Tom E Lewis (2006)

Tom E Lewis is a Murrungun man who is internationally acclaimed as an actor and musician.  He first came to prominence almost 30 years ago, for his lead role in Fred Schepisi’s The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith.  

Film and TV credits include roles in We of the Never Never, A Town like Alice, as well as theatre roles for Playbox, Melbourne Workers Theatre and Handspan, with whom he devised the internationally successfully Lift em Up Socks, a semi-autobiographical multi-media work.

Since 2001, Tom has lived in the remote home-town of Beswick (West Arnhem) directing, devising and performing for a wide range of community based video, performance and music productions.

In 2005 Tom was awarded the Australian Film Commission’s Bob Maza Fellowship and an Australia Council community cultural development fellowship.

In 2006, Tom was awarded the Australia Council Red Ochre award. This award pays tribute to an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artist who throughout their lifetime, has made outstanding contributions to the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts, at both national and international levels.

The presentation of the Red Ochre Award was held in Darwin in the studio space at the Darwin Entertainment Centre in December 2006. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts board chairperson, Dr Chris Sarra hosted the presentation ceremony and Mr David Tollner MP (Member for Soloman, NT) presented Tom with the 2006 Red Ochre Award.