 2018 and later aired on ABC Me. The series is based on the novel ''Grace Beside Me'', by Sue McPherson, and was filmed in ...
'', ''
Black Comedy
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...
'' and ''
Wentworth Wentworth may refer to:
People
* Wentworth (surname)
* Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth (1873–1957), Lady Wentworth, notable Arabian horse breeder
* S. Wentworth Horton (1885–1960), New York state senator
* Wentworth Miller (born 1 ...
'', as well as documentaries and short films. She is based in
Alice Springs
Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...
, in the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
.
Early life, education and early career
Cole grew up in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
and around the
Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...
area.
Cole started working in media as a journalist when she got a
cadetship at
Imparja Television
Imparja Television (IMP) is an independent Australian television station servicing over , across six states and territories: Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. It is based in Alice Spring ...
, when still at school. She gained experience in both writing and presenting stories, and also worked as a news and weather presenter.
[
She graduated from ]Charles Sturt University
Charles Sturt University is an Australian multi-campus public university located in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria. Established in 1989, it was named in honour of Captain Charles Napier Sturt, a British explorer w ...
with a BA in Communication and Sociology, and soon afterwards started work in the Indigenous Unit at ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to:
*ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or
*ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia
ABC Television or ABC ...
, where she started her filmmaking
Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, casti ...
career. After a few years she did a year's film directing course at the Australian Film Television and Radio School
The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) formerly Australian Film and Television School, is Australia's national screen arts and broadcast school. The school is a Commonwealth Government statutory authority.
History
Establishe ...
(AFTRS), where she was exposed to a number of Australian documentary filmmakers.[ Cole was mentored by photographer and filmmaker ]Michael Riley
Michael Riley (born February 4, 1962) is a Canadian actor. From 1998 to 2000, he portrayed Brett Parker in ''Power Play''. He has acted in over 40 films and television series, including '' This Is Wonderland'', for which he received a Gemini Awa ...
, who co-founded Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative, until his death in 2004.[
]
Career
While at AFTRS, Cole worked on and off for the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association
The Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA) is an organisation founded in 1980 to expose Aboriginal music and culture to the rest of Australia. It started with 8KIN-FM, the first Aboriginal radio station in the country. Based in A ...
(CAAMA), with whom she has had an association ever since.[
Her early short documentary and drama films, starting with ''Flat'' (2002/3), were mainly focused on Aboriginal culture and family.][ ''Flat'' and ''Plains Empty'' (2005]) premiering at Sundance ''Flat'' also screening at the Edinburgh Film Festival
The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) is a film festival that runs for two weeks in June each year. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all ti ...
.[
Cole established a working as well as a personal relationship with cinematographer ]Warwick Thornton
Warwick Thornton (born 1970) is an Australian film director, screenwriter and cinematographer. His debut feature film ''Samson and Delilah'' won the Caméra d'Or at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and the award for Best Film at the Asia Pacific Sc ...
,[ and along with producer ]Kath Shelper
Kath Shelper is an Australian film producer, known for ''Samson and Delilah''. Her production company is called Scarlett Pictures.
Career
Shelper's production credits include a number of short films and telemovies, including ''Confessions of a ...
they called themselves "the trinity" since working together from 2004.[ ''Wirriya: Small Boy'' (2004) is a short film about an eight-year-old boy who lives in Hidden Valley, an Indigenous town camp near Alice Springs in the ]Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
, with his foster mother.
Cole worked as a writer-director on ''First Australians
''First Australians'' is an Australian historical documentary series produced by Blackfella Films over the course of six years, and first aired on SBS TV in October 2008. The documentary is part of a greater project that further consists of a ...
'' (2008), the acclaimed documentary television series about the history of Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...
, along with Rachel Perkins
Rachel Perkins (born 1970) is an Australian film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. She directed the films ''Radiance'' (1998), ''One Night the Moon'' (2001), ''Bran Nue Dae'' (2010), and ''Jasper Jones'' (2017). Perkins is an ...
and Louis Nowra
Mark Doyle, better known by his stage name Louis Nowra, (born 12 December 1950) is an Australian writer, playwright, screenwriter and librettist.
He is best known as one of Australia's leading playwrights. His works have been performed by all o ...
.[
In 2009 she wrote and directed ''Making 'Samson and Delilah, a 55 minute documentary on the making of the feature film '']Samson and Delilah
Samson and Delilah are Biblical
figures.
Samson and Delilah may also refer to:
In music
* ''Samson and Delilah'' (opera), an opera by Camille Saint-Saëns
* ''Samson & Delilah'' (album), released in 2013 by V V Brown
* "Samson and Delilah" (t ...
'', directed by Thornton.[
Her debut ]feature film
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
was the drama '' Here I Am'' (2011).[
She directed several episodes over three series of the '']Black Comedy
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...
'', which won a 2015 AACTA award for Best Direction in a Light Entertainment or Reality Series.[
After working on a number of series on Indigenous themes, she collaborated with ]Leah Purcell
Leah Maree Purcell (born 14 August 1970) is an Aboriginal Australian stage and film actress, playwright, film director, and novelist. She made her film debut in 1999, appearing in Paul Fenech's ''Somewhere in the Darkness'', which led to role ...
on several episodes of the popular prison drama series, ''Wentworth Wentworth may refer to:
People
* Wentworth (surname)
* Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth (1873–1957), Lady Wentworth, notable Arabian horse breeder
* S. Wentworth Horton (1885–1960), New York state senator
* Wentworth Miller (born 1 ...
'', between 2019 and 2021, and with Bevan Lee
Bevan John Lee (born 7 November 1950) is an Australian writer and executive best known for creating the TV dramas '' All Saints'', ''Packed to the Rafters'', ''Winners & Losers'' and '' A Place to Call Home''.
Career
Lee was an actor before tu ...
on the Seven Network
The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
series '' Between Two Worlds'', which premiered in 2020.
Cole was voice director for all three seasons of '' Little J & Big Cuz'', and wrote two episodes of the series.[
Cole has been working on a ]horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes.
Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...
set in Alice Springs, which is based on a true story told by Aboriginal children who lived in a residential care home, where they were attacked by an evil entity.[
Cole directed one of the segments of the anthology film '' We Are Still Here'', which premiered as the opening film of the 2022 ]Sydney Film Festival
The Sydney Film Festival is an annual competitive film festival held in Sydney, Australia, usually over 12 days in June. A number of awards are given, the top one being the Sydney Film Prize.
the festival's director is Nashen Moodley.
Histo ...
.
Recognition and accolades
Cole was one of seven filmmakers featured in the 5th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art
The Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) is an art museum located within the Queensland Cultural Centre in the South Bank precinct of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The gallery is part of QAGOMA.
GOMA, which opened on 2 December 2006, is the largest ...
at the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) in Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
[
]
Film awards
*''Wirriya: Small Boy'' (2004): winner of best film at Women on Women Film Festival in Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
[ and the Jury Award for Best Short Documentary at ]ImagineNative Film + Media Arts Festival
The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is the world's largest Indigenous film and media arts festival, held annually in Toronto in the month of October. The festival focuses on the film, video, radio, and new media work of Indigenous, Abori ...
[
* '' Here I Am'' (2011): winner of Best Dramatic Feature at the ]ImagineNative Film + Media Arts Festival
The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is the world's largest Indigenous film and media arts festival, held annually in Toronto in the month of October. The festival focuses on the film, video, radio, and new media work of Indigenous, Abori ...
;[ nominated for the International Feature award at the ]2011 Adelaide Film Festival
The 5th Adelaide Film Festival took place in Adelaide, Australia, from 24 February to 6 March 2011. Katrina Sedgwick was again Festival Director. Julietta Sichel was the head of the jury for the main competition. Judy Davis received the 2011 Don ...
; in competition for the Golden Zenith Award at the Montréal World Film Festival
The Montreal World Film Festival (WFF; french: le Festival des Films du Monde) was one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF (although the Toronto Internat ...
and
*''Black Comedy
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...
'': winner, 2015 AACTA Award
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industry, ...
for Best Direction in a Light Entertainment or Reality Series[
]
Personal life
Cole was formerly married to director Warwick Thornton,[ whom she met in 1999.][ They have a daughter, Luka May,] an actress also known as Luka Magdeline Cole or Luka May Glynn-Cole. The couple shared a personal as well as professional relationship. By 2018 Thornton and Cole had separated.
She is a cousin of filmmaker Danielle MacLean
Danielle MacLean is an Australian filmmaker. She is known for her writing on television series such as '' Little J & Big Cuz'', ''8MMM Aboriginal Radio'' and ''Redfern Now''.
Early life
MacLean is of the Luritja and Warumungu peoples of the No ...
.
References
External links
Beck Cole on Australian Screen Online
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Beck
Living people
People from the Northern Territory
Indigenous Australian filmmakers
Australian women film directors
Australian film directors
Year of birth missing (living people)
Charles Sturt University alumni