Bruno Starrs Bruno Starrs i(A83980 works by) (a.k.a. David Starrs; D. Bruno Starrs)
Born: Established: Adelaide, South Australia, ;
Gender: Male
Heritage: Aboriginal ; Aboriginal Pitjantjatjara
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Works By

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1 Weelow Bruno Starrs , 2016 single work short story
— Appears in: Philament , February no. 21 2016; 'Weelow is a disquieting narrative about the sexual assault of a young Indigenous woman, Dorothea, and its devastating impact on her life and on that of her friend, Eugene, a navigator of the “White Man’s bureaucracy.”' (Publication abstract)
1 Sovereignty, Song and the Sapphires (Wayne Blair 2012) Bruno Starrs , 2014 single work criticism
— Appears in: Journal of Australian Indigenous Issues , June vol. 17 no. 2 2014; (p. 43-55)

'With its foregrounding of the political issue of the denial of Aboriginal Australian sovereignty by British invaders in its big budget, mainstream narrative, 'The Sapphires' (Wayne Blair 2012) is shown to be another example of a "fourth formation" (Starrs 2012) in Moore and Muecke's 1985 model. Blair's feel-good movie features an all-Aboriginal Australian troupe of singers, The Sapphires, who undertake a journey of self-discovery whereby they learn the importance of choosing the protest songs of black Soul over the white coloniser's "whining" Country and Western songs and this is historically contextualised with a discussion of Aboriginal Australians and popular radio. Furthermore, this paper argues the iconic 'Welcome to Country' is twice subverted to reinforce this theme, firstly in the Cummeragunja pub and secondly in war-torn Vietnam. Finally, the prediction is made that a "fifth formation", in which seeking recognition of Aboriginal Australian sovereignty is no longer the goal because it has become the ongoing reality, will soon be the project of Australian film-makers as they celebrate this long overdue societal shift.' (Publication abstract)
1 Writing Indigenous Vampires : Aboriginal Gothic or Aboriginal Fantastic? Bruno Starrs , 2014 single work criticism
— Appears in: M/C Journal , August vol. 17 no. 4 2014; 'The usual postmodern suspicions about diligently deciphering authorial intent or stridently seeking fixed meaning/s and/or binary distinctions in an artistic work aside, this self-indulgent essay pushes the boundaries regarding normative academic research, for it focusses on my own (minimally celebrated) published creative writing’s status as a literary innovation. Dedicated to illuminating some of the less common denominators at play in Australian horror, my paper recalls the creative writing process involved when I set upon the (arrogant?) goal of creating a new genre of creative writing: that of the ‘Aboriginal Fantastic’. I compare my work to the literary output of a small but significant group (2.5% of the population), of which I am a member: Aboriginal Australians. I narrow my focus even further by examining that creative writing known as Aboriginal horror. And I reduce the sample size of my study to an exceptionally small number by restricting my view to one type of Aboriginal horror literature only: the Aboriginal vampire novel, a genre to which I have contributed professionally with the 2011 paperback and 2012 e-book publication of That Blackfella Bloodsucka Dance! However, as this paper hopefully demonstrates, and despite what may be interpreted by some cynical commentators as the faux sincerity of my taxonomic fervour, Aboriginal horror is a genre noteworthy for its instability and worthy of further academic interrogation.' (Introduction)
1 The Aboriginal Voice in Baz Luhrmann's Left-Leaning Australia (2008) Bruno Starrs , 2012 single work criticism
— Appears in: Continuum : Journal of Media & Cultural Studies , vol. 26 no. 4 2012; (p. 625-636) 'Arguing that Baz Luhrmann's Australia (2008) is a big-budget, non-independent film espousing a left-leaning political ideology in its non-racist representations of Aborigines on film, this paper suggests the addition of a 'fourth formation' to the 1984 Moore and Muecke model is warranted. According to their theorizing, racist 'first formation' films promote policies of assimilation whereas 'second formation' films avoid overt political statements in favour of more acceptable multicultural liberalism. Moore and Muecke's seemingly ultimate 'third formation films', however, blatantly foreground the director's leftist political dogma in a necessarily low budget, independent production. Australia, on the other hand, is an advance on the third formation because its left-leaning feminized Aboriginal voice is safely backed by a colossal production budget and indicates a transformation in public perceptions of Aboriginal issues. Furthermore, this paper argues that the use of low-cost post-production techniques such as voice-over narration by racially appropriate individuals and the use of diegetic song in Australia work to ensure the positive reception of the left-leaning message regarding the Stolen Generations. With these devices Luhrmann effectively counters the claims of right-wing denialists such as Andrew Bolt and Keith Windschuttle.' (Author's abstract, 625)
1 2 y separately published work icon That Blackfella Bloodsucka Dance! Bruno Starrs , Saarbrucken : Justfiction Edition , 2011 10196619 2011 single work novel fantasy

'In this bold and cheeky meditation on religion, middle-aged muscleman, uncertain Catholic and wanna-be academic Sterling de Bortoli is a self-described Octaroon... Neither black nor white this part-blood Blackfella struggles with concepts of identity, moving between the two worlds but not really belonging to either. Thus he pursues a frustrated, anarchic, homeless existence in Canberra and Melbourne, until, through the influence of the Anti-Christ, his Dark Lord Maria, he travels to Islamic Morocco. It's a land completely foreign to his Dreamtime totem, and it's where de Bortoli learns to be a full-blood vampire ... a monster who never says sorry.'

Source: Author's blurb.
1 Revising the Metaphor : The Need for Aural Auteur Analysis and the Australian Auteur Film-Maker Rolf De Heer Bruno Starrs , 2010 single work criticism
— Appears in: Australian Studies : Reading History, Culture and Identity 2010; (p. 253-269)
1 1 y separately published work icon Dutch Tilt, Aussie Auteur : The Films of Rolf de Heer Bruno Starrs , Saarbrucken : VDM Verlag , 2009 Z1786072 2009 single work criticism 'Dutch Tilt, Aussie Auteur: The Films of Rolf de Heer"is an auteur analysis of the twelve feature films directed (and mostly written and produced) by Dutch-born Australian director, Rolf de Heer. From his debut feature film after graduating from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, the children's story about the restoration of a Tiger Moth biplane, Tail of a Tiger (1984) to his breakout cult sensation Bad Boy Bubby (1993) which "tore Venice [Film Festival] apart" to the first Aboriginal Australian language film Ten Canoes (2006) which scooped the pool at the Australian Film Institute awards, de Heer has consistently proven himself unpredictable. This analysis of his films, however, suggests that Australia's most innovative film-maker has a signature pre-occupation with giving a voice to marginalized, non-hyper-masculine protagonists. Demonstrating a propensity to write and direct in a European-like style, his 'Dutch tilt' is very much not Hollywood, but is nevertheless representative of a typically Australian world-view.' (Publisher's blurb)
1 y separately published work icon I Woke Up Feeling Thailand Bruno Starrs , Hartwell : Temple House Sid Harta Publishers , 2004 Z1199682 2004 single work novel travel "Starrs' hilarious parody of Westerners adrift in small town Thailand is destined to become a backpacker's favourite. It is by turns; funny, heartbreaking and sad --Barry Scott"--BOOK JACKET.
1 His...Or Her...Suicide Bruno Starrs , 2004 single work drama
— Appears in: Antithesis , no. 14 2004; (p. 151-155)
1 y separately published work icon One Short Screenplay and Three Short Stage Plays of Dubious Taste Bruno Starrs , Parkes : Bruno Starrs , 2001 Z1199685 2001 selected work drama screenplay
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