Australian film, The Sapphires, has been selected for a special gala screening at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival and it will be the only Australian feature screening this year. Based on the true story of an indigenous girl band singing Motown classics, the film stars Deborah Mailman (Rabbit Proof Fence, Offspring) and Jessica Mauboy (Bran Nue Dae) with newcomers Shari Sebbens and Miranda Tapsell rounding out the quartet. Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids) also stars as the agent who discovers them on a remote Aboriginal mission.This film is the feature directorial debut for Wayne Blair. What a way to get started! Producers Rosemary Blight and Kyle Du Fresne, from Goalpost Pictures, have described Sapphires as “the kind of film that comes along once in a lifetime.”
Congratulations to The Sapphires team, we’re so proud to see Indigenous Aussies taking on Cannes! The Cockatoo Institute has recently opened submissions for a Young Indigenous Documentary Fellowship, to find out more click here.
