Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra

0000: Energetic, risk-taking, urban, hip — Australia’s unique modern dance company celebrates its 30th anniversary.

From its early beginnings in the late 1980s, through the politically tumultuous 90s and into the new millennium, Bangarra Dance Theatre has grown to be one of the nation’s most revered cultural institutions.

With a distinctive theatrical voice and utterly inimitable soundscapes, music and design, Bangarra’s unique signature style also encompasses authentic storytelling, outstanding technique and deeply moving performances.

Tracking the pivotal year approaching its 30th Anniversary, Firestarter tells the story of the Bangarra Dance Theatre through the eyes of their long standing and charismatic artistic director, Stephen Page.
Following the company through their annual program of national and international tours, this captivating documentary features a combination of intimate observational material, combined with candid interviews and a treasure trove of archival footage – revealing the dance company’s spectacular rise and triumph against the odds.

A stunning hybrid of factual and dramatic storytelling, Firestarter is a tale of pride, heartbreak, adversity and empowerment – with the transformative strength of Indigenous dance at its centre.
Directed by Wayne Blair (The Sapphires) and Nel Minchin (Matilda & Me) Firestarter features powerfully cinematic dance sequences commissioned especially for the documentary – capturing the stunning visual language and heightened drama that Bangarra is famous for.

ABC Commercial holds worldwide distribution rights

Director Wayne Blair and Nel Minchin
Executive Producer Slvan O'Mahoney
Production Company In Films