Film portrays “life in limbo” in remote Aboriginal community
Ivan Sen’s Toomelah opens with a series of close-ups of boxing trophies. The main character, 10 year-old Daniel (played by Daniel Connors), is a defiant descendent of the champions who won these prizes.
But disconnected from much of his heritage, and lacking life options in contemporary Australia, Daniel feels drawn to the local ‘gangsters’. Here he finds camaraderie, and is soon in training with small-time drug dealer, Linden (Christopher Edwards). When a turf war breaks out, Daniel is confronted with the violent reality of the path he is on.
Fresh from its world premiere at Cannes, Toomelah is in competition at the Sydney Film Festival. Director, Ivan Sen, shot the film single-handedly, on location in the remote Aboriginal community of Toomelah, in the far North West of NSW.
Sen, whose mother and grandmother are from Toomelah, aimed to give an authentic representation of life in the community of around 300 Gamilleroi people. He worked with a cast composed almost entirely of locals, who had never acted before. Since Sen is related to many of the residents, and worked without a crew, it meant that people felt comfortable with him.
The film’s Producer, David Jowsey, believes that this is one of the film’s great strengths. “It’s a lot of work to get performances at the level Ivan wanted, from people who don’t have a lot of experience. But once you get it, it’s fantastic. It’s something you find when you see the film; it feels real.”
Alongside the main story-line, the film doesn’t shy away from commenting on the adverse social conditions that continue to affect Indigenous communities like Toomelah. Since it was founded as a mission, Christianity played a major role, and traditional culture was forbidden. Children were removed during the time of the Stolen Generations. Lacking health care, education or even clean water, Toomelah remains one of the poorest districts in the whole country.
Jowsey emphasises that, “all of these interplaying factors are canvassed in the film, but it’s not done in a way that dictates. It’s done through character. The boy’s dilemma, and the context in which he lives, raises the question: what is this boy’s future? We hope people pick up on that. We want to see it as a dialogue starter.”
According to Jowsey, “a whole mob of the Toomelah community will be coming” to Sydney for the film’s Australian premiere at the SFF on June 18. A small theatrical release will follow.
BY ANNETTE MAGUIRE
