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David Jowsey
Born
Auckland
Occupationfilm producer
Years active1987–present
OrganizationBunya Productions
SpouseGreer Simpkin

David Jowseyis an Australianfilm producer,co-founder ofBunya Productions.He is known for producing many films made byIndigenous Australianfilmmakers. Bunya Productions' co-owners are Indigenous filmmakerIvan Sen,and Jowsey's wife Greer Simpkin.

Early life and education

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Jowsey was born inAuckland,New Zealand. His mother used to take him to thecinemaa lot and he developed a deep love of storytelling and films as a child. AtAuckland University,he ran a drama group, which led to a job atTVNZ.[1]

Career

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In his work at TVNZ, he worked for some time in theMāoridepartment, and developed an affinity for telling Indigenous stories.[1]He was on the production team for the first episode ofWaka Huia,which went to air in 1987. This is a long-running TV series aiming to record and preserveMāori cultureand customs as well as covering social and political concerns, and presented completely inte reo Māori(language).[2][3][4]

Moving to Australia, Jowsey married anAboriginalwoman who was a dancer withBangarra Dance Theatre.They were married for many years, and have a son, whom he describes as aMurri(Queensland Aboriginal) person. The family connections taught him much about Aboriginal culture and political issues.[1]

In 1989 he and fellow expatriate New Zealander Ron Roger, in a company called Platypus Films, received a script grant to make a film calledKilpara(akaBilyara), to be written byBrian SyronandVivian Walker.However, Walker died unexpectedly and the script was never progressed any further.[5]Jowsey was a lecturer atAustralian Film, Television and Radio School(AFTRS) as well as being employed by theABC.[6]

He went to work withCentral Australian Aboriginal Media Association(CAAMA) inAlice Springsfor two years,[1]where he was manager in around 1997.[7]At the time, CAAMA had a music studio, film production company, radio station as well as TV station (Imparja). Jowsey ran the video section and made many friends and lifelong connections in the industry, includingErica Glynn,Steven McGregor,Danielle MacLean,Warwick Thornton,[1]Rachel Perkins,and many others, who continue to collaborate.[8]

In the 2000s Jowsey worked as commissioning editor andexecutive producerfor twelve years atABC Television,[1][9]where he learnt much about television production.[8]He oversaw a great number of television programs, including live entertainment and special events; magazine series; music programs; drama; as well as more than 100 documentaries and documentary series.[9]

When working at the ABC, Jowsey commissioned a film by Indigenous writer and directorIvan SencalledBeneath Clouds(released in 2002), which was very successful.[1]The pair also made a number of TV documentaries together.[7]

Bunya Productions

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After working together at the ABC, Sen and Jowsey decided that they wanted to makefeature fiction filmstogether, so they left the ABC and set up Bunya Productions.[7]The name originates with both men's family connections to Queensland groups of Aboriginal people who had cultural ties to theBunya Mountainsinsouth-east Queensland(SEQ). Beforecolonisation,Aboriginal people from all over SEQ would gather for a big festival every three years, when theBunya pinefruited.[1]

In the beginning they concentrated on frugality, having estimated that they could survive by making a low-budget film each year. Their first film was asci fi filmshotblack and whiteinArizona,[1]calledDreamland(2009),[8]which was self-funded.[7]

In 2011, the company had films selected in bothSundanceandCannes Film Festivals.One of these wasMad Bastards,made withBrendan Fletcher,with the highlight being the soundtrack made withThe Pigram Brothers.The other film was Sen's filmToomelah,a documentary about the former Aboriginal mission calledToomelahin northernNew South Wales,where Sen's family grew up, which was screened atUn Certain Regardat Cannes[1]as well as garnering theCultural Diversity Award under the Patronage of UNESCOat theAsia Pacific Screen Awards.[10]

Jowsey also producedSatellite Boyin 2011,[1](released 2012), directed byCatriona McKenzie.The film was selected for screening at theToronto International Film Festival,and earned a Special Mention at its European premiere in the Generation section of the 2013Berlin Film Festival.[10]

Sen and Jowsey made their first big hit withMystery Road,released in 2013, from which arose atelevision series of the same namefrom 2018 onwards.[8]In 2014, Jowsey characterised Sen as the creative leader, but also very technically-minded, while he (Jowsey) looked after the business end, managing the bureaucracy involved in getting films funded. They lived in separate locations.[7]

Greer Simpkin, also a New Zealander,[8]earned a Graduate Certificate in Business Administration (Creative Industries) from AFTRS in 2010.[11]She had extensive experience at the ABC in television before joining the company in 2015. Among other productions, she worked onThe Slap(2011) andJack Irish(2012–2021) She is Jowsey's wife.[8][1]

In 2016 Jowsey producedJasper Jones,directed byRachel Perkins.[10]

Bunya has hosted development workshops for emerging filmmakers, withNetflixandScreen Australia.In recent years it has also been building its sales, marketing, and distribution capacity.[8]

As of 2022,Jowsey continues to run Bunya Productions along with Sen and Simpkin,[1]co-managing director and head of television. Bunya is known for mixing genres, and films which have an Indigenous perspective.[8]

Recognition and awards

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Nicholas Godfrey, senior lecturer in screen atFlinders Universityin Adelaide, wrote that Jowsey "is one of the most influential figures in shaping Australia's screen landscape over the last decade", and, of Bunya, "Few production companies have contributed as consistently to the development of Australian screen culture in recent years".[8]

Many films and television series produced by Bunya have won awards,[8]including:

In September 2022, Jowsey was the recipient of theDon Dunstan Award,awarded by theAdelaide Film Festival,for his contribution to Australian screen culture.[1][13]

Notable productions

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References

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  1. ^abcdefghijklmnoJowsey, David (22 October 2022)."The Year that Made Me: David Jowsey, 2011"(audio + text).ABC Radio National(Interview).Sunday Extra.Interviewed byMorrow, Julian.Retrieved25 October2022.
  2. ^"Waka Huia - First Episode".NZ On Screen.Retrieved25 October2022.
  3. ^"About Waka Huia".TVNZ.15 February 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 15 February 2010.Retrieved25 October2022.
  4. ^"Waka Huia"(videos of past episodes).TVNZ.Retrieved25 October2022.
  5. ^Kearney, Briann; Syron, B. (2016).Kicking Down the Doors.Lulu.com. p. 306.ISBN978-1-329-91764-4.Retrieved25 October2022.
  6. ^Donovan, T.G.; Lorraine, B.T. (2002).Media Ethics, an Aboriginal Film and the Australian Film Commission.Writers Club Press. p. 338.ISBN978-0-595-25266-4.Retrieved25 October2022.
  7. ^abcde"Take Two: Ivan Sen and David Jowsey".IF Magazine.20 June 2014.Retrieved25 October2022.This article first appeared inIF Magazineissue #156 (Dec-Jan).
  8. ^abcdefghij"2022 Don Dunstan Award Essay".Adelaide Film Festival.18 September 2022.Retrieved25 October2022.
  9. ^ab"David Jowsey".Ronin Films.Retrieved25 October2022.
  10. ^abc"David Jowsey".Asia Pacific Screen Awards.25 August 2017.Retrieved25 October2022.
  11. ^"36 AFTRS Student and Alumni Films Headed to CinefestOz".Australian Film Television and Radio School.3 September 2021.Retrieved24 August2024.
  12. ^"Winners & Nominees".Aacta.org.Archived fromthe originalon 1 July 2019.Retrieved24 January2019.
  13. ^abKelly, Vivienne (13 September 2022)."Adelaide Film Festival Releases 2022 Program".Variety Australia.Retrieved25 October2022.
  14. ^ab"David Jowsey".Bunya Productions.20 November 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2022.Retrieved25 October2022.
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