Footprint Films (Australia)

Robert Connolly
Born	1967 Melbourne, Australia
Occupation(s)	Filmmaker, director, producer, screenwriter
Years active	1990s–present
Known for	Balibo, Three Dollars, The Bank, The Dry, Force of Nature: The Dry 2
Notable work	Romulus, My Father, The Boys

Robert Connolly (born 1967) is a Melbourne-based Australian filmmaker known for his roles as director, producer, and screenwriter. His notable works include directing and scripting feature films such as Balibo, Three Dollars, The Bank, The Dry, and its follow-up, Force of Nature: The Dry 2. As a producer, his credits extend to films like Romulus, My Father and The Boys. Connolly leads Footprint Films, a distribution company under the ownership of Arenafilms.

Early life and education

Connolly, born in 1967, initially pursued theatre alongside actor David Wenham before moving into the film industry. Both were involved in a stage production of The Boys at Sydney's Griffin Theatre Company. He completed a three-year directing program at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) during the late 1990s.

Career

Connolly’s first producing role was with the 1998 film The Boys, which debuted at the Berlin International Film Festival. His first experience directing came with The Bank (2001), a project produced by John Maynard, his mentor and business associate at Arenafilm. In 2007, Connolly and Maynard collaborated on producing Romulus, My Father, a period drama about immigration directed by Richard Roxburgh and featuring Eric Bana and Franka Potente.

By 2013, Connolly had both written and directed four feature-length films and produced approximately twelve others, including work for television. His more recent directorial projects include Paper Planes (2014), The Dry (2020), Blueback (2022), and the sequel Force of Nature: The Dry 2 (2024). Throughout his career, he has garnered numerous accolades within Australia and internationally.

Balibo

In 2009, Connolly co-wrote and directed Balibo alongside David Williamson. The film investigates the controversial deaths of the Balibo Five journalists and Roger East amid Indonesia’s 1975 invasion of East Timor. Produced by Maynard and featuring Anthony LaPaglia as East, it was notably the first feature film shot on location in East Timor.

While Indonesian authorities maintain that the journalists died unintentionally during crossfire—a position upheld by successive Australian governments—the film presents their deaths as executions ordered by Indonesian military officials to conceal the invasion. Connolly supports this portrayal by referencing a 2007 Australian coroner’s conclusion that the journalists were killed while trying to surrender. He dismisses official accounts as "absurd" and underscores the film’s role in questioning accepted narratives.

Connolly points out that the East Timorese Truth and Reconciliation Commission documented up to 183,000 fatalities during the conflict from a population near 600,000. He observes that Australia’s major political parties prioritized access to oil and gas resources along with regional strategic interests over addressing these human rights violations.

Themes and views

Connolly openly acknowledges that political motivations underpin his filmmaking approach. He stresses that his films aim to provoke reflection on contemporary Australian society and stimulate discussion about its direction. Titles such as Three Dollars (2005), The Bank (2001), and The Boys (1998) exemplify this politically charged focus; these works were collectively released in Australia as a DVD box set accompanied by the documentary The Political Arena, which explores their social and political contexts.

In 2008, Connolly authored a white paper outlining recommendations for advancing the Australian film sector, including a ten-point strategy designed to lower production expenses.

Arenafilm and Footprint Films

Founded in 1987 by producer John Maynard, Arenafilm has been behind significant films including The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey (1988), Jane Campion's Sweetie (1989), and An Angel at My Table (1990), produced in collaboration with Maynard's partner Bridget Ikin. The company subsequently produced several of Connolly's works, such as The Boys (1998) and Balibo. During the 2000s, both Connolly and Maynard took on directorial roles. Connolly established Arenafilm’s Melbourne branch in 2006, which led to growth into Arenamedia and additional affiliated companies.

Footprint Films operates as the distribution division for Arenafilm. In 2007, Film Victoria awarded AUD 750,000 in funding that was shared between Footprint and other entities. By 2009, Footprint was distributing Arenafilm projects including Balibo and Sarah Watt's My Year Without Sex, while also broadening its scope to third-party film distribution with titles like Warwick Thornton's Samson and Delilah and Kriv Stenders' Lucky Country. Transmission Films, supported by Paramount Pictures Australia, manages physical distribution. Connolly advocates for filmmakers’ active participation in distribution, viewing it as advantageous for the industry.

Recognition and awards

The Boys earned 13 nominations at the AFI Awards, including Best Film, and won accolades for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress. In 1998, Connolly was recognized by Variety as one of the top ten emerging producers globally.

Connolly’s films have been showcased at over thirty international festivals such as the Toronto International Film Festival and the San Sebastian Film Festival. In 2001, he received a Centenary Medal acknowledging his contributions to the Australian Film Industry.

Romulus, My Father garnered four AFI Awards including Best Film. Connolly also secured AFI Awards for his writing on The Bank and Three Dollars. Matthew Campora of AFTRS described Connolly in 2013 as "one of the most successful contemporary Australian filmmakers," highlighting his integration of Hollywood thriller motifs with uniquely Australian stories.

Other roles

Connolly was appointed to the inaugural board of Screen Australia in 2008, serving until June 2011. He has also held board memberships with the New South Wales Film and Television Office (FTO), the Australian Directors Guild, and the Dean's Council at the University of New South Wales.

In 2011, Connolly played a role in developing the unreleased video game Warco, which was intended to train journalists covering conflict zones.

Feature films

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Sole executive producer

• Lucky Country (2008)
• These Final Hours (2013)
• The Boy Castaways (2013)
• Spear (2015)
• Chasing Asylum (2016, documentary)
• Guilty (2017, documentary)

Sole associate producer

• All Men Are Liars (1995)

Sole consulting producer

• New Skin (2002)
• West (2007)

Sole consultant

• Better Than Sex (2000)

Short films

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer	Notes
1998	The Boys	No	No	Yes
2000	The Monkey's Mask	No	No	Yes
2001	The Bank	Yes	Yes	No
2005	Three Dollars	Yes	Yes	No
2007	Romulus, My Father	No	No	Yes	Also second unit director
2009	Balibo	Yes	Yes	No
2013	The Turning	Yes	Yes	Yes	Segment: "Aquifer"
2015	Paper Planes	Yes	Yes	Yes
2021	The Dry	Yes	Yes	Yes
2022	Blueback	Yes	Yes	Yes
2024	Force of Nature: The Dry 2	Yes	Yes	Yes
2025	Magic Beach	Yes	Yes	Yes

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer
1995	Roses Are Red	No	No	Yes
1997	Rust Bucket	Rust Bucket	Rust Bucket	Rust Bucket
2015	These Final Hours	These Final Hours	These Final Hours	Partial Executive

Television

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Creator	Producer	Notes
2010	Rush	Yes	No	No	No	Episode 18 of series 3; single episode contribution
2011	The Slap	Yes	No	No	No	Two episodes
2012	Underground: The Julian Assange Story	Yes	Yes	No	No	Made-for-TV film
2015	Gallipoli	No	No	No	Yes	Miniseries format
2016	Barracuda	Yes	No	No	No
2017	The Warriors	No	No	Yes	Yes	Also served as executive producer
2018	Deep State	Yes	No	No	No	Four episodes

Awards and nominations

Year	Title	Awards Won	Nominations
1995	All Men Are Liars	Cinequest Film Festival – Best First Feature (tied with Le secret de Jérôme)	Cinequest Maverick Spirit Award AACTA Best Film AACTA Best Original Screenplay AACTA Best Production Design AACTA Best Actor in a Leading Role
1998	The Boys	FCCA Award for Best Film	AACTA Award for Best Film
2001	The Bank	AACTA Best Original Screenplay Newport Beach Jury Awards for Best Director and Screenplay Palm Springs Best Director Portland International Audience Award	AACTA Best Direction BAFICI Best Film FCCA Best Director and Original Screenplay Inside Film Awards for Direction and Script
2005	Three Dollars	AACTA Best Adapted Screenplay Montreal World Film Festival Special Mention and Grand Prix des Amériques	FCCA Best Adapted Screenplay
2007	Romulus, My Father	AACTA Best Film	FCCA Best Film
2009	Balibo	AACTA Best Adapted Screenplay ADG Best Direction São Paulo Audience Award for Best Foreign Feature	AACTA Best Direction FCCA Best Director and Screenplay Inside Film Award for Best Feature Film
2012	Underground: The Julian Assange Story	AWGIE Award for Best Telemovie Adaptation
2013	The Turning		AACTA Best Film and Direction AFCA Best Film Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Film
2015	Paper Planes	AACTA Best Original Screenplay FCCA Best Children's Film Jerusalem Cinematheque Young Critics Club Award for Best Children's Film	AACTA Best Film, People's Choice Favourite Australian Film ADG Best Direction AWGIE Best Writing - Original Berlin International Crystal Bear FCCA Best Film and Script/Screenplay Seattle Films4Families Youth Jury Award
2021	The Dry	AACTA Best Adapted Screenplay	AACTA Best Film and Direction