Deborah Mailman on the cultural importance of Warwick Thornton’s Wolfram

About this episode

Deborah Mailman discusses her collaboration with Warwick Thornton on the film Wolfram, exploring its cultural significance and storytelling elements.

Deborah Mailman returns to Popcorn Podcast to talk her latest collaboration with Warwick Thornton, Wolfram. Inspired by the family stories of Warwick Thornton and writer David Tranter and set against the backdrop of the 1930s colonial frontier, Wolfram is a taut frontier western where Aboriginal child labourers in the wolfram (tungsten) mines confront colonial brutality and injustice. In this insightful and joyous chat, Deborah shares how writer/director Warwrick Thornton had her at hello, the softness of the story that attracted her to the project, how she found a soft landing after cameras stopped rolling and the cultural obligation of telling this story and also making it entertaining for audiences. More Popcorn: Deborah Mailman, Chris ‘Brolga’ Barns and Lily Whiteley take us inside Outback family film Kangaroo Maggie Miles and Trisha Morton-Thomas on their landmark film honouring Australian icon David Gulpilil Know someone who loves movies? Please share  Popcorn Podcast  with your friends. Keep Popcorn Podcast on the air by  shouting Leigh and Tim a movie snack . Visit  popcornpodcast.com  for movie reviews, celebrity interviews and giveaways…

People in this episode

Hosts: Leigh Livingstone, Tim Iffland

Guest: Deborah Mailman

Topics covered

• cultural importance
• Aboriginal stories
• colonial history
• film collaboration
• interview
• frontier western

Keywords

• Wolfram
• Deborah Mailman
• Warwick Thornton
• Aboriginal child labour
• colonial brutality
• film interview
• cultural obligation

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Wolfram

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