Tom Cowan (born 31 October 1942) is an Australian filmmaker.
Career
He started as a trainee at the
Australian Broadcasting Commission
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owned ...
and the joined the Commonwealth Film Unit. He left it in 1968 to work as a freelance cameraman and moved into feature films.
[Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, ''Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production'', Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998 p266][David Stratton, ''The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival'', Angus & Robertson, 1980 p181-183] His 1972 film ''
The Office Picnic
''The Office Picnic'' is a 1972 Australian comedy film directed by Tom Cowan. It was entered into the 8th Moscow International Film Festival.
Plot summary
A group of public servants go on an annual picnic. Two of them, Peter and Elly, disappear ...
'' was entered into the
8th Moscow International Film Festival
The 8th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 10 to 23 July 1973. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Soviet film '' That Sweet Word: Liberty!'' directed by Vytautas Žalakevičius and the Bulgarian film ''Affection'' directed by Lud ...
.
Select filmography
*''The Dancing Girls'' (1964) - documentary - DOP
*''Helena in Sydney'' (1967) - documentary - short
*''This Year Jerusalem'' (1969) - documentary - DOP, director
*''
Samskara'' (1969) - DOP
*''
Trouble in Molopolis'' (1970) - DOP
*''Mogador'' (1970) - DOP (film appears to never have screened publicly)
*''Australia Felix'' (1970) - short - director
*''Story of a House'' (1970) - educational short
*''Down Under'' (1971) - DOP
*''
Bonjour Balwyn'' (1971) - DOP
*''
The Office Picnic
''The Office Picnic'' is a 1972 Australian comedy film directed by Tom Cowan. It was entered into the 8th Moscow International Film Festival.
Plot summary
A group of public servants go on an annual picnic. Two of them, Peter and Elly, disappear ...
'' (1972) - director, writer, producer
*''
Promised Woman
''Promised Woman'' is a 1975 Australian film from director Tom Cowan.
Plot
Antigone arrives in Sydney from Greece to have an arranged marriage with Telis, but is rejected by him as he expected a younger woman. Telis's older brother, Manolis, sympa ...
'' (1975) - director, writer, DOP
*''
Wild Wind'' (1975) - director
*''
Pure S'' (1975) - DOP
*''
The Love Letters from Teralba Road
''The Love Letters from Teralba Road'' is a 1977 Australian short film directed by Stephen Wallace. In 1980 David Stratton called it "not only the most moving love story given to us by the Australian cinema, but also probably the best featurette ...
'' (1977) - DOP
*''
Journey Among Women'' (1977) - director
*''
Third Person Plural
''Third Person Plural'' is a 1978 film directed by James Ricketson and starring Bryan Brown.David Stratton, ''The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry'', Pan MacMillan, 1990 p136
The script was devised by the actors ...
'' (1978) - DOP
* ''
Mouth to Mouth'' (1978)
*''
Dimboola
Dimboola is a town in the Shire of Hindmarsh in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia, 334 kilometres north-west of Melbourne.
History
Situated on the Wimmera River, Dimboola was previously known as 'Nine Creeks'. Following a surve ...
'' (1979) - DOP
*''
Sweet Dreamers'' (1981) - director
*''
Winter of Our Dreams
''Winter of Our Dreams'' is a 1981 Australian drama film directed by John Duigan. Judy Davis won the Best Actress in a Lead Role in the AACTA Awards, AFI Awards for her performance in the film. The film was nominated in 6 other categories also. It ...
'' (1981) - DOP
*''
Dead Easy'' (1982) - DOP
*''
One Night Stand'' (1984) - DOP
*''
Emma's War'' (1986) - DOP
*''
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...
'' (1991) (documentary) - DOP
*''
Backsliding
Backsliding, also known as falling away or described as "committing apostasy", is a term used within Evangelical Christianity to describe a process by which an individual who has converted to Christianity reverts to pre- conversion habits and/or ...
'' (1992) - DOP
*''
Africa's Elephant Kingdom'' (1998) (documentary) - DOP
*''
Orange Love Story'' (2004) - director
Unmade films
*''Roche'' (1974) - proposed follow up to ''Promised Woman''
[Graham Shirley, "Promised Woman", ''Cinema Papers'', July 1974 p204-206]
References
External links
*
Tom Cowanat Melbourne Independent Filmmakers
Reema Moudgil, 'Tom Cowan: Moment Of Truth', ''Unboxed Writers'', 28 July 2011Tom Cowan's blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cowan, Tom
1942 births
Living people
Australian film directors