Don Featherstone (filmmaker) explained

Don Featherstone is an Australian filmmaker. His work includes documentaries about significant figures in Australian arts and culture, including authors David Malouf and Tim Winton, artist Brett Whiteley and dancer Robert Helpmann. Featherstone's works address social and historical issues such as beach culture, The Beach, gangs, The One Percenters about the Milperra Massacre, and war, Kokoda.^[1]

Featherstone's satirical mockumentary for television, BabaKiueria, has been the subject of academic comparative analysis of imperial historicity and postcolonial social progress.^[2] It has also been included in cultural exchanges, for example in "Southern Exposure" between the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney and the Museum Of Contemporary Art, San Diego.^[3]

In 1985 Featherstone co-founded Featherstone Productions with Judy Featherstone.

Featherstone's works have been screened and broadcast internationally, in many countries.

Other filmmakers utilise Featherstone's work, for example James Bogle's Whiteley.^[4]

Filmography

Selected works include:^{[5] [6] [7]}

• Food for Thought (1977); writer, director
• Hey Look That's Me (1978);director
• William Cobbett's Rural Rides (1979); director;
• Erte (1979); director;
• The London Programme (1979-1982); director
• The South Bank Show (1982-1985); director
• Ed McBain (1982); director
• Jack Lemmon (1982); director
• John Le Carre (1983); director
• Msistlav Rostropovich (1983); director
• Barry Flanagan (1983); director
• David Hockney (1983); director
• Ivo Pogorelich (1984); director
• Robert Lowell (1984); director
• Alan Bleasedale (1985); director
• The Science of Winning (1985); director
• Arthur Boyd: Figures in the Landscape (1985); director, producer Featherstone Productions; Sydney
• Babakiueria (1986); director
• Heal or Hoax (1986); director
• Aussies (1987); director
• Beautiful Lies: A Film About Peter Carey (1986); producer, co-writer, director; Featherstone Productions; Sydney
• Dreamtime, Machinetime 1987; director, producer, writer Featherstone Productions; Sydney
• Slow Boat from Surabaya (1988); director
• Creative Spirits (1989); producer, director Featherstone Productions; Sydney
• Difficult Pleasure: A Portrait of Brett Whiteley (1989) producer, director
• Astonish Me, Graeme Murphy (1989); producer
• There's No Time, Peter Sculthorpe (1989); producer
• The Wizard From Oz, James Morrison (1989); producer
• God or Politics', Tom Keneally (1989); producer, director
• The Peoples' Diva', Joan Carden (1989); producer
• Tales of Helpmann (1990); co-producer, director Primetime, Featherstone Productions; Sydney
• Billy Tea and Goulash (1991); director
• The Daylight Moon: A Portrait of the Poet Les Murray (1991); producer, writer, director Featherstone Productions; Sydney
• Fast Forward Exposed (1992); director
• Masterpiece (1992); co-producer, director; SBS, Featherstone Productions; Sydney
• Oondamooroo: Ernie Dingo (1992); director, co-producer
• Eric Rolls: Celebration of the Senses (1992); director, co-producer
• Make It New: Robert Klippel (1992); director, co-producer
• Right Said Fred: Fred Schepisi - Film Director (1993); director, co-producer
• Creative Spirits II (1993); director, producer Featherstone Productions; Sydney
• Lowering the Tone: 45 Years of Robyn Archer (1993); director, producer
• Bon Bons and Roses for Dorothy: Dorothy Hewett 1993; producer
• Dead Quick: Peter Corris 1993; producer
• Lighting Fires: Tim Storrier 1993; producer
• Creative Spirits III (1995); producer, director Featherstone Productions; Sydney
• Tall Tales but True: David Williamson (1994); director, producer
• Smart's Labyrinth: Jeffrey Smart (1994); producer
• The Black Swan: Meryl Tankard Choreographer (1995); producer
• Wrestling The Angel: Blanche D'Alpuget (1995); director, writer, producer
• Dance of Nature: The Music of Ross Edwards (1995); producer, director, writer Featherstone Productions; Sydney
• Young Australian of the Year (1996); writer, director Featherstone Productions; Sydney
• An Imaginary Life: David Malouf: The Inner World of an Extraordinary Writer (1997); writer, director; Linfield, Sydney, AU; Film Australia RM Associates, ABC Television
• The Edge of the World: Tim Winton: Writer (1998); producer; Linfield, Sydney, AU; Film Australia RM Associates, ABC Television
• Art Zone (1998); writer, director
• The Maitland Wonder: Les Darcy (1998); director
• American Journeys (1999); writer, director
• I Witness: The Art of George Gittoes (1999); director, writer, producer Featherstone Productions; Sydney
• It Happened on Holiday (2000); writer, director
• The Beach (2000); coproducer, co-writer, director Centre Coast, Featherstone Productions; Sydney
• Sydney Revealed (2001); writer, director
• Australia Revealed (2002); writer, director
• The One Percenters (2005); writer, director
• Kokoda (2009); writer, director
• Singapore 1942 (2010); writer, director
• The War That Changed Us (2014); writer, co-director
• 100 Days to Victory (2018); writer, co-director

Awards and recognition

Film awards and recognition include:

Year	Category	Competition	Work	Status	Ref
2019	Best Sound in a documentary	AACTA Awards	100 Days to Victory
2019	Best Docu Drama	ATOM Awards	100 Days to Victory
2019	Best History Documentary	Canadian Screen Awards	100 Days to Victory
2014	Best Docu Drama	ATOM Awards	The War That Changed Us
2014	Most Outstanding Factual Program	Logie Awards	The War That Changed Us
2012	Best Documentary Series	AACTA Awards	Singapore 1942		^[8]
2012	Gold - Dramatised Documentaries	South Australia & Western Australia ACS Awards	Singapore 1942 series - episode 2: End of the Empire		^[9]
2012	Best Direction	Asian Television Awards	Singapore 1942
2012	Best Editing	Asian Television Awards	Singapore 1942
2011	Best History Production	History Makers Awards New York	Kokoda
2010	Best Documentary Series	AFI Awards	Kokoda series		^[10]
2010	Best Documentary Sound	AFI Awards	Kokoda series - episode 1: The Invasion
2010	Best Documentary History, Social & Political Issues	ATOM Awards	Kokoda series		^[11]
2002	Outstanding Achievement Award	IECF Hi-def Festival Tokyo	The Beach
1998	Best International Documentary	Hot Docs Festival in Toronto	An Imaginary Life: David Malouf: The Inner World of an Extraordinary Writer
1998	Best Arts Documentary	San Francisco Film & TV Festival	An Imaginary Life: David Malouf: The Inner World of an Extraordinary Writer
1998	Best Arts Documentary	Festival International du Film sur l'Art - Montreal	An Imaginary Life: David Malouf: The Inner World of an Extraordinary Writer
1998	Best Original Score in a documentary	Australian Composers Guild	An Imaginary Life: David Malouf: The Inner World of an Extraordinary Writer
1997	Best Arts Documentary	Banff International TV Festival	An Imaginary Life: David Malouf: The Inner World of an Extraordinary Writer
1997		Greater Union Dendy Awards	An Imaginary Life: David Malouf: The Inner World of an Extraordinary Writer
1997		New York Film & TV Festival	An Imaginary Life: David Malouf: The Inner World of an Extraordinary Writer
1997	Best Arts Documentary	Festival International du Film sur l'Art - Montreal	Ross Edwards
1996	Best Arts Documentary	Banff International TV Festival	Ross Edwards
1996		IMZ Dance Screen Festival	Meryl Tankard
1996	Best Film	Grand Prix Video Dance Paris	Meryl Tankard
1995	Best film	Dance on Camera Film Festival, New York	Meryl Tankard
1994	Best Television Documentary	AFI Awards	Creative Spirits 2 series - episode: Lowering the Tone: 45 Years of Robyn Archer		^[12]
1993	Best Arts Documentary	Festival International du Film sur l'Art-Montreal	The Daylight moon: A portrait of the poet Les Murray
1992	Awgies Award		The Daylight moon: A portrait of the poet Les Murray
1991	Gold Plaque Award	Chicago International Film Festival	The Daylight moon: A portrait of the poet Les Murray		^[13]
1991		New York Film & TV Festival	The Daylight moon: A portrait of the poet Les Murray
1991	United Nations Media Peace Prize		Billy Tea and Goulash
1990	International Emmy	New York	Robert Helpmann
1990	Gold Hugo Award	Chicago Film Festival	Difficult Pleasure: A portrait of Brett Whiteley		^[14]
1990	Best Arts documentary	Banff Television Festival	Difficult Pleasure: A portrait of Brett Whiteley
1990	Best Television Documentary	AFI Awards	Difficult Pleasure: A portrait of Brett Whiteley		^[15]
1990	Best Television Documentary	AFI Awards	Astonish Me, Graeme Murphy
1989	Best Arts Documentary	Banff Television Festival	Tom Keneally	Selected
1988	Best Documentary	ATOM Awards	Peter Carey
1986	United Nations Media Peace Prize		BabaKuieria		^[16]
1996		New York Film & TV Festival	Arthur Boyd
1985	Special Jury Prize	San Francisco Film Festival	Ed McBain
1985	Silver Award	New York Film & TV Festival	Ed McBain
1983	Best Arts Documentary	BAFTA Award	David Hockney
1983	Silver Award	New York Film & TV Festival	John LeCarré
1982	Silver Award	New York Film & TV Festival	King Cone

Notes and References

1. Web site: Kokoda film a trail of bad memories . The Sydney Morning Herald . 21 April 2010 . Terry . Smyth . 19 December 2021.
2. Weaver-Hightower . Rebecca . 2006 . Revisiting the Vanquished: Indigenous Perspectives on Colonial Encounters . Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies . 6 . 2 . 84–102 . 10.1353/jem.2006.0010. 40339575 . 154828023 . 19 December 2021.
3. Web site: All their eggs in the one basket . Sydney Morning Herald . 10 May 2008 . John . McDonald . 19 December 2021.
4. Web site: Brett Whiteley documentary traces the tumultuous life of art's 'hand grenade' . The SYdney Morning Herald . Gabriella . Coslovich . 1 May 2017 . 26 December 2021.
5. Web site: Don Featherstone . National Film and Sound Archive . Australian Screen . 19 December 2021.
6. Web site: Don Featherstone . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . University of Queensland . 17 June 2017 . 19 December 2021.
7. Web site: Featherstone Productions Pty Ltd . The Screen Guide . Screen Australia . 19 December 2021.
8. Web site: 2nd AACTA Awards . AACTA Winners & Nominees . 2012 . Australian Film Institute . 27 December 2021.
9. Web site: Award winners . Australian Cinematographers Society . 27 December 2021.
10. Web site: AFI Awards 2010 . AACTA Winners & Nominees . 2010 . Australian Film Institute . 27 December 2021.
11. Web site: 2010 ATOM Award Finalists Announced . Australian Teachers of Media . 9 August 2010 . 27 December 2021.
12. Web site: AFI Awards 1994 . AACTA Winners & Nominees . 1994 . Australian Film Institute . 27 December 2021.
13. Web site: The Daylight moon: a film about the poet Les Murray . 19 December 2021 . Australian Centre for the Moving Image.
14. Book: Difficult Pleasure: a portrait of Brett Whiteley . WorldCat . 225420367 . 22 December 2021.
15. Web site: AFI Awards 1990 . AACTA Winners & Nominees . 1990 . Australian Film Institute . 27 December 2021.
16. Web site: Babakiueria . Australian Screen - Short Films . National Film and SoundArchive . 19 December 2021 . Kate . Matthews.