Bill Bennett, Writer, Director & Producer

Jennifer Cluff, Star & Producer

The Way, My Way - NT Premiere Thursday 6th of June 2024

Bill Bennett and Jennifer Cluff are one of the most respected and longstanding producing teams in Australia. Their collaboration goes back to Bill Bennett’s award winning debut feature film, A Street to Die, in 1985. 

Together they have produced such note-worthy movies as Backlash (1986) - Official Selection Cannes Film Festival, Kiss or Kill (1996), winner of the AFI Award for Best Film, the historical epic In a Savage Land (2000), nominated for 10 AFI Awards, the cult classic comedy The Nugget (2001), starring Eric Bana  and most recently The Way, My Way, an adaptation of Bill Bennett’s best selling memoir of the same title. 

Their films have been distributed by most of the major Hollywood studios, including Warner Bros, Universal, Paramount, and Columbia. 

Bill and Jennifer have been married for 42 years and they regard this as their greatest achievement! 

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Roberto Meza Mont, Star and Co-Producer

A Portrait of Love - NT Premiere, Opening night of the Darwin Pride Film Festival Thursday 20th of June 2024

Roberto Meza Mont is pictured here with partner archibald winning artist Craig Ruddy. Roberto is an actor best know for Candy (2006), Eugenio en el paraiso (2010) and The Wilds (2020).

Roberto is travelling to Dariwn as our special guest to present A Portrait of Love, over 20 years of loving footage of Roberto and Craigs life together. In 2022 Craig tragically passed away from COVID.

To tell their story, their friend, documentary-maker Molly Reynolds (My Name is Gulpilil), spent months immersed in Roberto’s footage and crafted her most intimate film to date. 

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Sinem Saban, Director

Luku Ngarra - Thursday 11th of July

Sinem Saban is an Australian film writer, producer, director, and human rights activist. She is best known for directing and producing the film Our Generation and Luku Ngarra.

Saban was born to Turkish Cypriot parents who emigrated to Australia in the early 1970s. She studied Media, Aboriginal and Legal Studies at RMIT University and at La Trobe University in Melbourne whilst volunteering at her local Aboriginal culture centre in Geelong, Victoria.

In 2000, her interest to find out more about traditional Aboriginal culture led her to move to Darwin where she completed her Secondary Teaching education at Charles Darwin University. In 2004, she was invited to join musician Michael Franti to film and document the human cost of war in Iraq, Palestine and Israel for his film I Know I'm Not Alone.

Upon returning to Australia, she continued teaching in the Yirrkala, Maningrida and Galiwin'ku communities and follow her passion for Indigenous rights. In her spare time, Saban was invited to film and take photographs of Yolngu life, hunting, ceremonies and stories. With the Northern Territory Intervention in 2007, Saban embarked on the making "Our Generation".

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Thor F. Jensen, Director

Sailau - Wednesday 17th of July

The Darwin-based Danish adventurer Thor F. Jensen, who is known for his award-winning sea kayak films, is back with a new feature-length documentary set to challenge the stereotypes of New Guinea and push the boundaries of the adventure genre.

As Thor explains, “I wanted to make a film in collaboration with the locals, to make a story for both a Western and a Pacific audience.”

Featuring Papua New Guinea master sailors Sanakoli John, Justin John and Job Siyae, the film covers the crew's attempt to circumnavigate New Guinea island in a traditional Sailau canoe – a world first.

It’s a gritty, salt-stained odyssey – 13 months, 6,300 kilometres, countless close calls – following the rugged coastline through thunderstorms, bewitched reefs and internal conflicts.

The journey expands the worldviews of the Danish and Papuan protagonists, inspires the nation of Papua New Guinea and introduces the audience to a new take on grand expeditions .

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