Home / Arts and Entertainment / Girls as Child Laborers in 1930s Australian Mines
Girls as Child Laborers in 1930s Australian Mines
13 Feb
Summary
- Film spotlights young girls forced into hazardous tungsten mines in 1930s Australia.
- Director's new film offers hope, unlike previous bleak frontier narratives.
- Story is inspired by the filmmaker's and co-screenwriter's family histories.
Director Warwick Thornton's "Wolfram," set in Alice Springs during the 1930s, shines a light on the exploitation of young girls as child laborers in tungsten mines. This stark period, previously depicted in Thornton's "Sweet Country," now finds a narrative of hope.
The film draws from the personal histories of Thornton and co-screenwriter David Tranter. Their ancestors, including Thornton's great-grandmother, were among those enslaved in mines like Hatches Creek. "Wolfram" contrasts with "Sweet Country" by offering a redemptive arc.
