Jimi Bani

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Jimi Bani
Born
Australia
Occupation(s)Stage and television actor
Years active2006 – present

Jimi Bani is an Indigenous Australian actor, known for his portrayal of land rights activist Eddie Mabo in the 2012 tele-movie Mabo, several television series, and theatre performances.

Early life and education[edit]

A Torres Strait Islander (Mabuiag Island) of the Wadagadum people, where his father was a tribal chief,[1] he attended the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.[2][3]

Career[edit]

Bani's first role was in the 2006 mini-series, RAN: Remote Area Nurse, that aired on SBS One.[citation needed]

In 2012, he appeared on ABC1's series, The Straits and on the tele-movie Mabo,[2][4] both of which were nominated for awards. Bani appeared in Redfern Now, a six-part series produced by Blackfella Films that went to air on ABC1 in late 2012.[citation needed]

From late 2013 through 2014 Bani performed in The Shadow King for which he received a Helpmann Awards nomination.[5] The play was produced by the Malthouse Theatre in association with the Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals – Adelaide Festival, Brisbane Festival, Melbourne Festival, Perth International Arts Festival and Sydney Festival.[6]

Bani was a member of Queensland Theatre's National Artistic Team to assist Artistic Director Sam Strong with its 2017 season.[citation needed]

In 2017 he appeared in a Queensland Theatre production entitled My Name is Jimi which he co-created with Jason Klarwein who also directed the production. The performers included members of his family in a performance which " ... whisks you away to his island for an evening of music, dance, stand-up and storytelling. Four generations of one family take the stage, as Jimi’s grandmother, mother, son and brothers help him spin yarns of totems, traditions and childhood memories".[7] The show was also performed at the Sydney Festival in 2018.[8]

In early 2022 Bani played George in a State Theatre Company South Australia production of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, to acclaim by critics.[9][10] Later in 2022, Bani and Jason Klarwein staged an adaptation of Othello at Queensland Theatre, set in the Torres Straits. It was originally premiered at Cairns Indigenous Art Fair in 2021. Bani played Othello as a member of the Torres Straits Light Infantry Battalion during World War II. The production was staged in three languages; Kala Lagaw Ya, Yumplatok and English. Bani stated in an interview[11] about the production that his great-grandfather was a member of the Torres Straits Light Infantry. Performing alongside Bani were his brothers, Richard Bani, Gabriel Bani and Conwell Bani, and they performed cultural songs and dances.[11][12]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Year Nominated work Award Category Result
2008 WA Equity Foundation Best Newcomer Nominated[13]
2009 Yibiyung Helpmann Awards Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play Nominated[14]
2012 Mabo Deadly Awards Male Actor of the Year Won[15]
2012 Mabo Deadly Awards Film of the Year (part of the ensemble) Won[15]
2012 The Straits Deadly Awards Television Show of the Year (part of the ensemble) Won[15]
2012 Mabo BOFA Awards Best Actor Won[16]
2012 The Straits BOFA Awards Best Actor Won[17]
2013 Mabo AACTA Awards AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama Nominated[18]
2013 Mabo Logie Awards Silver Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actor Nominated[18]
2013 Mabo Equity Ensemble Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Telemovie or Miniseries Nominated[19]
2014 The Shadow King Helpmann Award Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play Nominated[5]
2017 National Dreamtime Awards Best Male Actor Nominated[20]

Film[21][edit]

Year Title Role Type
A Thin Black Line Voice Virtual reality film

Television[22][edit]

Year Title Role Type
2006 RAN: Remote Area Nurse Solomon Gaibui TV miniseries
2007 Beautiful Music Video short
2012 The Straits Marou Montebello TV series
2012 Mabo Koiki Eddie Mabo TV movie
2012 Redfern Now Peter Gibson TV series, 1 episode
2012 The People Speak Australia Priscilla Conway Film documentary
2015 Ready for This Nat Brockman TV series, 2 episodes
2016 Black Comedy Guest Cast TV series, episodes 2.3, 2.6

Theatre[6][23][24][edit]

Year Title Role Theatre Company Venue
A Dream Play Poet WAAPA
Three Sisters Chebutykin WAAPA
Stories from Suburban Road Tom WAAPA
The Winter's Tale Florizel WAAPA
The Country Remains Mr Sparkish WAAPA
Love & Human Remains Robert WAAPA
UnAustralia Mannie WAAPA
2008 Jandamarra Jandamarra Black Swan Theatre Company Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre
2008 Romeo and Juliet Tybalt & Friar Sydney Theatre Company Wharf 2
2008 Yibiyung Smiley Belvoir Malthouse Theatre
2010 The Sapphires Jimmy Black Swan Theatre Company / Belvoir Playhouse, Perth & Scott Theatre, Belvoir St Theatre
2011 Krakouer! Jimmy Deckchair Theatre Clocktower Centre
2013 Peter Pan John / Pirate / The Crocodile Belvoir Belvoir St Theatre
2013 The Dragon Lancelot Malthouse Theatre Merlyn Theatre
2013 Half and Half Ned Jute Theatre Company, Cairns Cairns Centre of Contemporary Arts
2015 Storm Boy Fingerbone Bill Sydney Theatre Company Wharf 1 Theatre, Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, Geelong Arts Centre, Canberra Theatre, Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, STCWA
2013-14 The Shadow King Edmund Malthouse Theatre Merlyn Theatre, Carriageworks, Heath Ledger Theatre, Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, Darwin Amphitheatre, Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts & Culture, Brisbane Powerhouse
2016 The Shadow King Edmund Malthouse Theatre Barbican Theatre, London
2016 Title and Deed The Traveller Belvoir Belvoir St Theatre
2017-18 My Name is Jimi Jimi Queensland Theatre Cairns Centre of Contemporary Arts, Bille Brown Theatre, Belvoir St Theatre, Fairfax Studio & Sydney Festival
2018 Hedda Ejlert Lovborg Queensland Theatre Bille Brown Theatre
2020 Othello Othello Queensland Theatre Cairns Indigenous Art Fair & Bille Brown Theatre
2022 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? George STCSA Dunstan Playhouse
2022 The Return Warrior Merlyn Theatre
2023 Every Brilliant Thing Narrator STCSA

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Jimi Bani Biography". Austlit. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Jimi Bani Is Eddie 'Koiki' Mabo". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  3. ^ Blake, Elissa (14 October 2016). "Jimi Bani is The Man in Title and Deed at Belvoir St". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  4. ^ "Blackfella Films dramatisation of the life of land rights activist Eddie Mabo managed just 554,000 viewers on ABC1". Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Past nominees and winners Theatre 2014". Helpmann Awards. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Jimi Bani". AusStage. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  7. ^ "My Name is Jimi". AusStage. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  8. ^ Sebag-Montefiore, Clarissa (11 January 2018). "My Name is Jimi review – Jimi Bani welcomes us to his tribe in rare gift of a show". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  9. ^ Mead, Rachael (30 January 2022). "Theatre review: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?". InDaily. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  10. ^ Bleby, Peter (2 February 2022). "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?". State Theatre Company of South Australia. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  11. ^ a b Blake, Gabi (7 September 2022). "'Othello is truly a dream role – no gammin!' Jimi Bani takes on the role of a lifetime". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  12. ^ Bergman, Gabi (6 September 2022). "Queensland Theatre breathes new life into Shakespeare's Othello in a new adaptation by Jimi Bani and Jason Klarwein, set in the Torres Strait during World War II". AussieTheatre.com. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  13. ^ https://creativerep.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/BANI-Jimi-CV-3.pdf
  14. ^ "Past nominees and winners 2009". Helpmann Awards. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  15. ^ a b c "2012 Deadly Awards". Deadlys. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  16. ^ https://creativerep.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/BANI-Jimi-CV-3.pdf
  17. ^ https://creativerep.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/BANI-Jimi-CV-3.pdf
  18. ^ a b "Jimi Bana Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  19. ^ "2013 3rd Equity Ensemble;e Awards". Equity Foundation. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  20. ^ https://creativerep.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/BANI-Jimi-CV-3.pdf
  21. ^ https://creativerep.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/BANI-Jimi-CV-3.pdf
  22. ^ "Jimi Bani Filmography". IMDb. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  23. ^ "Romeo and Juliet | STC By Brad Syke". Australian Stage. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  24. ^ https://creativerep.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/BANI-Jimi-CV-3.pdf
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