WA talent on the world stage

The Pilbara region of Western Australia: the set of Red Dog

The Australian film Red Dog had its world premiere at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival in February  2011 and will open the 17th London Australian Film Festival in London in May this year.

Red Dog, is a uniquely Western Australian story of a charismatic red kelpie who roamed the Pilbara region in the 1970s. It was sponsored by companies in Western Australia and part-financed through ScreenWest and the State Government’s Royalties for Regions program.

WA Culture and the Arts Minister John Day said, “The film connects with people of all ages and nationalities - just like the real Red Dog who lived in the Pilbara during the 1970s - and I am sure international audiences will be fascinated by this WA story.”

The film showcases the important Pilbara region. It is hoped the movie will have the ability to bring this great region to a larger international audience and promote the region as a spectacular place to live, visit and invest.

You can view the trailer here

The Barbican theatre also played host to the Australian musical production The Sapphires in March 2011, following a tour in Australia and Korea in 2010. The Sapphires is a co-production by two of Australia's leading theatre companies, The Black Swan State Theatre Company from Western Australia and Belvoir from New South Wales.

The feel-good musical about four Koori, indigenous Australian people from the South-East of the country, women working in a factory but dreaming of stardom as Motown divas, features music that defined a generation.

Black Swan is Western Australia’s flagship theatre company and celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Infused with the unique culture of the State, Black Swan’s work includes landmark productions Bran Nue Dae, Sistergirl, Corrugation Road (winner of the prestigious The Age Critics’ Award), Cloudstreet (Perth, Sydney, London and Dublin seasons) and The Odyssey. It presents a broad ranging program including new commissions, contemporary international works and reinterpretations of classic plays that reflect life in Western Australia. 
Wayne Blair will direct a feature film version of The Sapphires, adapted for the screen by Tony Briggs, in collaboration with Keith Thompson, due for release in 2012. The Sapphires is presented in association with UK Arts International, and its touring partner is Rio Tinto.