Rabbit-Proof Fence (film)

Rabbit-Proof Fence
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Phillip Noyce
Produced by	Phillip Noyce Christine Olsen John Winter
Written by	Doris Pilkington (book) Christine Olsen
Starring	Everlyn Sampi Kenneth Branagh David Gulpilil
Music by	Peter Gabriel
Cinematography	Christopher Doyle
Editing by	Veronika Jenet John Scott
Distributed by	Miramax Films
Release date(s)	4 February 2002 (2002-02-04)
Running time	94 minutes
Country	Australia
Language	English
Budget	US$6 Million (estimated)[1]
Gross revenue	US$16,217,411

Rabbit-Proof Fence is a 2002 Australian drama film directed by Phillip Noyce based on the book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington Garimara. It is based on a true story concerning the author's mother, as well as two other mixed-race Aboriginal girls, who ran away from the Moore River Native Settlement, north of Perth, to return to their Aboriginal families, after having been placed there in 1931. The film follows the girls as they walk for nine weeks along 1,500 miles (2,400 km) of the Australian rabbit-proof fence to return to their community at Jigalong, while being pursued by a white authority figure and an Aboriginal tracker.^[2]

The soundtrack to the film, called Long Walk Home: Music from the Rabbit-Proof Fence, is by Peter Gabriel. British producer Jeremy Thomas, who has a long connection with Australia, executive-produced the film, selling it internationally through his sales arm, HanWay Films.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Production 3 Reception 3.1 Awards and nominations 3.1.1 Nominations 4 Box office 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

Plot

Set in Western Australia during the 1930s, the film begins in the remote town of Jigalong where three children, sisters Molly Craig (Everlyn Sampi), 14, and Daisy Kadibil (Tianna Sansbury), 8, live with their mother and grandmother, and their cousin Gracie Fields (Laura Monaghan), 10. The town lies along the northern part of Australia's rabbit-proof fence, which runs for several thousand miles.

Thousands of miles away, the 'protector' of Western Australian Aborigines, A. O. Neville (Kenneth Branagh), signs an order to relocate the three girls to his re-education camp. The children are referred to by Neville as "half-castes", having one white and one aboriginal parent. Neville's reasoning is portrayed as being that the Aboriginal peoples of Australia are a danger to themselves, and that the the "half-castes" must be bred out of existence. The children are forcibly taken from Jigalong and taken to the camp at Moore River to the south. Half-castes that are of a certain age live at the camps and are taught to become servants for the whites living in Australia.

Molly, Gracie, and Daisy decide to escape the camp and walk back home to Jigalong. An Aboriginal tracker, Moodoo (David Gulpilil), is called in to find them. However, the girls are well versed in disguising their tracks. They evade Moodoo several times, receiving aid from strangers in the harsh Australian country they travel. They eventually find the rabbit-proof fence, knowing that they can follow it north to Jigalong. Neville soon figures out their strategy and sends Moodoo and a local constable, Riggs, after them. Although he is an experienced tracker, Moodoo is unable to find them.

Neville spreads word that Gracie's mother is waiting for her in the town of Wiluna the information finds its way to a man who 'helps' the girls. He tells Gracie about her mother and that they can get to Wiluna by train, causing her to break off from the group and attempt to catch a train to Wiluna. Molly and Daisy soon walk after her, finding her at a train station. They are not reunited, however, as Riggs appears and Gracie is re-captured. Knowing they are helpless to aid her, Molly and Daisy continue on. Soon after, Neville encounters a problem of his own, when he suffers from a mild heart-attack.

After several more weeks of following the fence, eluding their trackers and trekking through a vast expanse of open desert, the two sisters arrive close to Jigalong. It is implied that their mother and grandmother have guided them there through ritual chanting. Although Riggs has been instructed to wait for the girls in Jigalong, the town's women have been chanting heavily in the brush, a ritual that Riggs seems frightened of. As he moves through the brush looking for the girls, he encounters Molly and Daisy's mother and grandmother with their mother brandishing a sharpened stick. Riggs is frightened away and Molly and Daisy are reunited with their family.

The epilogue of the film shows recent footage of Molly and Daisy. Molly explains that Gracie had died and that she never returned to Jigalong. Molly also tells us of her own two daughters and that the three of them were taken, from Jigalong, back to Moore River. She managed to escape with one daughter, Annabelle, and once again, she walked the length of the fence back home. However, when Annabelle was 3 years old, she was taken away and Molly never saw her again. In closing, Molly says that she and Daisy "...Will never go back to Moore River. Never."

Production

The film is adapted from the novel, Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington Garimara, the second book of her trilogy documenting her family's stories.^[3]

Reception

The film stirred debate over the historical accuracy of the claims of the Stolen Generation.^[4][5][6] Some, like Andrew Bolt,^[7][8][9] criticised the portrayal of Neville in the film, arguing that he was inaccurately represented as paternalistic and racist, and the film's generally rosy portrayal of the girls situation prior to their removal from their parents.^[7] Bolt questioned the artistic portrayal in the film of the girls as prisoners in prison garb. He claimed that, in fact, they would have been dressed in European clothes as shown in contemporary photos and tracked by concerned adults fearful for their welfare.^[7] He claimed that when Molly Craig, whose journey was being told, saw the film, she stated that it was "not my story". However, she clarified that statement by saying her story still continued into her adult life and was not nicely resolved as the film's ending made it appear.^[10]

The film has had a positive reception, enjoying a rating of 87%.

Awards and nominations

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2001 - Queensland Premier's Literary Awards.^[11]: Film Script — the Pacific Film and Television Commission Award (Christine Olsen)^[12]

2002 - Australian Film Institute Awards^[13]

• Best Film (Phillip Noyce, Christine Olsen, John Winter)
• Best Original Music Score (Peter Gabriel)
• Best Sound (Bronwyn Murphy, Craig Carter, Ricky Edwards, John Penders)

2002 - Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards^[14]

• Best Director (Phillip Noyce)
• Best Screenplay — Adapted (Christine Olsen)

2002 - Inside Film Awards^[15]

• Best Actress (Everlyn Sampi)
• Best Production Design (Roger Ford)

2002 - New South Wales Premier's History Awards^[16]: shortlisted for The Premier's Young People's History Prize (Christine Olsen and Phillip Noyce)

2002 (USA) - Aspen Filmfest^[17]: Audience Award, Audience Favourite Feature^[18] (Phillip Noyce)

2002 (Switzerland) - Castellinaria International Festival of Young Cinema,^[19]

• ASPI Award (Phillip Noyce)
• Golden Castle (Phillip Noyce)

2002 (USA) - The 2002 Starz Encore Denver International Film Festival,^[20]: People's Choice Award: Best Feature-Length Fiction Film (Phillip Noyce)

2002 (South Africa) - Durban International Film Festival^[21]: Audience Award (Phillip Noyce)

2002 (UK) - Edinburgh International Film Festival^[22]: Audience Award (Phillip Noyce)

2002 (UK) - Leeds International Film Festival^[23]: Audience Award (Phillip Noyce)

2002 (USA) - National Board of Review Awards 2002^[24]

• Freedom of Expression Award
• Best Director (Phillip Noyce)

2002 (USA) - San Francisco Film Critics Circle^[25]

• Special Citation (Phillip Noyce, Also for The Quiet American (2002))
• Audience Award: Best Foreign Film (Phillip Noyce)

2002 (Spain) - Valladolid International Film Festival^[26]: Audience Award: Feature Film (Phillip Noyce)

2003 (UK) - London Critics Circle Film Awards (ALFS)^[27]: Director of the Year (Phillip Noyce, also for The Quiet American (2002))

2003 (Brazil) - São Paulo International Film Festival^[28]: Audience Award: Best Foreign Film (Phillip Noyce)

Nominations

2002 (Australia) - Australian Film Institute Nominations^[29]

• Best Actor in a Supporting Role (David Gulpilil)
• Best Cinematography (Christopher Doyle)
• Best Costume Design (Roger Ford)
• Best Direction (Phillip Noyce)
• Best Editing (Veronika Jenet, John Scott)
• Best Production Design (Roger Ford)
• Best Screenplay Adapted from Another Source (Christine Olsen)

2002 (Australia) - Film Critics Circle of Australia Nominations^[14] Australia

• Best Actor — Female (Everlyn Sampi)
• Best Cinematography (Christopher Doyle)
• Best Film
• Best Music Score (Peter Gabriel)

2002 (Poland) - Camerimage - 2002 International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography^[30]: Golden Frog (Christopher Doyle)

2002 (USA) - Golden Trailer Award Nominations^[31]: Golden Trailer: Best Independent

2003 (USA) - Golden Globe Nominations^[32]: Golden Globe: Best Original Score — Motion Picture (Peter Gabriel)

2003 (USA) - Motion Picture Sound Editors Nomination^[33]: Golden Reel Award: Best Sound Editing in Foreign Features (Juhn Penders, Craig Carter, Steve Burgess, Ricky Edwards, Andrew Plain)

2003 (USA) - Political Film Society Awards^[34]

• Exposé
• Human Rights

2003 (USA) - Young Artist Awards^[35]

• Best Performance in a Feature Film — Supporting Young Actress (Everlyn Sampi)
• Best Performance in a Feature Film — Young Actress Age Ten or Under (Tianna Sansbury)

Box office

Rabbit-Proof Fence grossed US$3,756,418 in Australia, and $6,199,600 in the United States. Worldwide, it grossed $16,217,411.^[36][37]

See also

• Cinema of Australia

References

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Rabbit-Proof Fence (film)

• Phillip Noyce's Shooting Diary
• Rabbit-Proof Fence at the Internet Movie Database
• Rabbit-Proof Fence at Allmovie

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