Warwick Thornton born 23 July 1970 Alice Springs is an Australian film director screenwriter and cinematographer His debut feature film Samson and Delilah won the Caméra dOr at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and the award for Best Film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards He also won the Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Film in 2017 for Sweet Country Thornton is a Kaytetye man born and raised in Alice Springs His mother Freda Glynn cofounded and was the first director of the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association CAAMA and was the director of Imparja Television for its first 10 years At 13 Thornton was sent to school in Australias only monastic town New Norcia Western Australia although he later declared he became angry with Christianity and did not consider himself religious He graduated in cinematography from the Australian Film Television and Radio School