Bob Maza Bob Maza i(A14202 works by) (a.k.a. Robert Lewis Maza)
Born: Established: 25 Nov 1939 Palm Island, Ingham area, Ingham - Cairns area, Queensland, ; Died: Ceased: 14 May 2000 Sydney, New South Wales,
Gender: Male
Heritage: Aboriginal ; Torres Strait Islander ; Aboriginal Yidiny / Yidindji
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BiographyHistory

Bob Maza was born on Palm Island, a Murri Reserve in Queensland. His father was from Murray Island in the Torres Strait and his mother from the coastal Yidinjdji people. He completed his schooling in Cairns, spent some years as a manual labourer and then worked as a store clerk in Darwin. Maza began acting in Melbourne in 1969 with little formal training. He was a founding member of the National Black Theatre in Sydney in 1972. In 1970 Maza was a delegate to the 25th United Nations Assembly in New York to highlight the Third World status of Indigenous Australians. In that year he was also involved in the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra, where he often used theatre as a means of showcasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues. In 1981 he was an official delegate to the World Indigenous Festival held in Canada.

Maza directed his first play, the premiere of Richard J. Merritt's The Cakeman, at the National Black Theatre in 1975. After that he worked as an actor, director, playwright and a consultant in theatre, radio, film and television. Maza's pioneering role in the ABC program Bellbird, which saw him playing a barrister, was vital in changing the way Indigenous people were portrayed in the media. His eminent acting career included countless roles on television, in theatre and feature films such as The Fringe Dwellers, The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith and Reckless Kelly. In 1993, in recognition of his work in the Arts and for his people, Maza was awarded an Order of Australia (AM). During his years as an AFC commissioner (1995-98) he made a significant contribution not only to the development of Indigenous filmmakers in Australia but to the Australian filmmaking community generally. Maza is the father of Lisa Maza and actor and director, Rachel Maza Long (qq.v).

Most Referenced Works

Personal Awards

1998 winner National Indigenous Arts Awards Red Ochre Award
1993 Order of Australia Member of the Order of Australia (AM) For service to the development of Aboriginal dramatic arts as an actor, playwright and producer. Queen's Birthday, 1993

Awards for Works

form y separately published work icon Heartland Burned Bridge ( dir. Julian Pringle et. al. )agent Australia : Northway Productions ABC Television , 1994 Z1605422 1994 series - publisher film/TV crime

Set in a small coastal town against the turmoils of murder, mystery and romance, Heartland deals with the death of an Aboriginal girl and the doubts concerning the guilt of her boyfriend, who is arrested for her murder. Vincent Burunga, an Aboriginal police liaison officer working in the town, is an outsider to both the local Aboriginal people and the white justice system, and he finds himself constantly on the edge caught between two cultures trying to understand each other. It explores the developing relationship between Vincent and the newly arrived Elizabeth Ashton. Both are convinced of the young man's innocence but must endure hostility from both the white and black communities and get past the obstacles of their different backgrounds.

The narrative also follows the people from this seaside community and their battle to restructure their own way of life and their struggle to restore their belief in a positive future, despite the obstacles in their path.

1994 winner Human Rights Awards Television Drama Award
Last amended 10 Sep 2024 15:53:42
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