Robert Connolly
Encyclopedia
Robert Connolly is a politically conscious film director, producer and screenwriter based in Melbourne
, Australia.
Connolly is best known as the director and writer of the feature films Balibo
, Three Dollars
and The Bank
, and the producer of the high-profile Australian films Romulus My Father and The Boys.
Connolly's first feature film as producer, The Boys, had its world premiere In Competition at the Berlin International Film Festival
in 1998. It was nominated for 13 AFI Awards
including Best Film, and won awards for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. In 1998, Connolly was named by Variety
as one of the 10 best emerging producers in the world.
Three Dollars
, The Bank
and The Boys have a strong political agenda and have been released in Australia as a DVD box set along with the documentary
The Political Arena exploring the social and political strands of the films.
In 2007 Connolly and Arenafilm's John Maynard
together produced period immigration drama Romulus My Father, directed by Richard Roxburgh
(also an Australian actor), starring Eric Bana
and Franka Potente
. The film won four Australian Film Institute Awards
(AFI) including Best Film, and Connolly has also garnered AFI Awards
for writing The Bank
and Three Dollars
.
In 2008, Connolly published a white paper
outlining all that could be improved about the Australian film industry.
In 2009, Connolly directed Balibo
, which examines the politically fraught deaths of Australian based journalists the Balibo Five
and Roger East
during the Indonesian invasion of East Timor
in 1975, which he co-wrote with David Williamson
. John Maynard
produced the film, which starred Anthony LaPaglia
in the lead role of East. Balibo
was the first feature to be shot in East Timor
.
Indonesia
continues to maintain that the Balibo Five
died accidentally in crossfire as its troops battled East Timorese Fretilin rebels, a version of events accepted by successive Australian governments. But the film depicts the young journalists, who were working for Australian TV networks and presumed their nationality afforded them protection, being slaughtered on the orders of Indonesian military chiefs to prevent news of the invasion reaching the world.
Connolly refuses to apologize for his film's hardline stance, stating that an Australian coroner found in 2007 that the journalists were executed as they tried to surrender to Indonesian forces. "It's quite clear the journalists were murdered," Connolly said. "The current Indonesian and Australian (Government) point of view that they were killed in crossfire is quite frankly absurd. I'd imagine the film will be confronting because it represents something contrary to the official view."
Connolly is Melbourne based, having relocated to set up the Arenafilm Melbourne
office in late 2006. He has been definitive about his political approach to filmmaking, saying "Without a doubt, in recent times, the political agenda of the work is what drives us. We feel a responsibility to use cinema to put a blow torch to contemporary Australia and contribute to some discussion or debate about where we’re headed. That’s what I find most rewarding about it."
Connolly has screened his films at over 30 international film festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival
and San Sebastian Film Festival. He received a Centenary Medal
for services to the Australian Film Industry in 2001.
Connolly has been appointed to the new board of Screen Australia
.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia.
Connolly is best known as the director and writer of the feature films Balibo
Balibo
Balibo is a town in East Timor situated approximately from the Indonesian border. It is located in the subdistrict of Balibo, Bobonaro District....
, Three Dollars
Three Dollars
Three Dollars is a 2005 Australian film, directed by Robert Connolly and based on a novel of the same name by Elliot Perlman. It won the 2005 Australian Film Institute Award for Best Adapted Screenplay....
and The Bank
The Bank (2001 film)
The Bank is an 2001 Australian thriller/drama film starring David Wenham and Anthony LaPaglia.-Plot:Jim Doyle is a maverick mathematician who has devised a formula to predict the fluctuations of the stock market...
, and the producer of the high-profile Australian films Romulus My Father and The Boys.
Connolly's first feature film as producer, The Boys, had its world premiere In Competition at the Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
in 1998. It was nominated for 13 AFI Awards
Australian Film Institute Awards
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award, known as the AACTA Award , is an accolade presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts . The awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and television industry, including directors,...
including Best Film, and won awards for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. In 1998, Connolly was named by Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
as one of the 10 best emerging producers in the world.
Three Dollars
Three Dollars
Three Dollars is a 2005 Australian film, directed by Robert Connolly and based on a novel of the same name by Elliot Perlman. It won the 2005 Australian Film Institute Award for Best Adapted Screenplay....
, The Bank
The Bank (2001 film)
The Bank is an 2001 Australian thriller/drama film starring David Wenham and Anthony LaPaglia.-Plot:Jim Doyle is a maverick mathematician who has devised a formula to predict the fluctuations of the stock market...
and The Boys have a strong political agenda and have been released in Australia as a DVD box set along with the documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
The Political Arena exploring the social and political strands of the films.
In 2007 Connolly and Arenafilm's John Maynard
John Maynard
John Maynard was an American lawyer and politician from New York.-Life:...
together produced period immigration drama Romulus My Father, directed by Richard Roxburgh
Richard Roxburgh
Richard Roxburgh is an Australian actor who has starred in many Australian films and has appeared in supporting roles in a number of Hollywood productions, usually as villains.-Early life:...
(also an Australian actor), starring Eric Bana
Eric Bana
Eric Bana is an Australian film and television actor. He began his career as a comedian in the sketch comedy series Full Frontal before gaining critical recognition in the biopic Chopper...
and Franka Potente
Franka Potente
Franka Potente is a German film actress and singer. She first appeared in the comedy After Five in the Forest Primeval and gained critical recognition in the action thriller Lola rennt . Potente received Germany's highest film and television awards for her performances in Run Lola Run and...
. The film won four Australian Film Institute Awards
Australian Film Institute Awards
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award, known as the AACTA Award , is an accolade presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts . The awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and television industry, including directors,...
(AFI) including Best Film, and Connolly has also garnered AFI Awards
Australian Film Institute Awards
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award, known as the AACTA Award , is an accolade presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts . The awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and television industry, including directors,...
for writing The Bank
The Bank (2001 film)
The Bank is an 2001 Australian thriller/drama film starring David Wenham and Anthony LaPaglia.-Plot:Jim Doyle is a maverick mathematician who has devised a formula to predict the fluctuations of the stock market...
and Three Dollars
Three Dollars
Three Dollars is a 2005 Australian film, directed by Robert Connolly and based on a novel of the same name by Elliot Perlman. It won the 2005 Australian Film Institute Award for Best Adapted Screenplay....
.
In 2008, Connolly published a white paper
White paper
A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions, and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields. In commercial use, the term has also come to refer to...
outlining all that could be improved about the Australian film industry.
In 2009, Connolly directed Balibo
Balibo
Balibo is a town in East Timor situated approximately from the Indonesian border. It is located in the subdistrict of Balibo, Bobonaro District....
, which examines the politically fraught deaths of Australian based journalists the Balibo Five
Balibo Five
The Balibo Five was a group of journalists for Australian television networks based in the town of Balibo in East Timor where they were killed on 16 October 1975 during Indonesian incursions prior to the invasion....
and Roger East
Roger East
Roger East was an Australian journalist who was executed by the Indonesian military in its invasion of East Timor in 1975....
during the Indonesian invasion of East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
in 1975, which he co-wrote with David Williamson
David Williamson
David Keith Williamson AO is one of Australia's best-known playwrights. He has also written screenplays and teleplays.-Biography:...
. John Maynard
John Maynard
John Maynard was an American lawyer and politician from New York.-Life:...
produced the film, which starred Anthony LaPaglia
Anthony LaPaglia
Anthony M. LaPaglia is an Australian actor. He is known for his role as FBI agent Jack Malone on the American TV series Without a Trace, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama...
in the lead role of East. Balibo
Balibo
Balibo is a town in East Timor situated approximately from the Indonesian border. It is located in the subdistrict of Balibo, Bobonaro District....
was the first feature to be shot in East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
.
Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
continues to maintain that the Balibo Five
Balibo Five
The Balibo Five was a group of journalists for Australian television networks based in the town of Balibo in East Timor where they were killed on 16 October 1975 during Indonesian incursions prior to the invasion....
died accidentally in crossfire as its troops battled East Timorese Fretilin rebels, a version of events accepted by successive Australian governments. But the film depicts the young journalists, who were working for Australian TV networks and presumed their nationality afforded them protection, being slaughtered on the orders of Indonesian military chiefs to prevent news of the invasion reaching the world.
Connolly refuses to apologize for his film's hardline stance, stating that an Australian coroner found in 2007 that the journalists were executed as they tried to surrender to Indonesian forces. "It's quite clear the journalists were murdered," Connolly said. "The current Indonesian and Australian (Government) point of view that they were killed in crossfire is quite frankly absurd. I'd imagine the film will be confronting because it represents something contrary to the official view."
Connolly is Melbourne based, having relocated to set up the Arenafilm Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
office in late 2006. He has been definitive about his political approach to filmmaking, saying "Without a doubt, in recent times, the political agenda of the work is what drives us. We feel a responsibility to use cinema to put a blow torch to contemporary Australia and contribute to some discussion or debate about where we’re headed. That’s what I find most rewarding about it."
Connolly has screened his films at over 30 international film festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
and San Sebastian Film Festival. He received a Centenary Medal
Centenary Medal
The Centenary Medal is an award created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the Centenary of Federation of Australia and to honour people who have made a contribution to Australian society or government...
for services to the Australian Film Industry in 2001.
Connolly has been appointed to the new board of Screen Australia
Screen Australia
Screen Australia is the Federal Government’s key funding body for the Australian screen production industry. Its functions are to support and promote the development of a highly creative, innovative and commercially sustainable industry....
.