Putuparri and the Rainmakers wins CinéfestOZ Film Prize

The feature-length documentary Putuparri and the Rainmakers upstaged a number of high profile local films to win the $100,000 CinéfestOZ Film Prize

Cinefest Oz Breakfast at the Deck in Geographe Sarah Snook on jury Nicole Ma Director Tom Lawford actor Sylvestoer Rangie actor and David Wenham Chair of Jury from the film Putuparri and the Rainmakers

Nicole Ma’s documentary feature Putuparri and the Rainmakers upstaged a number of higher profile films to win the CinéfestOZ Film Prize.

The $100,000 award, presented at the CinefestOz film festival in Western Australia’s southwest region, is Australia’s largest film prize.

The film documents Tom ‘Putuparri’ Lawford and his community outside Fitzroy Crossing in the desert of Western Australia and the expectations and future of their 40,000-year-old cultural traditions. The film is directed and produced by Nicole Ma, and produced by John Moore.

The jury president David Wenham said “Putuparri and the Rainmakers had a story and characters that were so compelling and emotionally engaging. This story was told in such a way that it reinforced the power of cinema to entertain, touch us deeply and stay with us forever.”

Wenham’s jury comprised Sarah Snook, Wayne Blair, Liz Kearney and Annie Murtagh-Monks and the film beat other strong contenders: Wayne Hope and Robyn Butler’s comedy Now Add Honey; Michael Petroni’s thriller starring Adrien Brody, Backtrack, Paul Ireland’s Melbourne drama Pawno; and Simon Stone’s Tasmanian drama starring Ewen Leslie, Sam Neill and Geoffrey Rush, The Daughter.

Moore said upon accepting the award: “Thanks to CinéfestOZ and its sponsors for running such a fabulous festival. It’s an honour for a small film like ours to win against such heavy weight competition. It’s a great boost for the people of Fitzroy Crossing who appear in the film and I hope it will encourage all Australians to value and better understand the culture of our first peoples.”

This is the second of a three-year commitment to the CinéfestOZ $100,000 Film Prize; last year’s winner was Paper Planes, which went on to be a commercial success.

CinéfestOZ is supported by the State Government through Tourism WA’s Regional Events Program, which is funded by Royalties for Regions. Rio Tinto is also a Partner.

CinéfestOZ received more than 30 submissions for the prize and Wenham said the jury was “enormously impressed” by the quality and calibre of the finalists.

Deputy chair of CinéfestOZ Helen Shervington said The Film Prize was established to encourage excellence in Australian filmmaking, support the country’s vibrant film industry and attract new audiences to Australian film.

“CinéfestOZ is committed to supporting the Australian film industry by creating opportunities for filmmakers and recognising the incredible talent we have here,” Shervington said.

“The Film Prize attracts a magnificent collection of quality films and brings the absolute best in Australian cinema to CinéfestOZ. The high standard of all the Film Prize finalists is testament to the enduring, diverse and consistently innovative nature of Australian film.”