Dominic Allen (born 20 November 1980) is an Australian director and producer whose work includes short and

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

s, and

television documentaries Television documentaries are televised media productions that screen documentaries. Television documentaries exist either as a television documentary series or as a television documentary film. * Television documentary series, sometimes called d ...

. In 2005 he was featured in the documentary film ''

RASH A rash is a change of the skin that affects its color, appearance, or texture. A rash may be localized in one part of the body, or affect all the skin. Rashes may cause the skin to change color, itch, become warm, bumpy, chapped, dry, cracke ...

'', as an Australian street artist.

Career

His documentary films include ''Estudio 101'', about eclectic Australian band

The Cat Empire The Cat Empire are an Australian jazz/funk band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1999. For most of the band's duration, the core members were Felix Riebl (lead vocals, percussion), Harry James Angus (trumpet, vocals), Will Hull-Brown (drums), ...

recording their second album in Cuba; '' One Cup'', about Fair Trade Coffee and East Timor; and '' Squeezed'', about the impact of Trade Liberalisation in Asia. In 2009 he had success with a short film titled ''Two Men'' and he won the

Melbourne International Film Festival The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) is an annual film festival held over three weeks in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1952 and is one of the oldest film festivals in the world following the founding of the Venic ...

Emerging Australian Filmmaker Prize, and the 2009

Inside Film Awards The IF Awards, formerly known as the Inside Film Awards, Lexus Inside Film Awards, Kodak IF Awards, and Jameson IF Awards, was an annual awards ceremony and broadcast platform for the Australian film industry. Its name derives from its origins at ...

Rising Talent Award. As a producer of feature films Allen's credits include ''Shadowplay'', 2009, ''Blind Company'', 2009 and ''Grey Matter'', 2011, a Rwandan feature film directed by Kivu Ruhorahoza premiering at

Tribeca Tribeca ( ), originally written as TriBeCa, is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. Its name is a syllabic abbreviation of "Triangle Below Canal Street". The "triangle" (more accurately a quadrilateral) is bounded by Canal Str ...

2011. In 2018 Dominic Allen produced the multi award-winning ''Carriberrie VR'', a largescale, immersive song and dance experience featuring more than 150 First Nations Australians singers and dancers and narrated by

Jack Charles Jack Charles (5 September 1943 – 13 September 2022), also known as Uncle Jack Charles, was an Australian stage and screen actor and activist, known for his advocacy for Aboriginal people. He was involved in establishing the first Indigenous t ...

and

David Gulpilil David Dhalatnghu Gulpilil (1 July 1953 – 29 November 2021) was an Australian actor and dancer. He was known for his roles in the films Walkabout (film), ''Walkabout'' (1971), Storm Boy (1976 film), ''Storm Boy'' (1976), ''The Last Wave'' (1 ...

. ''Carriberrie'' is now available as an online experience. In 2022 Allen produced another major VR work, for Melbourne Skydeck's Voyager Theatre which takes participants through 25 locations across Victoria. Along with AFL Grand-final MCG and Melbourne Cup moments, the film is on court with

Rafael Nadal Rafael Nadal Parera (born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for ...

as he wins the Australian Open, features a convertible driving the Great Ocean Road, a visit to Bell's Beach, and rides on a

Luna Park Luna Park is a name shared by dozens of currently operating and defunct amusement parks. They are named after, and partly based on, the first Luna Park (Coney Island, 1903), Luna Park, which opened in 1903 during the heyday of large Coney Islan ...

roller coaster. In other work beyond traditional screen, in 2020 Allen produced the stage video visuals for

Spinifex Gum Spinifex Gum is an Australian musical collective based in Cairns, a collaboration between the Indigenous ensemble the Marliya Choir, Felix Riebl and Ollie McGill of the Melbourne band The Cat Empire, Lyn Williams, and Deborah Brown. The perfor ...

, an Australian musical collective based in Cairns, consisting of a collaboration among the Indigenous ensemble the Marliya Choir,

Felix Riebl Felix Riebl (born 1 May 1981) is a singer, songwriter, and composer based in Melbourne. He is the co-founder, band leader and principal songwriter of the internationally acclaimed band The Cat Empire, who have made multi-platinum albums, and are ...

and

Ollie McGill Oliver James McGill (born 2 November 1981) is an Australian musician who is the keyboard player and backing vocalist for The Cat Empire. He composed "Dumb Ways to Die" for Metro Trains Melbourne. McGill is also a member of several other bands, ...

of the Melbourne band The Cat Empire,

Lyn Williams Lyn Adrienne Williams, AM (born 1963) is an Australian choral conductor and the founder and artistic director of the Gondwana Choirs. She has been recognised for her significant contribution to the development of choral music for young people in ...

, and Deborah Brown. This group shares the stories of the

Yindjibarndi people The Yindjibarndi are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. They form the majority of Aboriginal people around Roebourne (the Millstream area). Their traditional lands lie around the Fortescue River. Languag ...

in the

Pilbara region of Western Australia The Pilbara () is a large, dry, sparsely populated regions of Western Australia, region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal people; wealth disparity; its ancient landscapes; the prevailing r ...

. The Spinifex Gum project is notable for its combination of contemporary songwriting and choral music, involving talented young Indigenous women and girls from Far North Queensland and the

Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes ( Kalaw Lagaw Ya#Phonology 2, �zen̪ad̪ kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, ...

. Their work speaks to issues facing First Nations Australians, blending the beauty of Indigenous choral singing with modern musical elements and has played broadly around Australia including major shows with the

Sydney Symphony Orchestra The Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra based in Sydney. With roots going back to 1908, the orchestra was made a permanent professional orchestra on the formation of the Australian Broadcasting Commission in 1932. ...

and the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

. In 2023 Allen produced and directed the feature film ''Planet Wind'', which tracks Australian renewable energy pioneer, Andy Evans, as he follows the story of offshore wind across the globe, exploring humans relationship to this planetary force. ''Planet Wind'' was shown around Australia in advance of a broader global release in 2024.

References

External links

*
''Squeezed'' Website

Scarab Studio

Short film "Two Men" at Dooce
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Dominic 1980 births Living people Australian film producers Australian screenwriters Film directors from Melbourne