Boy Swallows Universe, Happy Feet screenwriter John Collee visits Toowoomba

What do a toe-tapping penguin, the captain of a Royal Navy ship, and an adaptation of a beloved Queensland novel have in common? They all came from the mind of one man, and you can hear him speak on the art of screenwriting in Toowoomba.

John Collee wrote Happy Feet, Master and Commander, Hotel Mumbai and the adaptation of Boy Swallows Universe.

Three Oscar nominations, a portfolio of Hollywood movie genres, from historical fiction to animation, and most recently the award-winning Netflix series Boy Swallows Universe, acclaimed screenwriter John Collee is holding a series of workshops in Toowoomba next month.

Mr Collee is no stranger to the Darling Downs and South East Queensland, with relatives who live in the region, he is known to be an advocate and champion for visual literacy within regional Australia.

A former foreign-aid doctor and a medical journalist, Mr Collee has more than two decades of experience working as a Hollywood screenwriter, and he’s looking forward to sharing his knowledge with interested participants in Toowoomba.

When he heard about the work around youth literacy work the Lighthouse Toowoomba does, he was keen to turn a visit to his relatives into a morning of workshops, Lighthouse COO Emily MacManus said.

Master and Commander (2003), Happy Feet (2006), and Hotel Mumbai (2018) are just a few of the titles you might recognise ahead of his name.

“A lot of the best writing which comes out of Australia, (actually the best writing from anywhere) derives from real life experience,” he said.

“As a writer starting out you tend to think of daily life with its many problems as an obstruction to the creative process – the difficult business of raising kids, or managing a family or making a living in a chaotic world.

“But actually Boy Swallows Universe was all about domestic problems, Utopia is about tedious office culture, the brilliant “Bluey” is all about raising small kids and “Colin from Accounts” is all about the impossibility of finding a work-life balance.

“That’s really the core of my message to aspiring writers – use those irritations to make pearls – everything you think of as getting in the way of a creative life is actually your story, if you merely adjust your perspective slightly.”

The workshops are essentially are “gift” from the screenwriter and include two sessions, an adult workshop and a senior high school student workshop, Ms MacManus said.

“Regional communities deserve to see their lives and stories represented on screen,” she said.

“When young people from places like Toowoomba can tell their own stories, it helps build pride in their identity and ensures that diverse Australian voices are heard.

“Some of the most powerful stories come from regional communities, yet they are often under-represented in film and television.

“We want to change that by equipping young writers with the skills and confidence to tell their own unique stories.”

The workshop will be held on Monday, March 17 at the Lighthouse Toowoomba.

Bookings are essential and can be made at www.thelighthousetoowoomba.org