Jessica Mauboy and Deborah Mailman hit the red carpet to attend the “The Sapphires” premiere during the 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival which was met with rave reviews from critics.
Jessica Mauboy and Deborah Mailman and their co-stars received overwhelming applause from the tough, 2000 strong audience who turned up to watch The Sapphires.
Those who witnessed the film described the film “brilliant”, particularly due to the way it deals with a dark time in Australia’s history.
The Sapphires cast lit up the Cannes’ famous red carpet. Former Australian Idol contestant Mauboy wowed onlookers is sparkling gold gown, and on a separate occasion donned a low cut lavender number. Director Wayne Blair summed up the audience reaction with “wow”. “It’s amazing” he said of his inclusion in the world’s most prestigious film festival.
The Sapphires tells the story of a group of Aboriginal singers who travel from a mission in Victoria to war-ravaged Vietnam to sing for American troops, following in the footsteps of recent Cannes films Samson And Delilah and Toomelah, which also drew attention to Aboriginal issues.
Leaving the theatre after the screening Boaz Shaw, an expat Australian with Aboriginal heritage who now works in Cannes, praised the film. “I associated with the Stolen Generation stuff, which pulled on the heart strings a bit, but it’s funny as well, there’s a lot of good humour in it,” he said. “The main message came across very clearly, about how badly the Aborigines were treated.”
Blair said the film was a true story, capturing a time “when Aboriginal people weren’t even counted on the census”. Australian talent dominated the Grand Theatre Lumiere, with Prohibition-era gangster film Lawless, directed by Aussie John Hillcoat, taking the prime-time slot.
