You will see few films with the simplicity and sheer emotional power of Samson and Delilah. Award-winning director-cinematographer Warwick Thornton tells the story of two Aboriginal teenagers in a remote community. They live in a sparse environment but one that absorbs all manner of cultural influences, where dot painting and country music exist side by side. Samson gets through his days by sniffing, while Delilah is the caregiver for her nana before taking a moment for herself to listen to Latino music. Their journey ranges across many of the most urgent issues concerning indigenous people in Australia—homelessness, poverty, domestic violence and substance abuse—but it does so with tenderness, dignity, and even humour. Thornton has the strength to speak an unadorned truth, the courage to confront pain without moralising or melodrama, and the talent to touch an audience deeply through understatement. His characters rarely speak, using a look and a gesture to convey an idea or an emotion in a deeply affecting way.
Festivals:
Cannes Film Festival – Un Certain Regard; Toronto, Discovery Section 09;Telluride FF 09;
Karlovy Vary FF 09;London FF 09; Art Film Fest, Slovakia 09; Munich FF 09; New Zealand FF 09; Durban FF 09; Doha Tribeca Film Festival, Qatar 09; Adelaide FF 09;Message Sticks Film Festival, Sydney Opera House 09; Zurich FF , 09; Antalya FF Turkey 09; Warsaw FF 09; St Tropez FF 09; Ekwa International Film Festival of the Indian Ocean, Reunion Island; Festival Cine-jeune, France09; Cinemanila FF Philippines 09; Mostra Internacional de Cinema (Sao Paulo) 09; Amazonas FF, Brazil 09; Thessaloniki FF Greece 09;
Awards:
- Selected as Australia’s entrant for Best Foreign Film in Academy Awards 2009
- Winner: Camera d’Or, Cannes 09
- Audience Award: Adelaide 09
- Winner: Best Director- Art Film Fest Trenčianske Teplice–Trenčín 09
- Winner: Warwick Thornton for Best Original Feature Script- AWGIE Awards-
- Winner: Best Feature Film -Cinema des Antipodes Festival (Saint-Tropez ) 09
- Winner: Best Male Actor (Rowan McNamara) and Best Female Actor (Marissa Gibson)- Cinema des Antipodes Festival (Saint-Tropez ) 09
Winner:
- Best Feature Film: IF Awards 09
- Best Director: IF Awards 09
- Best Script: Warwick Thornton – IF Awards 09
- Best Music: Warwick Thornton – IF Awards- 09
- Best Music: IF Awards- 09
- Best Actress: Marissa Gibson – IF Awards 09
- Best Actor- Rowan McNamara – IF Awards 09
- Winner: Best Feature Film; APSA (Asia Pacific Screen Awards) 09
- Winner: Best Original Soundtrack – ARIA Awards 09
- Samsung Mobile AFI Award for Best Film
- AFI Award for Best Direction
- Macquarie AFI Award for Best Original Screenplay
- AFI Award for Best Cinematography
- AFI Best Young Actor Award- Marissa Gibson &Rowan McNamara
- AFI Award for Best Sound
- AFI Members’ Choice Award
Nominated:
- AFI Award for Best Lead Actor – Rowan McNamara
- AFI Award for Best Lead Actress – Marissa Gibson
- AFI Award for Best Supporting Actress – Mitjili Gibson
- AFI Award for Best Original Music Score
- AFI Award for Best Editing