... a true independent filmmaker in contemporary cinema!
Sydney Film School Festival has a history of high calibre key note speakers chosen each year equally for their ability to inspire passion as for their insight into the realities of the film culture of Australia.
After Gillian Armstrong, Phillip Noyce, Paul Keating, Bruce Beresford, George Miller, Bob Connolly, Philip Hearnshaw, Ray Lawrence, Bob Carr, Tom Zubrycki and most recently Gretel Killeen, it is our great pleasure to announce an award-winning Australian filmmaker, Paul Cox as our 15th SFS Festival keynote speaker.
Paul Cox will address the audience on the second festival night, Thursday December 15 at 7pm.
Born in Holland, Paul Cox migrated to Australia in the mid 60s as a trained photographer and went on to become Australia's most prolific, individualistic/original and internationally acclaimed filmmakers.
Initially a teacher of photography, Cox made impressionistic shorts and documentaries between the mid 60s and mid 70s, and from then predominantly focused on low budget and artistic features. His films of the early and mid 80s - Lonely Hearts (1981), Man of Flowers (1983), and My First Wife (1984) – were highly acclaimed both locally and internationally.
Over a 40 year filmmaking career, the signature traits of Cox’s work are a deep humanism, a poignant and realistic focus on relationships, eclecticism, and a profound affinity with the arts, evident in his two stand-out films, Vincent: The Life and Death of Vincent van Gogh (1987) and The Diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky (2001) and film essay homage to his actor friend and collaborator, The Remarkable Mr Kaye (2005). He tackled subjects that others eschewed, such as terminal illness and ageing, evident in the poignant A Woman’s Tale (1991) and highly acclaimed Innocence (2000), about the love affair between two septuagenarians. His new film 'Force of Destiny', based on his Memoir 'Tales from The Cancer ward', will be produced next year.
An international film festival favourite whose retrospectives include New York’s prestigious Lincoln Centre, Cox is one of the true independent filmmakers in contemporary cinema.
Paul Cox's life is celebrated in the new film by Oscar nominated director David Bradbury.
'On Borrowed Time', the feature documentary about the incredible life of veteran Australian filmmaker, Paul Cox, had its world premiere at the Brisbane International Film Festival on November 4th.
'On Borrowed Time' tells of a highly original artist and auteur looking back on his life as he confronts his own mortality.
Paul Cox has made 22 feature films, 11 documentaries and a series of shorts, including 'Lonely Hearts' and 'Vincent: A Portrait of Van Gogh'. It's a remarkable output not realised by any of his peers.
Narrated by David Wenham, 'On Borrowed Time' includes interviews or moments with some of Australia's best known actors and Paul's regular collaborators, including John Clarke, Julia Blake, Isabelle Huppert, Werner Herzog, John Hurt, Aden Young and Wendy Hughes.
In early 2009, Cox was diagnosed with liver cancer and given six months to live. His only chance was a liver transplant, but his was a rare blood type shared by only 2% of the population. He was indeed living 'On Borrowed Time'.
'On Borrowed Time' will have its Sydney premiere at the Chauvele Cinema on Wednesday November 23rd at 6pm (three weeks prior to the SFS Festival). David Stratton will chair a special Q&A between Paul Cox and director David Bradbury.
