Warwick Thornton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Warwick Thornton
Born	Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia
Occupation	Film director, screenwriter, cinematographer
Notable work	Samson and Delilah (2009) Sweet Country (2017)
Partner(s)	Beck Cole (1999–c.2017)
Children	Dylan River, Luka Magdeline Cole, Rona Glynn-McDonald
Parent(s)	Freda Glynn (mother)
Relatives	Erica Glynn (sister) Rona Glynn (aunt)

Warwick Thornton is a talented Australian filmmaker. He directs movies, writes their stories, and even films them himself as a cinematographer. His first big movie, Samson and Delilah, won a special award called the Caméra d'Or at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. It also won the Best Film award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. In 2017, he won the Best Film award again for his movie Sweet Country.

Early Life and Learning

Warwick Thornton is a Kaytetye man. He was born and grew up in Alice Springs, Australia. His mother, Freda Glynn, helped start the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA). She was also the first director of Imparja Television.

When he was 13, Warwick went to a boarding school called Salvado College. This school was in New Norcia, Western Australia. Even though he went to a religious school, he later said he didn't feel religious himself.

He studied filmmaking and graduated from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. He learned how to be a cinematographer there.

Filmmaking Career

Warwick Thornton started his career by making short films. These shorter movies became very popular at film festivals around the world. One of his early short films was Payback (1996). He also made Green Bush and Nana, which were shown at the Berlin International Film Festival.

He once explained how he decided to become a filmmaker. He worked as a DJ at a radio station in Alice Springs. The station started a film unit. He watched people get cameras ready and leave to make movies. He felt like he really wanted to go with them. This is how his journey into filmmaking began.

Warwick Thornton worked closely with filmmaker Beck Cole and producer Kath Shelper. They called themselves "the trinity" and worked together on many projects starting in 2004.

Award-Winning Films

In 2009, Warwick wrote, directed, and filmed his first full-length movie, Samson & Delilah. This film won many awards. One big award was the Caméra d'Or at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. This award is given to the best first feature film.

After that, in 2010, he filmed a documentary series called Art + Soul. This series was about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.

His 2017 movie, Sweet Country, was a historical drama. It received great reviews and won several awards. These included the Special Jury Prize at the 74th Venice Film Festival. It also won the Platform Prize at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.

Recent Work and Advocacy

In 2023, Warwick Thornton directed a video to support the "Yes" campaign. This campaign was for a vote to change the Australian Constitution. The change would create a Voice to Parliament for Indigenous Australians. The video used the famous song "You're the Voice" by John Farnham. It was released in September 2023 and shown on TV and online.

As of 2024, Warwick is working on a new film. He says this film will show his feelings about the result of the Voice referendum. He feels that Indigenous Australians are "still getting the scraps" and that their request for a dialogue in parliament was not heard.

Other Activities

In 2020, Warwick Thornton helped lead a five-day workshop. It was called the Aboriginal Short Film Initiative. He co-presented it with Beck Cole at the South Australian Film Corporation's Adelaide Studios. This workshop helped new filmmakers develop their skills.

Family and Personal Life

Warwick Thornton's sister, Erica Glynn, is also a film writer and director.

Warwick was married to filmmaker Beck Cole. They met in 1999 and worked together on many films. They have a daughter named Luka May. She is an actress known as Luka Magdeline Cole. Warwick and Beck separated by 2018.

Warwick also has a son, Dylan River. Dylan is also a filmmaker and has worked with his father.

He has another daughter, Rona Glynn-McDonald. Her mother is producer Penelope McDonald. Rona is the CEO of Common Ground, an organization that works for reconciliation. She also co-founded First Nations Futures. In 2019, she made a series of short films called "Bedtime Stories." These films were based on Dreamtime stories. Her mother produced them, and her father and brother helped too. In the same year, she won the Diana Award for her work. This award recognized her efforts to create positive change for Australia by sharing stories of First Nations people. As of 2024, Rona Glynn-McDonald is in a relationship with AFL player and TV personality Tony Armstrong.

Warwick Thornton chooses to live in Alice Springs. He says that living there gives him "strength and energy."

Awards and Recognition

Film critic David Stratton has called Warwick Thornton "one of our greatest filmmakers." Actress Cate Blanchett describes him as "the most brilliant visual storyteller."

Author Virginia Trioli says that Warwick's films are driven by his feelings about the history and challenges faced by his people. He uses his movies to tell powerful stories, often with very little talking.

In 2009, Warwick Thornton was named Northern Territorian of the Year.

Filmography

As Director

• From Sand to Celluloid – Payback (1996), short film, also writer
• Willigan's Fitzroy (2000), documentary, also writer
• Mimi (2002), short film, also director
• Green Bush (2005), short film, also writer
• The Old Man and the Inland Sea (2005), documentary, also writer
• Burning Daylight (2007), documentary
• Dark Science (2007), documentary, co-director
• Nana (2007), short film
• Samson and Delilah (2009)
• Art + Soul (2010)
• The Darkside (2013)
• Words With Gods (2014)
• We Don't Need a Map (2017), documentary
• Sweet Country (2017)
• Mystery Road series 2 (2020)
• The Beach (2020), TV documentary series
• Firebite (2021)
• The New Boy (2023)

As Cinematographer

• Marn Grook: An Aboriginal Perspective on Australian Rules Football (1997), documentary
• Radiance (1998), feature film
• Buried Country (2000), documentary
• Ngangkari Way (2001), documentary
• Flat (2001), short film
• Mimi (2001), short film
• Kurtal: Snake Spirit (2002), documentary, co-cinematographer
• Queen of Hearts (2003)
• Wirriya: Small Boy (2004), documentary, co-cinematographer
• Five Seasons (2005), documentary
• The Lore of Love (2005), documentary
• My Brother Vinnie (2006), documentary
• Plains Empty (2006), short film
• Green Bush (2006), short film
• First Australians (2006), television series
• Samson & Delilah (2009), feature film
• Here I Am (2011), feature film
• The Sapphires (2012), feature film
• Sweet Country (2017)

See also

In Spanish: Warwick Thornton para niños