Tony Briggs on the set of his short ‘Elders.’
After Tony Briggs spent a year playing Pete Baxter in Neighbours, his screen debut, he discovered the producers had debated whether to identify his character as Indigenous.
He was not aware of those discussions and was very pleased when he found out another actor on the serial had advised the producers that wasn’t necessary.
That was in 1988. Since then he has played numerous characters whose nationality was not mentioned in Rosehaven, Rake, Cleverman, The Warriors (which he co-created with Robert Connolly), Seven Types of Ambiguity, Nowhere Boys and Wentworth, alternating with multiple stage roles.
The creator of The Sapphires is serving as the artistic director of the inaugural Birrarangga Film Festival, a celebration of Indigenous filmmakers from around the world, which will be staged at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image from April 26 – 29.
He is gratified to see more...
After Tony Briggs spent a year playing Pete Baxter in Neighbours, his screen debut, he discovered the producers had debated whether to identify his character as Indigenous.
He was not aware of those discussions and was very pleased when he found out another actor on the serial had advised the producers that wasn’t necessary.
That was in 1988. Since then he has played numerous characters whose nationality was not mentioned in Rosehaven, Rake, Cleverman, The Warriors (which he co-created with Robert Connolly), Seven Types of Ambiguity, Nowhere Boys and Wentworth, alternating with multiple stage roles.
The creator of The Sapphires is serving as the artistic director of the inaugural Birrarangga Film Festival, a celebration of Indigenous filmmakers from around the world, which will be staged at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image from April 26 – 29.
He is gratified to see more...
- 3/28/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Producer Alina Solodnikova has joined the Slamdance Film Festval as Festival Manager. The Moscow native previously worked at The Polytechnic Museum where she played a crucial role in launching the Contemporary Science Film Festival 360°. "We're proud to announce Alina as Slamdance's Festival Manager," says Slamdance president and co-founder Peter Baxter. "Alina's unique work experience sang out to our group and we know she'll make it stronger." In addition to…...
- 11/16/2017
- Deadline
As a red-blooded male, I’m as interested in sports as the next guy. But Peter Spirer's and Peter Baxter’s documentary about the Iroquois and their passionate devotion to lacrosse admittedly tested my patience. This rambling doc not only covers the history of the sport, but also examines its spiritual aspects to the Native American tribe; includes extensive footage of two championship games; and even has a sidebar concerning the 15th-century papal “Doctrine of Discovery” that declared that any land not inhabited by Christians could be freely colonized. It’s an awful lot of ground to cover, and Spirit Game: Pride of...
- 5/28/2017
- by Frank Scheck
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
XLrator Media said today that it has acquired worldwide rights to Spirit Game: Pride Of A Nation, a feature documentary about the Iroquois Nationals lacrosse team. The company plans a November 2016 release to mark Native American Heritage Month. The film from directors Peter Spirer and Peter Baxter follows the team on the road as they compete in the 2015 World Box Lacrosse Championships. For the first time, the championship games were held on an Indian reservation, in…...
- 11/9/2015
- Deadline
Festival hierarchy are beefing up the event with a new programme called Dig, the return of Clementine Leger as festival manager and a greater footprint across the calendar.
Leger (pictured) has rejoined Slamdance after two seasons as programming coordinator for the Florida Film Festival.
She and her team plan to step up programming and support of festival alumni throughout the calendar through initiatives like Arclight Presents Slamdance Cinema Club and the premiere on Hulu of the Slam Collective’s documentary I Want To Be An American.
ArcLight Presents Slamdance Cinema Club June selections include Pavan Moondi and Brian Robertson’s Diamond Tongues and Chris Furbee’s Huntington’s Dance.
New to the roster of events is the Slamdance x Digital Bolex Fearless Filmmaking Competition, a filmmaker partnership with Digital Bolex that will showcase inaugural selections at the Cinegear expo in Los Angeles on June 5 at Paramount Studios.
The Slamdance Digital, Interactive & Gaming...
Leger (pictured) has rejoined Slamdance after two seasons as programming coordinator for the Florida Film Festival.
She and her team plan to step up programming and support of festival alumni throughout the calendar through initiatives like Arclight Presents Slamdance Cinema Club and the premiere on Hulu of the Slam Collective’s documentary I Want To Be An American.
ArcLight Presents Slamdance Cinema Club June selections include Pavan Moondi and Brian Robertson’s Diamond Tongues and Chris Furbee’s Huntington’s Dance.
New to the roster of events is the Slamdance x Digital Bolex Fearless Filmmaking Competition, a filmmaker partnership with Digital Bolex that will showcase inaugural selections at the Cinegear expo in Los Angeles on June 5 at Paramount Studios.
The Slamdance Digital, Interactive & Gaming...
- 5/29/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Great Gatsby dominated. Aacta.s technical and short films awards today, collecting gongs in all six craft categories for which it was nominated, plus the Aacta award for outstanding achievement in visual effects.
The co-production Top of the Lake bagged two TV trophies while Matchbox Pictures. Nowhere Boys, created by Tony Ayres, was named best children.s TV series.
The TV documentary prize went to Redesign My Brain, which explores the revolutionary new science of brain plasticity, written and directed by Paul Scott and produced by Isabel Perez and Scott for ABC TV.
Writer-director Nick Verso's The Last Time I Saw Richard, produced by John Molloy, was honoured as best short fiction film. Developed and funded through Screen Australia.s Springboard program, the short is a prequel to the upcoming feature film Boys In The Trees, tracing the friendship between two teenagers in a mental health clinic in...
The co-production Top of the Lake bagged two TV trophies while Matchbox Pictures. Nowhere Boys, created by Tony Ayres, was named best children.s TV series.
The TV documentary prize went to Redesign My Brain, which explores the revolutionary new science of brain plasticity, written and directed by Paul Scott and produced by Isabel Perez and Scott for ABC TV.
Writer-director Nick Verso's The Last Time I Saw Richard, produced by John Molloy, was honoured as best short fiction film. Developed and funded through Screen Australia.s Springboard program, the short is a prequel to the upcoming feature film Boys In The Trees, tracing the friendship between two teenagers in a mental health clinic in...
- 1/28/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
The Sapphires tells the true story of the 1960s female indigenous band who defied the odds
When Tony Briggs was a boy, his mother told him stories he did not know whether he should believe. In 1960s Australia, could an Aboriginal woman like her really have become a singing sensation and entertained the troops in Vietnam?
It was an improbable, glamorous tale and it captivated Briggs, who was later to become a performer and writer. Now, more than three decades on, he has brought the story of the unlikely showbusiness career enjoyed by his mother and his aunts to the big screen.
The Sapphires, already a box-office hit in Australia, tells of the rise of a singing group in the face of racial prejudice. Showing at a gala night at the London film festival on 15 October, it will be released in Britain next month.
"I said to the women [the band members], 'we...
When Tony Briggs was a boy, his mother told him stories he did not know whether he should believe. In 1960s Australia, could an Aboriginal woman like her really have become a singing sensation and entertained the troops in Vietnam?
It was an improbable, glamorous tale and it captivated Briggs, who was later to become a performer and writer. Now, more than three decades on, he has brought the story of the unlikely showbusiness career enjoyed by his mother and his aunts to the big screen.
The Sapphires, already a box-office hit in Australia, tells of the rise of a singing group in the face of racial prejudice. Showing at a gala night at the London film festival on 15 October, it will be released in Britain next month.
"I said to the women [the band members], 'we...
- 10/7/2012
- by Vanessa Thorpe
- The Guardian - Film News
Director Claire McCarthy and producer Jamie Hilton have made a film with an Australian heart and dressed up in a colourful sari, taking our cinema to a new land full of creative and business opportunities. Miguel Gonzalez reports.
The Waiting City tells the story of an Australian couple who arrive in Calcutta, India, to pick up the girl they have adopted. Unaware that local bureaucracy will force them to wait for days before they can see her for the first time, the stress of waiting, amplified by the culture shock, will test their relationship as they are forced to confront the problems they’ve been avoiding for a long time.
It is not based on a true story, but many that writer/director Claire McCarthy witnessed as she built her own relationship with India.
McCarthy’s connection with the country was born in 2002 when, along with her younger sister Helena,...
The Waiting City tells the story of an Australian couple who arrive in Calcutta, India, to pick up the girl they have adopted. Unaware that local bureaucracy will force them to wait for days before they can see her for the first time, the stress of waiting, amplified by the culture shock, will test their relationship as they are forced to confront the problems they’ve been avoiding for a long time.
It is not based on a true story, but many that writer/director Claire McCarthy witnessed as she built her own relationship with India.
McCarthy’s connection with the country was born in 2002 when, along with her younger sister Helena,...
- 7/6/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.