From Black B*tch to Total Control – an interview with Darren Dale of Blackfella Films

The story behind their latest drama, and the secret recipe for this thriving Indigenous production company.

How does an idea get turned into an TV series? Here’s one story.

In July 2017, Darren Dale, the director of the groundbreaking Indigenous production company Blackfella Films (Redfern NowFirst Australians) attended the first Australian iteration of Series Mania, the international TV industry event. The hot ticket headline speaker was Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) and at a dinner after the show, Dale got talking with Rachel Griffiths, the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning actor, producer and director (Six Feet Under, Muriel’s Wedding, Ride Like a Girl). Griffiths said she had an idea that had been percolating for years, a show called Black Bitch that would be perfect for Blackfella Films.

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Rochelle Siemienowicz is the ArtsHub Group's Education and Career Editor. She was previously a journalist for Screenhub and is a writer, film critic and cultural commentator with a PhD in Australian cinema. She was the co-host of Australia's longest-running film podcast 'Hell is for Hyphenates' and has written a memoir, Fallen, published by Affirm Press. Her second book, Double Happiness, a novel, will be published by Midnight Sun in 2024. Instagram: @Rochelle_Rochelle Twitter: @Milan2Pinsk