Michael Hohnen – Gurrumul #Berlinale2018

February 27, 2018

Michael Hohnen - Gurrumul #Berlinale2018 fredfilmradio

Podcast | Download

PODCAST| Angelo Acerbi interviews Michael Hohnen, actor of the film Gurrumul.

Micheal Hohnen is a musician and producer who met Gurrumul 20 years ago and became his friend and counsellor and music partner, bringing him through a professional and personal journey, with albums and tours and personal crisis, in a continuous balancing between the village and family world Gurrumul was not willing to leave and the modern and hectic music industry.

Gurrumul: Three days after Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu approved the film, he died. In Yolngu lore the name, image and voice of the recently departed is retired from all public use. A very rare exception has been made by Gumatj and Gälpu clan leaders to make Gurrumul’s legacy available for everyone. The self-taught musician with the ‘voice of a higher being’ (Sting) was born blind and played the guitar left-handed and upside down. His family and community in the remote Galiwin’ku (Elcho Island) gave their shy boy unconditional support in the knowledge of his great gift. His music was propelled into Australia’s mainstream in the 1990s by Michael Hohnen and Mark Grose of Skinnyfish Music, two white fellas with strong bonds to the Yolngu people. Hohnen became Gurrumul’s close companion, both on and offstage, when his musical career also took off internationally. Combining Yolngu and more contemporary Western rhythms and melodies, this intricate portrait builds a bridge between contrasting worlds. Director Paul Williams respectfully delves into the Aboriginal community through unobtrusive cinematography and provides an integral sense of this amazing man’s spirit.

Written by: fredfilmradio

Angelo Acerbi Berlinale 2018 Berlinale Special Gurrumul Michael Hohnen

Guest

Angelo Acerbi Michael Hohnen

Film

Gurrumul

Festival

Berlinale

Rate it

Channel posts

Daniel Day-Lewis in Anemone by Ronan Day-Lewis

Interview

Festa del Cinema di Roma

“Anemone”, interview with director Ronan Day-Lewis and actor Daniel Day-Lewis

October 25, 2025

Anemone by Ronan Day-Lewis, presented at the 23rd Alice nella Città, marks Daniel Day-Lewis’s return to cinema.

Interview

Festa del Cinema di Roma

“Dreams”, interview with director Michel Franco

October 24, 2025

Discover Michel Franco’s film "Dreams", exploring the crossing of borders and social — highlighting the immigrant struggle and the illusion of the American dream.