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Rolf de Heer in print
An avid Rolf de Heer admirer knuckles down to produce the first academic reference on the Australian auteur.
It is hard to fathom that up until now there has been no academic reference on influential and groundbreaking Australian director Rolf de Heer. With films such as Bad Boy Bubby and The Tracker under his belt, as well as Ten Canoes, which won the Special Jury Prize at Cannes 2006, and the AFI awards for Best Director, Best Film and Best Original Screenplay, there is surely a surplus of fascinating material should one choose to compile it.
QUT researcher Dr Bruno Starrs has remedied the injustice with a comprehensive academic text titled Dutch Tilt, Aussie Auteur: The Films of Rolf de Heer. The culmination of a research fellowship at the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra earlier this year, on top of a foundational three years research at QUT, Starrs has endeavoured to determine Dutch born de Heer's ‘signature imprint' through the dissection of his diverse productions which also include Dr Plonk, Dance Me To My Song and Alexandra's Project.
"I had an interest particularly in Australian filmmakers who diverge from the sort of Hollywood, mainstream stereotype, and when you are looking in that area, you can't help looking at Rolf de Heer," says Dr Starrs. "I believe he is one of the most innovative filmmakers around, and no-one has previously addressed his work academically."
In his films, de Heer has tackled issues such as parental quality, giving a voice to marginalised people and environmental apocalypse if humans fail in their duty of care; in fact several of his films could be termed ‘eco-warnings'.
Alongside the thought-provoking themes is his individual manner of execution as he dips his hand into all levels of production, beginning at first with the writing, in order to fully capture and translate the rawness of humanity and the Earth, while also retaining an element of humour.
In an unrelated interview with Filmink Magazine, Rolf de Heer acknowledges his instinctual approach: "When I watch my films back, of course, there is such a personal attachment because I was so viscerally involved with them all."
The Australian director has at times found himself faced with the dilemma of balancing his intuition.
"When I write and direct, I deliberately try not to think too much, otherwise you start to second guess and contrive," says de Heer. "It's all going on underneath."
Despite this endeavour to not over think, Starrs has been able to identify various parallels within de Heer's work. "His films feature non-hyper masculine heroes like females, children and sensitive men, who battle against macho controlling and exploitative characters," says Dr Starrs.
Now with a book that delves into an array of his other filmic quirks and consistencies, readers, film students and fans have the opportunity to learn more about Rolf de Heer, unique director and national treasure.
For more info on Dutch Tilt, Aussie Auteur: The Films of Rolf de Heer go to this website. The Rolf de Heer Collection, featuring The Quiet Room, Epsilon, Bad Boy Bubby, Dingo, Incident At Raven's Gate and Tail Of A Tiger has just been released on DVD by Umbrella Entertainment.