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Steven McGregor

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Steven McGregor is an Australian filmmaker, known for his work on Redfern Now, Black Comedy, Sweet Country, and numerous documentaries, including My Brother Vinnie.

Early life and education

McGregor grew up near the leprosarium in East Arm, a suburb of Darwin, in the Northern Territory. His mother, who had grown up on a mission, was a healthworker at the leprosarium until its closure around 1970, and he and his siblings used to hang out there to use the swimming pool and play. He said there was no real stigma attached to it, and the people with leprosy were fairly happy, but missed their family and homes.[1]

He was always fascinated by black and white photographs, and the film Papillon caught his imagination as a child.[1]

He completed a Masters in Drama Directing at Australian Film, Television and Radio School in Sydney.[2]

He lost an eye at the age of 25 when he was hit in the head with a hockey stick when playing a game of hockey.[1]

Career

McGregor began his career as a production assistant in the Northern Territory Chief Minister's media unit in Darwin, where he worked for six years.[1] His next job was as a cameraman for Imparja Television in Alice Springs.[2] His first major documentary was about Australian rules football in the mid-1990s, for Channel 7 in the mid-1990s. After losing his eye at the age of 25, his work had to change focus from camera work, and CAAMA offered him a job,[1] while undertaking a traineeship with CAAMA in writing and directing.[2] At CAAMA he met Warwick Thornton, Erica Glynn, Beck Cole, and many others.[1]

Since the mid-1990s, McGregor has written, directed, and produced many documentaries,[2] as well as fictional feature films TV dramas, and comedy series. His varied work includes Arafura Pearl, a 2003 documentary about Aboriginal leader Kathy Mills; Redfern Now (writing); Blue Water Empire, a documentary series about the Torres Strait Islands; and Black Comedy (directing). He co-wrote Sweet Country with David Tranter.[3] He worked on a documentary about Archie Roach in 1999.[1]

In 2006 he directed My Brother Vinnie, a short documentary film about actor Aaron Pedersen and his brother. Written by Pedersen, and shot by Warwick Thornton (who had grown up with Pedersen),[1] it was selected for the Melbourne International Film Festival and Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival.[4][5][6]

Around 2007 he worked with Baz Luhrmann as a script consultant on his feature film Australia.[1]

Croker Island Exodus (2012), directed and co-written by McGregor (co-written by Danielle MacLean, tells the story of 95 Aboriginal children who travelled in 1942 with their missionary carers to safety thousands of miles across the continent to Sydney, from Croker Island, after the Japanese were bombing northern Australia in 1942 during World War II. He cast locals to play all of the roles.[1][7]

His 2016 documentary, Servant or Slave, brought to life stories of Indigenous Australian history, based on the first-hand experiences of five Aboriginal women,[8][9] members of the Stolen Generation,[10] whose stories were recorded by Hetti Perkins and Mitch Stanley. It was screened at the Antenna Documentary Film Festival,[8][11] The film won the Audience Choice Award at Antenna and was also selected to screen at the Melbourne International Film Festival.[10] The film was shown on NITV.[8]

McGregor was co-director (with Erica Glynn) and co-writer on the 2022 SBS Television drama miniseries True Colours.[12]

Recognition and awards

McGregor has been nominated for numerous and won several awards for his work on a number of films and television series, some of which are listed below:

Steve McGregor Award for Best Emerging Talent

The Steve McGregor Award for Best Emerging Talent in Film/Television was inaugurated at the National Remote Indigenous Media Festival in 2009. The inaugural winner was Bernard Namok Jnr, who worked for the Top End Aboriginal Bush Broadcasting Association (TEABBA).[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j McGregor, Steven (1 September 2011). "Guestroom - Steven McGregor" (Audio). ABC Local (Interview). The Guestroom. Interviewed by O'Toole, Kate. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Steve McGregor Award for Best Emerging Talent in Film/Television". First Nations Media Australia. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Steven McGregor - The Screen Guide". Screen Australia. 16 March 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  4. ^ "My Brother Vinnie (2006) - The Screen Guide". Screen Australia. 16 March 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  5. ^ My Brother Vinnie (2006) on YouTube (28 mins) VJM, 7 Feb 2017.
  6. ^ "Video Overview My Brother Vinnie (2006)". Australian Screen Online. National Film and Sound Archive. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  7. ^ Croker Island Exodus at IMDb
  8. ^ a b c McGregor, Steven (2016). "Interview with Steven McGregor: Servant or Slave". Screen NSW (Interview). Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  9. ^ "Servant or Slave". SBS On Demand. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Servant or Slave - Documentary Film". Watch Online. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  11. ^ "Servant or Slave". Antenna Documentary Film Festival. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  12. ^ "Indigenous storytelling – their territory". Ausfilm. 20 October 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  13. ^ a b c d e "Steven McGregor". Asia Pacific Screen Awards. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  14. ^ "Winners & Nominees". AACTA. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  15. ^ "Screenwriters Steve McGregor and David Tranter win RAKA Prize". Newsroom. University of Melbourne. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  16. ^ a b c d e "Steven McGregor". AustLit. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
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