MICHAEL EDOLS ACS (1942-2018)
Inducted into ACS Hall of Fame – 2021
Michael Edols’ first encounter with cinema was as a small boy, up the Segama River in Borneo in the open-air jungle cinema, built by his father for both the local Murut people and the British and Dutch expats. His first taste of photography was at the age of 10, when he asked to be given a box brownie camera for Christmas, so he could take back to his teacher, in boarding school in Australia, proof that his stories about his life in Borneo were true. Both photography and cinema, along with his love of storytelling, were to become Michael’s life-long passions.
His first credit as DoP was for the feature film The Office Picnic in 1973. The following year, he shot 27a, AFI Best film of the Year. The Surfer, shot on Super 16mm, was shown at the Cannes Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival and the Berlin Film Festival. Michael’s work with Paul Cox is best represented in the film Island, which received seven nominations in all categories: AFI Awards, Critics Acclaim – Venice Film Festival, Sydney and Melbourne Film Festivals.
His talent, professionalism and inventiveness as a cinematographer have been highly praised by those with whom he collaborated on feature films and yet it is in the realm of documentaries where his abilities behind the lens took on another level. Not only do they demonstrate his ability to capture images both poetic and sometimes brutally honest, they also demonstrate how through the lens he is a storyteller or as the French would say, an auteur. It has been remarked that he was able to create a sense of intimacy with his subjects, especially notable in Tidikawa and Friends for which he received an ACS Gold Tripod.
It was his own documentaries however which were to establish him as a Director in his own right, Out They Go in 1971 won him another ACS Gold Tripod and Best Documentary – Australian Film Festival.
Michael remained to the end a generous mentor to many young people, first in the film industry and during the latter part of his life as a shipwright. Unfortunately, in his later years, his great knowledge and skills as a cinematographer and film-maker were not allowed to flourish within the film industry, but he never gave up giving advice to young budding film-makers and photographers. What really stands out with Mike is a mixture of unique talent, incredible dedication and a generosity and willingness to share a love of the art.
Michael Edols’ legacy will continue to inspire and will live on, as a remarkable contribution to the Australian Film Industry and indeed Australian heritage.
