mNo edit summary Tag: Visual edit |
m reference Tag: Visual edit |
||
Line 16: | Line 16: | ||
'''Career''' |
'''Career''' |
||
Tom Zubrycki was born in the UK. his father was [[Jerzy Zubrzycki]], a University academic credited for being one of the main architects of the Australian government’s policy on [[Multiculturalism in Australia|multiculturalism]]<ref>"The Promise of Diversity - The story of Jerzy Zubrzycki, architect of multicultural Australia" by John Williams and John Bond. Grosvenor Books Australia, 2013.</ref>. The family migrated to Australia in 1955, and after finishing a degree in Sociology Zubrycki became a prominent activist in the video access movement making short ‘process’ videos using [[Portapak|Black & White portapaks]] with Sydney-based community groups and trade unions. <ref>Australian Documentary : History, Practices and Genres by Trish FitzSimons, Dugald Williamson, Pat Laughren </ref> These videos, made in the tradition of the Canadian [[Challenge for Change]] scheme, had a specific purpose in empowering communities and giving them a voice. His early work in video quickly led him to documentary, and he began making his first film in 1977 which he eventually completed in |
Tom Zubrycki was born in the UK. his father was [[Jerzy Zubrzycki]], a University academic credited for being one of the main architects of the Australian government’s policy on [[Multiculturalism in Australia|multiculturalism]]<ref>"The Promise of Diversity - The story of Jerzy Zubrzycki, architect of multicultural Australia" by John Williams and John Bond. Grosvenor Books Australia, 2013.</ref>. The family migrated to Australia in 1955, and after finishing a degree in Sociology Zubrycki became a prominent activist in the video access movement making short ‘process’ videos using [[Portapak|Black & White portapaks]] with Sydney-based community groups and trade unions. <ref>Australian Documentary : History, Practices and Genres by Trish FitzSimons, Dugald Williamson, Pat Laughren </ref> These videos, made in the tradition of the Canadian [[Challenge for Change]] scheme, had a specific purpose in empowering communities and giving them a voice.<ref>“Video Politic” Article in City Video Newsletter No 1, 1974</ref> His early work in video quickly led him to documentary, and he began making his first film in 1977 which he eventually completed in 1981. Titled [http://aso.gov.au/titles/documentaries/waterloo/ Waterloo] the film won a prize at the Sydney Film Festival for Best Documentary in the Greater Union Awards. |
||
Zubrycki |
Zubrycki's films have a signature style that he has evolved over the last 30 years, with the issues at the macro level always being ‘nested’ with the personal.<ref>“A Journey we Take Together: An interview with documentary maker↵Tom Zubrycki”, Metro Magazine, Issue 171, 2012</ref> He usually works in an [[Documentary_mode|observational style]] and his films are narrative-based and strongly character-driven. His first films which were stories that focused on the victims of Australia’s rapid economic and social re-structuring. They included [http://aso.gov.au/titles/documentaries/waterloo/ Waterloo] (effects of urban redevelopment on a Sydney suburb), [http://aso.gov.au/titles/documentaries/kemira-diary-strike/ Kemira - Diary of a Strike] - a blow-by-blow account of an underground colliery sit-in strike near Wollongong, and [http://aso.gov.au/titles/documentaries/friends-and-enemies/ Friends & Enemies] about a protracted and bitter union dispute in Queensland that saw the rise of the <ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Right#Australia</ref> in Australian politics. In 1988 he was contracted by [[Film Australia]] to write and direct a documentary commissioned by the [[Australian Council of Trade Unions]] and funded by The Australian Bicentennial Authority. Issues over editorial difference were never resolved and the film was never officially completed. Zubrycki claimed that he was forced to re-write history in accordance with the wishes of key officials who wanted to de-emphasize direct industrial action as a tool to improve wages and conditions.<ref>An interview with documentary film-maker, Tom Zubrycki about his recent film, AMONGST EQUALS. By Hunter Cordaiy, [[Metro Magazine]] M85. 1990</ref> |
||
In the late 80’s he made two documentaries in [[Broome]], Western Australia: [http://aso.gov.au/titles/documentaries/lord-bush/ Lord of the Bush] – a bio-pic about eccentric British developer Lord [[Alistair McAlpine]] and his plans to create a new ‘civilisation’ in the North,and : [http://aso.gov.au/titles/documentaries/bran-nue-dae/ Bran Nue Dae] about the stage play of the same name and its Indigenous playwright [[Jimmy Chi]]. |
In the late 80’s he made two documentaries in [[Broome]], Western Australia: [http://aso.gov.au/titles/documentaries/lord-bush/ Lord of the Bush] – a bio-pic about eccentric British developer Lord [[Alistair McAlpine]] and his plans to create a new ‘civilisation’ in the North,and : [http://aso.gov.au/titles/documentaries/bran-nue-dae/ Bran Nue Dae] about the stage play of the same name and its Indigenous playwright [[Jimmy Chi]]. |
||
Line 173: | Line 173: | ||
“Video Politic” Article in [http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1394698 City Video Newsletter] No 1, 1974 |
“Video Politic” Article in [http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1394698 City Video Newsletter] No 1, 1974 |
||
'''References |
'''References''' |
||
{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
Revision as of 08:39, 30 July 2013
This sandbox is in the article namespace. Either move this page into your userspace, or remove the {{User sandbox}} template. Tom Zubrycki Born 1946, London, U.K.
Education: St Edmunds College, Canberra ACT Australia Australian National University, Canberra University of New South Wales, Sydney
Occupation: Documentary filmmaker
Website: http://www.tomzubrycki.com/
Tom Zubrycki is an Australian Documentary filmmaker whose films on social, environmental political issues have won internatonal prizes and have screened in Australia, UK, Europe, North America and India. He also works as a film lecturer. . His partner is well-known Executive Producer Julia Overton, and he has a son Sam who is a music teacher, DJ and filmmaker.
Career
Tom Zubrycki was born in the UK. his father was Jerzy Zubrzycki, a University academic credited for being one of the main architects of the Australian government’s policy on multiculturalism[1]. The family migrated to Australia in 1955, and after finishing a degree in Sociology Zubrycki became a prominent activist in the video access movement making short ‘process’ videos using Black & White portapaks with Sydney-based community groups and trade unions. [2] These videos, made in the tradition of the Canadian Challenge for Change scheme, had a specific purpose in empowering communities and giving them a voice.[3] His early work in video quickly led him to documentary, and he began making his first film in 1977 which he eventually completed in 1981. Titled Waterloo the film won a prize at the Sydney Film Festival for Best Documentary in the Greater Union Awards.
Zubrycki's films have a signature style that he has evolved over the last 30 years, with the issues at the macro level always being ‘nested’ with the personal.[4] He usually works in an observational style and his films are narrative-based and strongly character-driven. His first films which were stories that focused on the victims of Australia’s rapid economic and social re-structuring. They included Waterloo (effects of urban redevelopment on a Sydney suburb), Kemira - Diary of a Strike - a blow-by-blow account of an underground colliery sit-in strike near Wollongong, and Friends & Enemies about a protracted and bitter union dispute in Queensland that saw the rise of the [5] in Australian politics. In 1988 he was contracted by Film Australia to write and direct a documentary commissioned by the Australian Council of Trade Unions and funded by The Australian Bicentennial Authority. Issues over editorial difference were never resolved and the film was never officially completed. Zubrycki claimed that he was forced to re-write history in accordance with the wishes of key officials who wanted to de-emphasize direct industrial action as a tool to improve wages and conditions.[6]
In the late 80’s he made two documentaries in Broome, Western Australia: Lord of the Bush – a bio-pic about eccentric British developer Lord Alistair McAlpine and his plans to create a new ‘civilisation’ in the North,and : Bran Nue Dae about the stage play of the same name and its Indigenous playwright Jimmy Chi.
In the early 1990’s Zubrycki’s focus turned to migrant and refugee families, and the stresses caused by cultural conflict, and the search for identity and home. In 1992 he completed Homelands about an El Salvadorean refugee family and the anatomy of a marriage under stress. This was followed by Billal, a documentary that followed dramatic aftermath of a racially motivated incident involving a Lebanese teenage boy and his family.
Around this time Zubrycki started producing the work of emerging directors something he has done till the present day. One of the first films he produced was Exile in Sarajevo – a very personal story about the last of the siege of city of Sarajevo during the Balkan war.
In 2000 Zubrycki returned to directing making his most critically acclaimed[7] film The Diplomat (2000) about former exiled East Timorese leader Jose Ramos-Horta, and the final two years of his 25-year campaign to secure his homeland’s independence. This film was soon followed by: The Secret Safari, shot in South Africa, which was a historical documentary about a covert operation to run guns to South African MK operatives in townships during the Apartheid era. This film involved re-enactment as part of the story-telling structure and was a stylistic departure.
In 2003 he returned to Australia exploring cultural difference making Molly & Mobarak – a story about a Hazara refugee from Afghanistan who finds work in an Australian country town and falls in love with a local schoolteacher. The film secured cinema release around Australia and opened the Margaret Mead Film Festival in New York in 2003. This was followed-up in 2007 by Temple of Dreams about an Islamic Youth Centre in Lidcombe and its battle with the local council that wants to shut it down.
In 2010 the Australian International Documentary Conference presented Tom with the highest award for a documentary practitioner – the Stanley Hawes Award “in recognition of outstanding contribution to documentary filmmaking in Australia”[8]
Zubrycki’s latest film is The Hungry Tide, a personal story about the impact of climate change on the small Pacific nation of Kiribati
Apart from making films, Zubrycki has been active as a teacher. Between 2003 and 2008 he lectured in documentary at University of Technology, Sydney and since 2010 he has been teaching masterclasses at the Australian Film & TV School. He also is actively involved in the Australian Directors Guild and served for several years on the Board of the organisatio, Ozdox, the Australian documentary film makers policy forum, and Screen Cafe at Riverside in Parramatta.
Filmography
The Hungry Tide (2011, 83 mins)
Temple of Dreams (2007, 89 mins)
Vietnam Symphony (2005, 52 mins)
Molly & Mobarak (2003, 85 mins).
The Secret Safari (2001, 52 mins).
The Diplomat (2000, 84 mins)
Billal (1995,87 mins)
Homelands (1993, 79 mins)
Bran Nue Dae (1991, 55 mins).
Lord of the Bush (1990, 55 mins).
Amongst Equals (1990, 90 mins.)
Strangers in Paradise (1989, 56 mins)
Friends & Enemies (1985, 90 mins).
Kemira - Diary of a Strike.(1984, 62 mins)
Waterloo(1981, 48 mins)
Apart from directing Zubrycki has produced a number of documentaries with first time and emerging filmmakers, including The Sunnyboy (2013), from the Shadows Light from the Shadows (2012), The Intervention (2009, 56 mins, Stolen (2009), Mad Morro (2008, 46 mins), Wanja (2008, 26 mins), The Prodigal Son (2006), Short Stories (4 x 1/2 hour, 2005 – E.P.), (2003), Gulpilil - One Red Blood, (2002, 56 mins), Making Venus (2002), Stolen Generations (2000), Whiteys Like Us (1998, 52 mins) and Exile in Sarajevo (1996).
Zubrycki was employed as a Commissioning Editor at SBS-TV in 1996/97.
Prizes
1981 Best Documentary, Dendy Awards – Sydney Film Festival,Waterloo
1984 AFI award - Best Documentary, Kemira - Diary of a Strike
1984 Best Documentary, Tyneside Film Festival (UK) Kemira - Diary of a Strike
1992 Best Documentary, Film Critics Circle of Australia,Homelands
1998 International Emmy for Best Documentary, Exile in Sarajevo
2000 AFI award - Best Documentary and Best Direction,The Diplomat
2000 First Prize Hawaii International Film Festival,The Diplomat
2001 Best Documentary, Dendy Awards – Sydney Film Festival,The Secret Safari
2005 (Silver Conch)Mumbai Documentary Festival.Vietnam Symphony
2005 AFI awardBest Sound in a non-feature film,Vietnam Symphony
2009 Cecil Holmes Award, Australian Directors Guild
2010 Stanley Hawes Award, Australian International Documentary Conference
Articles/Papers/Presentations
“A Journey we Take Together: An interview with documentary maker Tom Zubrycki”, Metro Magazine, Issue 171, 2012
"The Hungry Tide". Review by Shweta Kishore in Metro Magazine, Issue 171, 2012
“The Documentary as Privileged Access” in Lumina Journal No 8, AFTRS. 2011
“Framing the Political Through the Personal: A Chat with Tom Zubrycki”, in RealTime #105, 2011
“Stealing Moments: Tom Zubrycki’s MOLLY & MOBARAK” by Kate Nash, Metro Magazine, Issue 165, 2011
"Australian documentaries will founder without courage and funds". Article in Sydney Morning Herald, February 24,2010.
“The Stanley Hawes Address”, in Lumina Journal No 3, AFTRS. 2010
“Lebanese Muslims Speak Back: Two Films by Tom Zubrycki” by Susie Khamis, in Diasporas of Australian Cinema eds: Simpson, Murawska and Lambert. Intellect Press. 2009
“I’m Falling in Your Love’: Crosscultural Romance and the Refugee Film” by Sonia Tascon in Diasporas of Australian Cinema eds: Simpson, Murawska and Lambert. Intellect Press. 2009
"Showing some fight: Kemira's challenge to industrial relations" by Rebecca Coyle & Lisa Milner pp 178 - 183 Metro Magazine 153, 2007
"On filmmaking, history and other obsessions" by Patrick Armstrong, Metro Magazine, Issue 144, 2006
“Tracing the Music” - Veronica Gleeson talks to Tom Zubrycki about his latest directorial debut” in Inside Film Magazine Magazine September 2005
Interview with Tom Zubrycki on MOLLY & MOBARAK with Sarah Runcie in the Australian Film Commission on-line newsletter, 2004
“The Documentary: art and survival” Article in Real Time No. 60, May 2004
“Reclaiming The Personal As Political” in Metro Magazine, Issue 138 by Mary Debrett, 2002
“Documenting the Reel” in Inside Film Magazine 2001.
“Ahead of history - the documentary filmmaker in the age of extremes”. The 2000 NSW Premier’s History Awards Address
“THE DIPLOMAT - Director's notes by Tom Zubrycki” METRO Magazine Issue 124/125. 2000
“The Heckler” Sydney Morning Herald, Nov. 2000.
“Documentary: A personal view”. Article in Second Take ed. by Raffaele Caputo & Geoff Burton. Allen&Unwin (publishers), 1999
“From Video to Film and Back Again”. Article in METRO Magazine No 107, 1997
“Politicising the Community and the Personal – the construction of narrative in the cinema of Tom Zubrycki” by Kerry L Peachey. MA Thesis. Griffith University 1995.
"AMONGST EQUALS" - a presentation at the Oral History Association of Australia Conference Brisbane 1993
"AMONGST EQUALS" - "Issues for Historians" by Ann Curthoys in Filmnews. SPECIAL FEATURE. February 1991.
“Home is where the heart is” – an interview with Tom Zubrycki about HOMELANDS in Filmnews, September 1993.
“Going Public with private turmoil” in Sydney Morning Herald, October 7, 1993. “Film captures revolutionary’s haunted past” about HOMELANDS in The Australian, October 15, 1993.
“Postcards to Beirut – a documentary screenplay” (co-writer Stan Correy) in HOMELAND 1991
“The making of WATERLOO and the issues arising from the film” at the Oral History Association of Australia Conference 1981.
“Demystifying Video” (co-written with Brett Levy) delivered at "The National Access Community Television Conference". Paddington Town Hall, Sydney, May 29, 1980.
Interview Russ Herman and Tom Zubrycki in "Video Access" Spring 1979. Vol 5, no 4. “Using Your Own Media” Chapter in the resource book Everyone’s Handbook for Everyday Action, 1977
“Video – Agent for Change” in Tharunka August 7, 1973
“Video Politic” Article in City Video Newsletter No 1, 1974
References
- ^ "The Promise of Diversity - The story of Jerzy Zubrzycki, architect of multicultural Australia" by John Williams and John Bond. Grosvenor Books Australia, 2013.
- ^ Australian Documentary : History, Practices and Genres by Trish FitzSimons, Dugald Williamson, Pat Laughren
- ^ “Video Politic” Article in City Video Newsletter No 1, 1974
- ^ “A Journey we Take Together: An interview with documentary maker↵Tom Zubrycki”, Metro Magazine, Issue 171, 2012
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Right#Australia
- ^ An interview with documentary film-maker, Tom Zubrycki about his recent film, AMONGST EQUALS. By Hunter Cordaiy, Metro Magazine M85. 1990
- ^ AFI award - Best Documentary and Best Direction,The Diplomat
- ^ “The Stanley Hawes Address”, in Lumina Journal No 3, AFTRS. 2010