‘There's always one person': The show taking a funny and frank look at filmmaking

Sydney Morning Herald

06-06-2025

Among the boundary-pushing new dramas selected for Screen Australia and SBS' Digital Originals initiative this 50th anniversary year of the Special Broadcasting Service is one that goes inside the industry itself.
Based on the professional experiences of its Nyul Nyul/Yawuru creator and co-director Jub Clerc, Warm Props is a funny and scathing look at cultural ignorance and exploitation within filmmaking, alongside a moving homecoming story.
'There's definitely been some things that have happened on sets that have caught me by surprise,' says Clerc. 'Sometimes it's a mistake – people just not being educated about First Nations culture. It becomes problematic because when you're the only First Nations person on set, you don't just work your job, you work the job of cultural advisor …
'The majority of cast and crew are just golden. But unfortunately, there's always one person who spoils it for everybody. This film is exposing people in the industry that take cultural appreciation too far, or who are unconsciously biased, culturally blind or outright racist.'
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A film within a film set in Broome, Warm Props – its title refers to the industry slang for extras – stars Yolngu actor Rarriwuy Hick (Wentworth, True Colours) as local identity Aunty Jilby, and newcomer Tehya Makani, a Yawuru/Wadjarri, Pitjanjarra and Wadjuk actor, as Charlie, a 'warm props wrangler'.
The pair share a painful family history and are forced to confront their rift while working on an autobiographical film by a narcissistic white 'writer/director/producer' named Keith, who believes he has acquired a 'bush name' from a local mob and therefore identifies as Aboriginal, trampling all over cultural customs in the process.
Clerc says there was only ever one actor for this unforgiving role: Mystery Road actor Peter Docker. 'Peter Docker is a great ally,' says Clerc. 'So I knew there would be no moment in any of our conversations where his white fragility would step up and go, 'Oh, but we don't do that!' I knew I could just talk to him and there wouldn't be any cotton-ball babysitting.'