Darren Dale facts for kids

Darren Dale is an Indigenous Australian who creates films and television shows. He joined Blackfella Films, a company that makes movies and TV series, as a producer. He later became a co-director with the company's founder, Rachel Perkins. As of July 2025, he is the managing director of Blackfella Films. Darren is well-known for working with Miranda Dear since 2010. Together, they have produced many popular films and TV series, including the second season of Total Control.

Early Life and Background

Darren Dale is a Bundjalung man. His family comes from the northern part of New South Wales in Australia.

Making Movies and TV Shows

Darren Dale started working at Blackfella Films in 2001. He became a co-director with Rachel Perkins, who founded the company.

First Big Success

Their first major success was a 7-part documentary series called First Australians. This series was shown on SBS Television in 2008. It won many awards and became the best-selling educational show in Australia. It was also sold to other countries.

Working with Miranda Dear

Darren Dale has produced many films and TV series with Miranda Dear. She joined Blackfella Films in 2010.

Important Projects

• In 2011, Darren produced The Tall Man. This was a full-length documentary about the death of Cameron Doomadgee while in police custody. It won several awards, including the Walkley Documentary Award.
• He also produced First Contact. This show won a Logie Award in 2015 for being the most outstanding factual program.
• Other shows he produced include Filthy Rich & Homeless, DNA Nation, Deep Water: The Real Story, and In My Own Words.
• In 2012, Dale and Dear produced a TV movie called Mabo. This film told the story of Eddie Mabo's fight for land rights for Indigenous Australians.
• In 2015, he helped create and was an executive producer for Ready for This. This was an award-winning TV series for children.
• In 2020, Darren produced Maralinga Tjarutja for ABC Television. This documentary was about the people whose lives were changed by the British nuclear tests at Maralinga.
• Total Control is a drama series. The first season was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019. It won an AACTA Award for Best TV Drama that year. Rachel Perkins directed it, and Darren Dale and Miranda Dear produced it.
• In 2023, Darren co-produced a documentary series called First Weapons for the ABC with Dena Curtis. This series, hosted by Phil Breslin, explored the science behind traditional Aboriginal weapons. It showed how these weapons were made and tested them with experts.

Other Important Roles

From 2002 to 2011, Darren Dale and Rachel Perkins organized the Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival. This festival was held at the Sydney Opera House and then toured around Australia. In 2012, Darren also put together a special collection of Indigenous films called Blackfella Films Presents. He did this with the Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane International Film Festivals.

Darren has also served on the boards of several important organizations:

• He was on the board of Screen NSW from 2011 to 2015.
• He was on the Council of the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) from 2012 to 2018, and was deputy chair from 2014.
• He also served on the board of ACMI.
• In August 2024, the Australian Government appointed Darren Dale to the board of Screen Australia for three years.
• As of July 2025, he is also on the boards of the Sydney Film Festival and the National Institute of Dramatic Art. He is also the deputy chair of the Sydney Festival board.
• He is a member of the NSW Government's Creative Communities Council and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Awards and Recognition

Darren Dale has received several awards for his work:

• He won UNAA Media Peace Awards twice, in 2009 and 2010.
• In 2011, Darren and Rachel Perkins were ranked 16th in the Encore Power 50 list for their work at Blackfella Films.
• In 2012, he received an honorary degree from AFTRS.
• In July 2021, Darren Dale was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This is the group that gives out the Oscars.
• In 2024, a painting of Darren by Ben Smith was a finalist for the Archibald Prize. The painting was called If you can see it, you can be it.

Many of the films and series Darren produced have won awards:

• 2008: First Australians won many awards, including AFI, AWGIE, Logie, and Australian Directors' Guild Awards.
• 2011: The Tall Man won the Walkley Documentary Award and the AWGIE Award for Best Broadcast Documentary.
• 2014: Redfern Now won the AACTA Best Television Drama Series (with Miranda Dear).
• 2015: Ready for This won the AACTA Best Children's Television Series (with Miranda Dear and Joanna Werner).
• 2015: First Contact won the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Factual Program.
• 2020: Maralinga Tjarutja won a Silver Award for Documentary (Human Rights) at the 2021 New York Festivals TV & Film Awards.
• 2023: The Australian Wars, Episode 1, won the Digital History Prize at the New South Wales Premier's History Awards (with Rachel Perkins, Jacob Hickey, and Don Watson).