Beck Cole facts for kids

Beck Cole is an amazing Australian filmmaker. She is from the Warramungu and Luritja Indigenous nations. Beck is known for her work on many TV shows. These include First Australians, Grace Beside Me, Black Comedy, and Wentworth. She also makes documentaries and short films. Beck lives in Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory.

Beck Cole's Early Life and Career

Beck Cole grew up in Adelaide, Australia. She spent time around the Port Adelaide area.

Beck started working in media as a journalist. She got a special training program, called a cadetship, at Imparja Television. This was while she was still in school! She learned how to write and present stories. She even worked as a news and weather presenter.

She went to Charles Sturt University. She earned a degree in Communication and Sociology. Soon after, she started working at ABC Television. This is where her filmmaking career really began. In 2001, Beck earned a Master's degree in Film & Television Documentary. She studied at the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS). There, she met many Australian documentary filmmakers.

Beck was also guided by a photographer and filmmaker named Michael Riley. He helped her a lot until he passed away in 2004.

Her Filmmaking Journey

While at AFTRS, Beck often worked for the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA). She has continued to work with them ever since.

Her first short films were documentaries and dramas. They often focused on Aboriginal culture and family life. Some of these films include Flat (2002) and Plains Empty (2005). Plains Empty was shown at the famous Sundance. Flat was also shown at the Edinburgh Film Festival.

Beck worked closely with cinematographer Warwick Thornton. They, along with producer Kath Shelper, called themselves "the trinity." They have worked together since 2004. Wirriya: Small Boy (2004) is a short film. It's about an eight-year-old boy. He lives in Hidden Valley, an Indigenous community near Alice Springs.

Beck was a writer and director for First Australians (2008). This was a very popular TV series. It told the history of Indigenous Australians. She worked on it with Rachel Perkins and Louis Nowra.

In 2009, she wrote and directed Making 'Samson and Delilah'. This was a documentary about how the movie Samson and Delilah was made.

Her first full-length movie was the drama Here I Am (2011). It starred a well-known activist and academic, Marcia Langton.

Beck directed several episodes of the TV show Black Comedy. She worked on three different series of the show. In 2015, she won an AACTA award for Best Direction for her work on it.

She also worked with Leah Purcell on the popular prison drama series, Wentworth. Beck directed episodes between 2019 and 2021. She also worked with Bevan Lee on the TV series Between Two Worlds in 2020.

Beck was the voice director for all three seasons of Little J & Big Cuz. She also wrote two episodes for this animated series.

In 2019, Beck was working on a horror film. It is set in Alice Springs. The story is based on a true event. It was told by Aboriginal children who lived in a care home. They said they were attacked by an evil spirit.

Beck and Sam Paynter worked with local elders and young people. They came up with ideas for the children's TV series Thalu (2020). This show was made for National Indigenous Television and ABC Me. Beck also helped write the script for Thalu.

Beck directed one part of the movie We Are Still Here. This movie was the first film shown at the 2022 Sydney Film Festival.

Other Cool Projects

In 2020, Beck Cole and Warwick Thornton led a workshop. It was called the Aboriginal Short Film Initiative. This five-day workshop helped filmmakers. It was held at the South Australian Film Corporation's Adelaide Studios.

Awards and Recognition

Beck Cole was one of seven filmmakers featured in a special art show. It was the 5th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art. This show was held at the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) in Brisbane.

Winning Awards for Her Films

• Wirriya: Small Boy (2004): This film won Best Film at the Women on Women Film Festival in Sydney. It also won the Jury Award for Best Short Documentary at the ImagineNative Film + Media Arts Festival.
• Here I Am (2011): This movie won Best Dramatic Feature at the ImagineNative Film + Media Arts Festival. It was also nominated for an award at the 2011 Adelaide Film Festival. It competed for the Golden Zenith Award at the Montréal World Film Festival.
• Black Comedy: Beck won the 2015 AACTA Award for Best Direction for her work on this TV series.

About Her Family

Beck Cole has a daughter named Luka May. Luka May is also an actress. She is known as Luka Magdeline Cole or Luka May Glynn-Cole.

Beck is a cousin of another filmmaker, Danielle MacLean.