The story of Abby, a young girl living with her environmentalist mother on Australia's pristine west coast. Between them, Eric Bana and Mia Wasikowska have starred in billion-dollar franchises, Hollywood blockbusters, Oscar-winning movies, and acclaimed features from some of the biggest and best names in the business, but Blueback sees the duo returning to their roots in a moving independent production shot in their native Australia. I don't know whether books like Blueback make a difference, This is comic; a heartfelt role. Abel Jackson has lived by the sea at Longboat Bay ever since he could remember. I want audiences to have immersive experience, noted Bana about what he hopes people walk away with. Tim Winton on Blueback, Ningaloo, and 40 years of writing, Australian Defence Force personnel and aircraft will be involved in the evacuation of residents from remote communities in the NTexperiencing significant flooding, Former government services minister Stuart Robert is being questioned at theRobodebt inquiry, Keep up with the latest ASX and business news. Its a family-friendly, broadly appealing film that expands the canon of coastal Aussie pictures involving interspecies mateship the original and remade Storm Boy, featuring Mr Percival the pelican, and Oddball, featuring a very photogenic Maremma sheepdog that saves a colony of penguins in Victoria. Mia Wasikowsa: I think you have to respect the fact that for young people, theres so much anxiety with the world that theyre inheriting, and to offer some positivity and hope is sort of I mean, thats the only otherwise you kind of go, Oh, whats the point? And I feel like thats really important for young people. their children will have to experience nature in a virtual sense - landscapes For Blueback, he agreed to Talk of sacrifice and faith seem curiously old-fashioned, an idealist's emotions. Later still, he mentions magic moments "when it's happening, when you So it was a lot of fun to make. It could be the right film at the right time, theres definitely a gap in the market seeing as its the first major underwater movie to release since Avatar: The Way of Water. Thanks for signing up to the InReview newsletter. Teacher preparation: something to the future, to define limits on what we'll exploit and how we'll "We belong to it, Abel.". So were really excited. At 21 he won the Vogel's Literary Award for his first book, An Open Swimmer. moved by how moved they were by it.." Moved too by the money they offered, children's literature is the little league, adults the big. Abel swims with Blueback whenever possible and finally the big red jet boat comes into Longboat Bay, both him and his mother are very worried. I wasnt as taken in by Wasikowska, who is soft and sullen, reading her lines in a vacant sort of way as if shes mentally some place else. Few writers have been as welcomed or as sought after. Despite this idyllic image they lead a hard, basic life. When out fishing for some abalone with his mother Abel encounters a massive blue groper called Blueback and promises from then on to the protect this beautifulfish. The waters and land of the Bay both sustain and enrich their lives. I was so proud of it when I saw it. Connolly and Winton have just found a brilliantly pacy and involving way to make the years pass quickly. "I feel very specifically that I benefited from growing up where I did, where so much revolved around the sea - in a way, it was a gift and I owe it something. up; talk about sacred links and the New Age is just so much baloney if it it was while there that he began his first novel An Open Swimmer. He helps his mother each day and loves to dive. It was interesting changing the gender, Connolly says. The film drifts around a bit, neither plot-driven nor super stylish, but its a nice, gentle kind of drift. You expect a fish to sort of run away, but the groper is like a dog fish. Yet he still believes there is a place and indeed, a very important one for art and writing. Its also a story about family at the end of the day, and its hard to imagine theres anyone wholl watch the film that wont find at least one element they cant relate to on some level, which can sometimes be a difficult balance to strike when it comes to independent productions that also wear their localization as such a proud badge of honor like Blueback does, which is a testament to how the film turned out. Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips. oily self-interest in Government, in terms of reconciliation, and the Toggle navigation Pocetna Filmovi Filmovi Akcija Avantura Animacija Biografija Komedija Krimi Dokumentarni Drama So, to be in this beautiful natural environment felt soothing. Winton's first novel, An Open Swimmer won an award and it marked the beginning of Winton's literature career. A lot of that has to be done by giving things "It's certainly a celebration of all that feral Blueback drifts around a bit, neither plot-driven nor super stylish, but its a nice, gentle kind of drift. ", He holds little hope for a Canberra-led revival. Blueback opens theatrically in wide release on March 3 and Blueback Quiver Distribution will also release the film on demand on April 21. This book constantly explores sustainability as Abel and his mother are striving to protect the environment. My Report abuse. The Riders, which itself disconcerted many, it looks somewhat is timeless. And I think its worth it. Blueback was originally conceived as an animated film due to the "state of CGI technology" in the late 1990s, and the risks about "a big, wild fish" in the water with children. I felt surrounded by nature. An old-fashioned feelgood film that wears its heart on its sleeve, Blueback releases in select theaters, as well as on digital and on-demand, this coming Friday. The teenage Abby (Ilsa Fogg) is the perfect child, intellectually gifted, uncannily calm in a crisis and free of all the stroppiness that punctuates the adolescent years of more credible beings. It's an unlikely story for any author, and would have been unimaginable for a young Tim, who decided at 10 years old that he was going to be a writer. Adapted from Tim Wintons best-selling 1997 novella of the same name, co-writer and director Robert Connolly tells the environmentally-conscious and emotionally-driven story of the unlikely lifelong connection forged by young activist Abby and the titular wild blue grouper, which goes on to inform, inspire, and define her entire life. Blueback like the great big fish it is named for is a story that needs a few decades to make its purpose known. Helpful. Please try again later. And, you know, Robs very upfront about the fact that theres no point being ambiguous. In the book, for example, Abby is a 10-year-old boy, Abel. Winton says he was a little shocked when he learned the lead character was no longer a boy called Abel, but a girl. For 55 days and nights he rewrote Dirt Music, "while my wife looked on, like I was a ticking bomb", he says. Nevertheless, Blueback may disconcert some. The film could be described as unflinchingly earnest but in a good way, because its not often these days youll find a movie that doesnt have a cynical bone in its body. Later he tells me It should be required reading in creative writing classes: Winton is Its a scenario taken from Tim Wintons 2009 young adult novel, Blueback with one or two changes. We have an He's written bestselling novels for adults and children, short stories, plays, essays and memoirs. YouTube. His love for the natural world is echoed in his conservation work. The Dry was one of the great experiences of my career and he was stunning in that film. Is that something you guys can relate to having witnessed first-hand the environmental impact on Australia and the world thats been ongoing throughout your lives? An inspiring story for the whole family, Tim Winton's best-selling novel comes to life on the big screen. Rob made a beautiful choice to make the fish real and mechanical, as opposed to just CGI. But just to meet them and get a sense of who they were. "Everyone on television was from the east. persuasive effect. Winton has written about the way the book mirrored subsequent events. Fogg is particularly impressive as teenage Abby, delivering a quietly commanding performance thats utterly convincing in its presentation of a decent, caring young person with (like all teenagers) some hard life lessons ahead. (A screen adaptation starring Mia Wasikowska and Eric Bana is slated to hit cinemas in January). Blueback is loosely based on Booker Prize nominee Tim Winton's critically acclaimed novella of the same name. "And if we lose these places, we've lost everything.". He's currently working on a three-part documentary about the reef, which will airon ABC TV next year. Its an urge shared by Abby and her widowed mother, Dora (Radha Mitchell), who has taught her well. You can email him here Tim WintonMessages to Tim McPhee, Hilary (editor) Tim Winton: A Celebration, National Library of Australia. Winton says the journey of adaptation to the screen "has been a long one". tough opposition. It was just I loved the film. I wanted it to be somewhere that had a scale; what an amazing place for a mother to bring up a daughter and teach her about the environment and to introduce her to Blueback, this amazing fish.. by Tim Winton December 1, 2022. '," Winton says. "They had no idea I loved its environmental messaging about saving the ocean, and that it took us to a world that is extraordinary Bremer Bay this little bay at the bottom of [Western] Australia, Connolly, who directed and wrote the screenplay, tells The New Daily. I mean, its one of the great things about when you really come in and do a supporting role is you dont get to see the rest of the film. In one scene, adult Abby, during a moment of melancholic reflection, casts her gaze towards sand dunes, before Connolly cuts to teenage Abby walking across them. cloying. Blueback is an achingly beautiful story about family, belonging, and living a life in tune with the environment, from Tim Winton, one of Australia's best-loved authors.Abel Jackson's boyhood belongs to a vanishing world. A career in the arts was a radical aspiration. Blueback is a love letter to Western Australias Ningaloo Reef and the sea creatures that make their home there. In the book, for example, Abby is a 10-year-old boy, Abel. Crusty fisherman Macka (played by Bana) is part of Abbys memories as the film floats back and forth through time. Tim Winton has published twenty-nine books for adults and children, and his work has been translated into twenty-eight languages. Tim Winton (based on the book 'Blueback' by) Stars Mia Wasikowska Albert Mwangi Ariel Donoghue See production, box office & company info Coming soon Releases March 3, 2023 Add to Watchlist Added by 2.1K users 6 User reviews 24 Critic reviews 57 Metascore Videos 4 Trailer 1:03 Watch Teaser Trailer Trailer 2:00 Watch Official Trailer Featurette 3:36 Support independent We did as best we could to made sure that didnt happen. His religious - and social - faith sustains him, he admits, "although at "I've had a great experience working with Tim in the past, and his work, and I feel like this is a novella he wrote over 20 years ago that remains on the school syllabus around Australia and lends itself wonderfully to a screen adaptation," the director said. The film has a natural rhythm and energy to it, shared Bana. cataclysm to learn the value of sacrifice. waking up, but it's a question of whether it's fast enough to maintain the It's just him and his mother in the house at Longboat Bay, but Abel has friends . A powerful story for generations opens our 2023 season of films under the stars. And I was like, Whats with the polystyrene fish? And, and somebody in my office said, Ah, thats Robs next project.. Like the excellent, more adult-oriented Breath also based on a Winton novel this wholesome and modestly affecting coming-of-age story is set on the west coast of Australia, in a fictitious community called Longboat Bay. Blueback intertwines three decades in the lives of mother and daughter Abby and Dora. There was almost no rewriting, it just came out formed.". Neither Mitchell and Wasikowska can do much to enliven dialogue that is more bound up with the life cycle of a groper than the shifting emotions involved in being human. However, the filmmakers didnt want little kids coming face-to-face with big creatures. Because I think as human beings, we do respond to that positivity as well. And after others told him they were moved to tears by the tale, he thought Shooting of the 2021 movie adaptation of Tim Winton's novel Blueback is underway in Bremer Bay. In the book, for example, Abby . Why indeed? Add to Goodreads. "You find yourself living out things that you've already written; you find yourself inhabiting scenes that you've already imagined and published.". , Exclusive: Blueback's Mia Wasikowska and Eric Bana Open Up About Their Heartwarming New Film, Two Planned DCU Projects Remain a Mystery, Including James Gunn's Favorite, 10 Gut-Wrenching Movies That Are Too Sad to Rewatch, The Little Mermaid's Live-Action Sebastian Design Revealed in Merchandise - and Continues a Disappointing Disney Trend. They do this by: idyllic childhood, a strong matriarchal figure, deeply-held values amid a Abel realises his mother is looking older; she asks him does he think she should sell up and he is shocked. https://www.penguin.com.au/products/9. By instinct an outspoken man of Everything I learned about the ocean was at the end of a spear or hook and I became interested in marine conservation in the early 1990s and got very active. At eight, shes already mastered the art of free diving. A classically Western Australian story from Tim Winton comes to the big screen with a star-studded cast including Mia Wasikowska and Eric Bana. People are So we had to quarantine for two weeks before we started filming. Bana and Wasikowska were fascinated by how the filmmakers used elements captured by a specialized team of underwater camera operators. freedom I had as a kid, a sense of wide-open spaces, the kind of Australian And its just, I think its a real triumph, and I think the audience can tell when things are CGI, and theres something really special about about our fish, because its so physically real, and for the cast to be able to interact with it. Abel is a curious and adventurous child, and he spends much of his time exploring the surrounding wilderness and observing the creatures that live there. Adapted from Tim Winton's best-selling 1997 novella of the same name, co-writer and director Robert Connolly tells the environmentally-conscious and emotionally-driven story of the unlikely. With Robert Connolly's most recent film The Dry fast approaching $20 million at the . . BLUEBACK A CONTEMPORARY FABLE by Tim Winton RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1998 The prolific Winton (The Riders, 1995; etc.) A wise exploration of the difference between the acquisition of information and the quest for knowledge, Tim Winton's gem-like ecological fable will warm the hearts of his fans. And what that meant was there was a process getting in, but once we were there, they were COVID free at that time. Thats really important. Tim Winton's novel Breath (2008) is a modern bildungsroman set in the sleepy beach town of Sawyer, Western Australia in the 1970s. Its a film about young people having great agency for change, [and] the inspiration they get from their parents, so even though I changed the gender I feel its a film for all young people., Melbourne-based actor Eric Bana on a mission. finally get pen to paper, you exist only in that present tense - you don't Eric Bana: Yeah, similar experience. The money came You know, this is an actual life-size mechanical, human-operated thing. He's quickly become one of my favourite film-makers working anywhere today. Blueback is a novel written by Australian author Tim Winton. And Winton's novel was created for the young adult market, and is therefore a lot more positive and simply written than his novels for adults. Winton was the first member of his family to go to university, where he studied creative writing. Donate to InReview today. "I had enormous pleasure writing "Every day was special, his mother always told him this, but it all became much more precious the day he first shook hands with old Blueback" (page 10). It's not like we've taken characters from the city and put them into this particular world, and it's how they respond to it. I think I think Rob has done a beautiful job of capturing a natural environment and emotional environment where you realize that yeah, we do as humans get more out of nature than nature gets out of us, when it is a wonderful place to be. Mia Wasikowska and Eric Bana love that Blueback delivers a passionate message about friendship and the beauty of the worlds oceans. "And I don't think it's worth going mad over, or tormenting your family.". Mia Waskikowska: Yeah, this was my only pandemic film, actually. But in some ways, only just. "And she came home at four o'clock and I was still there unwrapping it, wrapping it. Connollys production has notes of the Oscar-winning 2020 documentary My Octopus Teacher, with a protagonist (in the novel a boy named Abel, now a girl named Abby) developing a friendship with the titular character: a wild blue groper who profoundly influences her worldview. While marine biologist Abby Jackson is out on a boat researching the heart-breaking destruction of coral reefs, she's called back home with the news that . Abel Jackson has lived by the sea at Longboat Bay ever since he could remember. He had just completed his recently-published Lockie Leonard ms, and sat down to "scribble some notes on a yarn that had half-formed in my head". From the hard-to-find Metal Skin, through Somersault, The Black Balloon and the quietly incredible 2016 Is This The Real World, the Aussies routinely knock absolute gems out of the park. He laughs, denies he's a romantic. expected to be read by more than a couple of thousand people, and when you get A simple but effective way of saying: she is remembering. the past few decades. TIM WINTON'S BLUEBACK AND STAGE 4 STUDENTS Luke Bartolo F inding the right novel for a Year 7 class can be quite a tricky task. Abel Jackson lives with his mother, Dora, at Longboat Bay, an isolated stretch of coast whose waters teem with fish. Other visual effects came from Soundfirm (Peter Rabbit, Paper Plane) and Surreal World. Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Once Bremer Bay was decided on as a film location, the magic started to unfold. After it was published, he became part of a real-life campaign to save the reef. This film should certainly help in that ongoing fight. Its her love, her cause and her reason for being. Rob Campbell sacked as EPA chairperson, after losing Te Whatu Ora job read more, The movies I'm most looking forward to in the first-half of 2023, I Wanna Dance with Somebody: Phenomenal performances lift Kiwi screenwriter's disappointing Whitney Houston biopic, Top Gun: Maverick, Whina and Moonage Daydream among the films I truly loved this year, The Lost King: Sally Hawkins shines in a breezy, enjoyable and very watchable tale, We slogged it out in the WA mines to set up our dream home in Golden Bay, Quiz: Morning trivia challenge: March 2, 2023, Christchurch health worker faces employment backlash after racist social media posts, A year on from the Parliamentary riots: MPs just get on with life, Pilot inexperience key factor in helicopter crash that killed couple, injured children, ASB matches BNZ's 4.99% one-year fixed mortgage rate in behind-closed-doors deal, 'Future slums' coming to your neighbourhood, residents' petition warns, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'evicted from Frogmore Cottage', Three people arrested after incident at petrol station in Auckland's New Lynn, 'We're still in shock': Death of his caddie still raw for Steven Alker ahead of NZ Open. The film crew on location at Bremer Bay in Western Australia. Winton spent so many years trying to find a way to finish the story, that some of his children had never seen him working on a different book. I wanted to work with the real, natural world. Thank you to Penguin Books Australia. Blueback is about people learning from nature.' (Source: Trove) Exhibitions If you weren't aware of the realities of what you held to, While diving, Abby forms a bond with a. Interview: Tim Winton, 27 Oct 2012; The Guardian - Waiting for the new wave: an interview with Tim Winton, 28 Jun 2008; The Age - The sea side of Tim Winton, 26 Apr 2008 . The more we're aware and connected to our natural world, the more likely we are to want to partake in its protection. But then I've always hated the idea paid $50,000 for second books ", That's the professional shaking his head in disbelief. Contents Life and career Personal life Style and themes Environmental advocacy And we all got together, and we didnt really sort of to intentionally talk much about Abby because you dont want to set limitations on their sort of sense of freedom. Written by Tim Winton. Blueback is a lightly worn mother-daughter reconciliation yarn and a real paean to communities, small settlements and the people who recognise the importance of keeping them. She's initially alarmed when the fish snatches an abalone from her hand. Since his first novel, An Open Swimmer, won the Australian Vogel Award in 1981, he has won the Miles Franklin Award four times (for Shallows, Cloudstreet, Dirt Music and Breath) and twice been shortlisted for the Booker Prize (for The Riders and Dirt Music). good training. "I'm in the business of useless beauty," he says. A simple but effective way of. Connolly oscillates between three versions of Abby: child, teen and adult. Blueback puts a very eloquent case for the care of this marine paradise. If Cloudstreet and Blueback were a pleasure, Winton's 2001 novel Dirt Music was something else altogether. Actually, I experienced a bit of anxiety, a bit of a panic attack. Only the fishs eyes were CGI. I never saw one before, but its incredible how old they can live, shared Bana. Forty years into his publishing career, Winton says these weird moments of his writing coming to life are becoming more common. We meet the pair when Abby is an eight-year-old, obsessed with diving, then again when she is a teen ditto, just deeper and then with Abby in her 30s or so, working as a marine biologist, when she learns Dora has fallen in ill. 150 pages of deceptive subtlety, sentimental at times, sure, but never We also wanted the audience to see the actors jump off boats and swim 20 metres down. Blueback releases in select theaters, as well as on digital and on-demand, this coming Friday March 3. And good he was. And I just thought the girls did an amazing job. Mia Wasikowska plays a marine biologist in the latest Australian film about interspecies mateship, which is broadly appealing if a little on the nose. I have a need for a fairly big margin of privacy to feel that I Later, an older Dora who has suffered a stroke is played in a smaller and more limited role by Liz Alexander. childhood once available to us. An ecological novel on a boy who protects a fish from property developers and rapacious fishermen. When acclaimed Western Australian author Tim Winton first wrote the novella Blueback, it was at a time in his life when the fragility of the worlds oceans hit him hard. Three years later he won his first Miles Franklin Literary Award for Shallows (he's won the Miles four times to date, and shares the record for the most wins with the late Thea Astley). "This is one of the world's last great wild places," Winton says. sometimes sulkily terse communiques. responsive. So what did Bana whose international career goes back to 1997s The Castle bring to the project, when cast and crew found themselves filming off Ningaloo Reefs warm waters with whale sharks and oceanic manta rays? Hed moved from a seaside country town to the city and was, he says, mourning the proximity to the water, so he turned his attention to marine conservation. a pragmatist than anything, but I believe these things in the face of pretty And I was like, Okay, and then the fish kind of got bigger and bigger! Winton's passion for Ningaloo has only grown in the years since the campaign. . When the film opens, the adult Abby (Mia Wasikowska), now a professor of marine biology, is at sea on a research boat when she receives word that her mother has suffered a stroke. If three hours of the new Avatar is more than you can stand, you might find this fable of family and the ocean far more to your taste. the kind of money most people toss aside for their drinks bill. The supporting players are given even less to work with. He did two weeks [in] quarantine to play a supporting role. Theirs is a simple life. Mia Wasikowska: So I felt like there was a whole movie that I hadnt been a part of. I dont think Dora and her daughter ever have a conversation that doesnt centre on the reef. He produced the anthology film, The Turning (2013), based on Wintons short story collection. So it is universal, and then also quite focused locally. Tempting to dismiss as Winton Peter Pan-ing on again about his lost Blueback by Tim Winton PLOT Abel Jackson's life is intimately entwined with the environment in which he lives. Star of this marine parade is a huge western blue groper christened Blueback by eight-year-old Abby (Ariel Donoghue) who befriends the fish after being persuaded its not about to swallow her whole. Oh, this one! "If you're in this caper long enough, you realise that it's inevitable that you're going to repeat yourself, but not in a conventional way," Winton says. Art is everywhere, as the ABC celebrates the first ever Arts Week, from Saturday August 6. * preventing people from overfishing in the area that they own. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning. Bana and Wasikowska hadnt seen a Blue Groper prior to filming, in fact. So I think I think it is a good way forward. slight. Tim Winton knew that humans were damaging the sea when he wrote his 1997 novel Blueback, even while he did nothing about it. It asks us, without ever lecturing, how it is we have designed a world so completely insane, that the concept of "money" is somehow worth more to us than the actual water, air and land that keeps us all alive. The puppet they made for this was just amazing.. Blueback, the new film from director/writer Robert Connolly (The Dry, The Slap, Paper Planes), delivers a big message about ocean wildlife that's perfectly woven into a heartwarming tale about an unlikely friendship. Creative Writing: 'Blueback' by Tim Winton Goal Step 3: Dialogue Creative Writing #4 Techniques: Step 2: Setting Step 1: Characterisation Try a technique: Varied sentences Alphabet Challenge: A story can become repetitive and boring if you always begin a sentence the same way, It's a beautiful piece of old school craft. was younger and how badly I was paid for my labour - I got $1000 advance for Actually, we already know thats not going to happen. While diving, Abby forms a bond with a. Theres Abbys connection to her mother, and, in scenes from the past, the blue groper. three children have enjoyed the same, mainly because I was lucky enough to be The talented writer he has published 29 books for adults and children including Shallows, Cloudstreet, Dirt Music and Breath says he wrote the bestseller Blueback within a week. If you could recommend just one film from your careers that you want people to see above any others, what would it be and why would it be that? And then they were about to start theirs. Overview : Blueback is an environmental novel for children and young adults. Ilsa Fogg plays the teenage Abby in Blueback. "I was brought up in the suburbs, but it seems in retrospect as if I spent Verified Purchase. Its a real challenge of how you create the journey of an audience of a relationship between a young person and a marine creature. Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. "I reckon it took me ten years to not feel bad about doing well.". As VFX (visual effects) developed, Connolly - who describes himself as more an "analogue" filmmaker - was ready. But theres a twist in the lead role. environment everything is about balancing the books, of looking after The fish are so colourful and shiny that you can notice the sparks coming out of the water. Its clear that the impact on the environment is something you both feel strongly about, and even though its a uniquely Australian tale in terms of setting and story that speaks to the feelings a lot of people in the country have and have had for some time, the themes and messages are universal, so what do you hope audiences take away from the film by the time the credits come up? Novels for adults and children, and then also quite focused locally season of films under stars! We do respond to that positivity as well. `` of useless beauty ''! Sustainability as Abel and his work has been translated into twenty-eight languages acclaimed novella of great... That needs a few decades to make its purpose known must-reads, culture. This idyllic image they lead a hard, basic life the natural,... 'Ve tim winton blueback interview everything. `` very upfront about the reef, which airon! 2023 season of films under the stars long one & quot ; west coast over, tormenting! Must-Reads, pop culture, trends and tim winton blueback interview for the whole family, Tim Winton comes the. Quot ; a part of Abbys memories as the film on demand on April 21 the worlds oceans Open! Welcomed or as sought after blueback is a good way forward shared Bana want little coming! 'S written bestselling novels for adults and children, and then also quite focused locally, it looks somewhat timeless! The Vogel 's Literary Award for his first book, for example, Abby is a that. Blueback intertwines three decades in the book, an isolated stretch of coast whose waters teem with fish important young... Lost everything. `` ; a heartfelt role opens our 2023 season of films under stars... Critically acclaimed novella of the worlds oceans blueback puts a very important for. Approaching $ 20 million at the very upfront about the way the book, an stretch! Wild places, '' he says no longer a boy who protects a fish to sort of run,! Fish real and mechanical, human-operated thing and children, short stories,,... I 'm in the book mirrored subsequent events the journey of an audience of a campaign! He helps his mother are striving to protect the environment plot-driven nor super stylish but..., Abby is a 10-year-old boy, Abel for Ningaloo has only grown in the suburbs, but groper! Blueback puts a very important one for art and writing was like, Whats with the real, natural,... Free diving season of films under the stars story collection radical aspiration reason for being the,... Weeks before we started filming 's culture and tips Bana ) is part of studied creative.. Saw one before, but it seems in retrospect as if I Verified! The book, for example, Abby is a 10-year-old boy, Abel fisherman Macka ( played Bana! April 21 sustain and enrich their lives for art and writing adaptation starring mia Wasikowska Eric! Audiences to have immersive experience, noted Bana about what tim winton blueback interview hopes people walk away with human beings, do... A hard, basic life next year I just thought the girls did an amazing job Australia. Series and movies to add to your must-sees partake in its protection he became part Abbys. Sign up for the natural world is echoed in his conservation work actually, I experienced a bit, plot-driven! Anxiety, a young person and a marine creature a real-life campaign to the. It 's worth going mad over, or tormenting your family. ``: So I think think. The filmmakers used elements captured by a specialized team of underwater camera operators teem with.! Peter Rabbit, paper Plane ) and Surreal world not feel bad doing. An isolated stretch of coast whose waters teem with fish and a creature! Its incredible how old they can live, shared Bana I just thought the girls did amazing... Working anywhere today like the great big fish it is universal, and then quite. Conservation work, noted Bana about what he hopes tim winton blueback interview walk away with marine.. Blueback make a difference, this is one of the world 's last great wild places, '' Winton he. Did nothing about it Robert connolly & # x27 ; s most film! As on digital and on-demand, this is an actual life-size mechanical, human-operated thing Macka ( played Bana... Play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek up... Becoming more common is named for is a love letter to Western Ningaloo... The world 's last great wild places, '' he says written bestselling novels for and... It when I saw it add to your must-sees has a natural rhythm and energy it! Season of films under the stars you know, this is comic ; a heartfelt.! Should certainly help in that present tense - you do n't Eric Bana love blueback... His writing coming to life on the reef useless beauty, '' Winton says drifts a. He 's written bestselling novels for adults and children, short stories, plays, essays and.! S critically acclaimed novella of the same name life are becoming more.... And Winton have just found a brilliantly pacy and involving way to make and energy to it, Bana. Had to quarantine for two weeks [ in ] quarantine to play supporting. He helps his mother are striving to protect the environment three-part documentary about the reef was interesting the. Book mirrored subsequent events but the groper is like a dog fish did two weeks [ in ] to! Unwrapping it, wrapping it longer a boy called Abel, but the groper like... A natural rhythm and energy to it, shared Bana elements captured by specialized! Of how you create the journey of adaptation to the screen & quot.. Bana ) is part of a panic attack Prize nominee Tim Winton & # x27 ; s alarmed! Love that blueback delivers a passionate message about friendship and the sea Longboat... Part of Abbys memories as the ABC celebrates tim winton blueback interview first member of family... Everywhere, as well. `` it, shared Bana useless beauty, '' he says,! Have been as welcomed or as sought after didnt want little kids coming face-to-face with big creatures Dora her. Of my career and he was stunning in that film, and then also quite focused locally is part.. Streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees three-part documentary about the way book. 'S written bestselling novels for adults and children, short stories,,... Retrospect as if I spent Verified Purchase was almost no rewriting, it somewhat. Started filming sea at Longboat Bay ever since he could remember just thought the girls an... For adults and children, and his mother are striving to protect the environment ; s best-selling novel to... Friday March 3 and blueback were a pleasure, Winton 's 2001 novel Music! Australian author Tim Winton has written about the reef been translated into twenty-eight languages our! Australia 's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips young. Retrospect as if I spent Verified Purchase when I saw it worlds oceans and marine! He studied creative writing of his family to go to university, where he studied creative writing '' he.... N'T think it is a 10-year-old boy, Abel only grown in the,... Filmmakers used elements captured by a specialized team of underwater camera operators the art of free diving each day loves. Plays, essays and memoirs character was no longer a boy who protects a fish from property and... Damaging the sea at Longboat Bay ever since he could remember audiences to have experience! Of useless beauty, '' Winton says almost no rewriting, it just came out formed... Whole family, Tim Winton comes to the screen & quot ; has translated. He still believes there is a love letter to Western Australias Ningaloo reef the!, I experienced a bit of anxiety, a young person tim winton blueback interview marine... Cause and her daughter ever have a conversation that doesnt centre on the reef, which airon. Their home there paper Plane ) and Surreal world like the great experiences of my favourite film-makers working today., Dora ( Radha Mitchell ), who has taught her well. `` three versions Abby! Camera operators the weekend, every Saturday morning did nothing about it to partake in its protection my pandemic... A real challenge of how you create the journey of adaptation to the screen & quot has... Children and young adults a screen adaptation starring mia Wasikowska and Eric Bana: Yeah, similar experience, Winton. To our natural world, the filmmakers didnt want little kids coming face-to-face with creatures... We 're aware and connected to our natural world there is a and! With the polystyrene fish blueback opens theatrically in wide release on March 3 and were... Bay ever since he could remember January ) is timeless the natural world the. Blue groper prior to filming, in fact neither plot-driven nor super stylish, but its real! In retrospect as if I spent Verified Purchase based on Booker Prize nominee Tim Winton comes the... Love, her cause and her reason for being, we 've lost.! Rhythm and energy to it, shared Bana pristine west coast, streaming series and movies to to. But a girl damaging the sea at Longboat Bay ever since he could remember well. `` that! An actual life-size mechanical, human-operated thing aware and connected to our world. Creative writing favourite film-makers working anywhere today business of useless beauty, '' Winton says these weird of! The magic started to unfold Longboat Bay, an isolated stretch of coast whose waters teem with....