Entertainment

Famed Australian Indigenous Actor David Gulpilil Dies at 68

Published

4 years ago

November 30, 2021

David Gulpilil poses on the red carpet at the 2015 AFI AACTA Awards at the Star in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015. Gulpilil has died of lung cancer, a government leader said on Monday, Nov. 29, 2021. He was 68 years old. (Nikki Short/AAP Image via AP)

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s most acclaimed Indigenous actor, David Gulpilil, has died of lung cancer, a government leader said on Monday. He was 68 years old.

Gulpilil found his widest audiences with his roles in the 1986 hit film “Crocodile Dundee” and in director Baz Luhrmann’s 2008 epic “Australia” in a career that spanned five decades. He was often described as a bridge between Indigenous Australia and the outside world who never fit comfortably in either place.

“It is with deep sadness that I share with the people of South Australia the passing of an iconic, once-in-a-generation artist who shaped the history of Australian film and Aboriginal representation on screen,” South Australia state Premier Steven Marshall said.

An accomplished didgeridoo player, Gulpilil mixed with Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley. He was feted in New York and Paris. He also spent periods of his life as an itinerant drinking and sleeping in parks in the northern Australian city of Darwin and stints in prison for alcohol-fueled offenses.

Gulpilil was born on tribal land in the sparsely populated wilds of the Australian northern frontier in the early 1950s, his friend and caregiver Mary Hood said. His date of birth was recorded as July 1, 1953, a guesswork date set by local missionaries.

First contacts between Indigenous Australians and the outside world were becoming rare but continued in the remote Outback for another 30 years from the time of Gulpilil’s birth. Family groups followed in nomadic traditions unaware their land had been colonized by Britain two centuries earlier.

Gulpilil said he never saw a European Australian until he was 8 years old and considered English his sixth language, his biographer Derek Rielly wrote. The other 13 were Indigenous dialects. Gulpilil’s Christian name was foisted upon him at school.

Gulpilil was a 16-year-old ceremonial dancer performing in the Indigenous mission of Maningrida in 1969 when he met British director Nicolas Roeg, who was scouting for filming locations. Gulpilil starred in Roeg’s acclaimed 1971 movie “Walkabout” as a lone youth wandering the Outback as part of a tribal rite of passage, who comes across and rescues two lost British children. The British siblings were played by a teenage Jenny Agutter, who later found fame in Hollywood, and the director’s 7-year-old son, Lucien.

Roles followed in popular movies “Storm Boy” in 1976 and “The Last Wave” in 1977.

His final role was the remake of “Storm Boy” in 2019, in which he played the father of the central character in the original, Fingerbone Bill.

Gulpilil recalled learning to binge on alcohol and drugs from counter-culture icon Dennis Hopper, who played the starring role in the 1976 movie about a nineteenth-century Australian outlaw, “Mad Dog Morgan.” The 22-year-old Indigenous actor had third billing on the film after Hopper and Jack Thompson, a stalwart in Australian cinema.

Gulpilil won multiple best-actor awards for the 2002 Rolf de Herr-directed movie “The Tracker,” in which he played one of the many Indigenous men that Australian police routinely used as trackers of fugitives in the Outback.

Weeks before the movie was released, journalists visited him in the small Indigenous community of Ramingining on his crocodile-infested tropical tribal land. He was living in a hut with his then-partner, Indigenous painter Robyn Djunginy, without power or running water.

They cooked kangaroo meat and fish over an open fire beneath a scrap iron roof. Hunting spears were slung from a rafter and Gulpilil kept a wooden Indigenous fighting club known as a nulla nulla for self-protection.

“I was brought up in a tin shed. I wandered all over the world — Paris, New York — now I’m back in a tin shed,” Gulpilil said.

He presented himself as a victim of his own celebrity and his own people’s misunderstanding of his position in the wider world.

“People say to me: You’re a big name. You have money. Why don’t you buy yourself a house; get out of Ramingining?” he said.

“This is my country. I belong here, and I’m broke,” he added.

Exactly why he was broke was not clear. He was vague about how much he earned over the years, and wealth in Australian Indigenous society is communal, tending to permeate through relatives and friends.

Back then, Gulpilil liked to drink beer, smoke marijuana and take kava. But because all three were banned in Ramingining, he avoided some of the temptations of city life excesses.

Gulpilil’s friend and caregiver, Hood, first met him in 2006 at the Darwin premiere of “Ten Canoes,” the first feature-length movie in an Australian Indigenous language.

Gulpilil narrated the movie and his son, Jamie Gulpilil, was part of the cast that was mostly drawn from Ramingining.

“When I first met him, I saw a real kindness,” Hood said. She acknowledged there was also a “dark” side.

A Darwin judge sentenced Gulpilil in 2011 to a year in prison for breaking the arm of his then-partner, indigenous artist Miriam Ashley, during a drunken argument in a Darwin home. He used his time in prison to turn his life away from alcohol and cannabis.

Hood regularly visited Gulpilil in prison. He was released to live with her and, for a time, Ashley at Hood’s Darwin home while on parole. He eventually followed Hood to Murray Bridge in South Australia state, 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles) from Ramingining and his traditional country.

Hood became his caregiver after he was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer in 2017.

He is survived by his sisters Mary and Evonne, daughters Makia and Phoebe, and sons Jamie and Jida. Director Peter Weir said during an interview in New York in 1977 while promoting his supernatural thriller “The Last Wave” that Gulpilil had created untold personal tensions by straddling two disparate cultures.

“He’s enigmatic. He’s an actor, a dancer, a musician. He’s a tribal man, initiated in the tribal ways,” Weir said. “He has a foot in both cultures. It’s an enormous strain on the man.”

Entertainment

160+ Bands, 5 Stages: Welcome To Rockville Returns to Daytona International Speedway May 7–10 with Expanded Fan Experience

Published

2 days ago

April 15, 2026

Willie David

160+ Bands, 5 Stages: Welcome To Rockville Returns to Daytona International Speedway May 7–10 with Expanded Fan Experience

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (FNN) — Music set times have been released for the 15th anniversary of Welcome To Rockville, Florida’s largest rock, metal and punk festival, set for May 7–10, 2026 at Daytona International Speedway.

Produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, the four-day event will feature more than 160 bands performing across five stages, marking the festival’s largest lineup to date.

HEADLINERS AND DAILY LINEUP

This year’s festival will be headlined by Foo Fighters, My Chemical Romance, Guns N’ Roses and Bring Me The Horizon.

Thursday, May 7: Guns N’ Roses, Five Finger Death Punch, Godsmack, Staind
Friday, May 8: Foo Fighters, Turnstile, The Offspring, Parkway Drive
Saturday, May 9: Bring Me The Horizon, Breaking Benjamin, Motionless in White, Lamb of God
Sunday, May 10: My Chemical Romance, A Day To Remember, Rise Against, Yellowcard

FESTIVAL EXPANSION AND NEW FEATURES

Organizers announced several enhancements for 2026 aimed at improving the fan experience. A new “Pit Stop” fan zone near the Apex Stage will feature artist interviews, special performances and interactive experiences.

In addition, the Garage Stage will be fully tented for the first time, offering expanded shade coverage and upgraded production for attendees.

SPECIAL EVENTS AND EXPERIENCES

Festivalgoers can kick off the week with a pre-party on May 6 featuring performances by Fuel, Local H and others.

A new crossover event, “Blood4Blood,” will also take place at the Ocean Center, combining live music with bare-knuckle fighting, including a headline bout featuring Alex Terrible of Slaughter to Prevail.

TICKETS, ACCESS AND ATTENDANCE

Festival gates will open daily at 11:30 a.m. Organizers are offering a range of ticket options, including single-day, weekend, VIP and camping packages. A new Camp to Coast shuttle will provide transportation between the speedway and nearby beaches.

With expanded attractions, including rides, themed bars and interactive zones, Welcome To Rockville 2026 is expected to draw tens of thousands of fans to Daytona Beach, reinforcing its role as a major driver of Florida’s tourism and live entertainment economy.

Entertainment

Orlando International Fashion Week Partners with Orlando Fringe Festival for 35th Anniversary Avant-Garde Showcase

Published

5 days ago

April 12, 2026

FNN NEWS

Orlando International Fashion Week

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) — Orlando International Fashion Week (OIFW) has announced a new creative partnership with the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival as the festival celebrates its 35th anniversary this May.

As part of the collaboration, OIFW will present a special avant-garde fashion showcase on Saturday, May 16, 2026, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., during the two-week festival. The curated runway will feature bold, experimental designs that reflect Fringe’s spirit of artistic freedom, individuality and innovation.

PARTNERSHIP CELEBRATES CREATIVE COLLABORATION

Organizers say the partnership reflects a natural alignment between two nonprofit organizations committed to supporting artists and expanding access to creative spaces.

“Fringe and OIFW share a commitment to creating platforms where artists can take risks and express themselves freely,” said Rob Henlon, executive director and co-founder of OIFW. “This collaboration allows fashion to exist within a broader artistic conversation.”

John Payne-Rios, an OIFW advisory board member, added that the partnership strengthens Orlando’s creative ecosystem by bringing together fashion, theater and community engagement.

Festival organizers echoed that sentiment, noting the addition of fashion enhances the Outdoor Stage experience and introduces new artistic energy to the event.

DESIGNER CALL AND MODEL CASTING UNDERWAY

In conjunction with the partnership, OIFW has opened its designer registration call for creatives interested in participating in the Fringe showcase.

Designers are encouraged to submit collections that emphasize:

Avant-garde concepts
Artistic storytelling
Bold, experimental design

Models can also audition for both the Fringe showcase and upcoming OIFW runway shows. Casting calls are scheduled for April 12 and April 19 at CityArts Gallery in downtown Orlando from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The casting is open to ages 4 and up, with no prior experience required.

FRINGE FESTIVAL MARKS 35 YEARS OF ARTISTIC FREEDOM

For 35 years, the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival has provided an inclusive platform for artists to present original work in an unjuried and uncensored environment. The festival is the longest-running Fringe festival in the United States and returns 100% of ticket sales directly to artists.

Each May, the festival transforms Orlando into a hub of live performances, visual art, music and interactive experiences that celebrate diverse voices and creative expression.

What’s Next for OIFW?

The Fringe collaboration serves as a lead-in to OIFW’s signature summer event, Orlando International Fashion Week Presents: 626 Euphoria, scheduled for June 6, 2026, at the Winter Park Events Center.

Organizers say the upcoming season will continue to focus on:

Expanding fashion as a cultural platform
Strengthening cross-industry partnerships
Elevating emerging and diverse designers

Entertainment

Trick Daddy Threatens Tiffany Moore Russell Mayoral Race After AKA Show Shut Down

Published

1 week ago

April 9, 2026

Willie David

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) — A performance by Miami street legend rapper Trick Daddy ended abruptly Friday night during the 73rd South Atlantic Regional Conference of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated after event organizers said the artist ignored agreed-upon performance guidelines.

The incident, which occurred after the conference’s Step and Stroll competition, has sparked debate online about event vetting, audience expectations, and artistic responsibility.

The event was overseen by South Atlantic Regional Director Tiffany Moore Russell, who also serves as the elected Clerk of Courts for Orange County, Florida and is currently a candidate for Orange County mayor.

Conference Performance Ends Early

Conference attendees from across the South Atlantic region gathered in Orlando for the sorority’s five-day leadership and networking event.

Friday evening’s program featured step teams and strolling performances before transitioning to live entertainment. Organizers booked Trick Daddy, the Miami rapper known for hits including “Nann” and “Thug Matrimony,” to perform a curated list of songs.

However, the performance ended mid-set after organizers said the rapper used language and lyrics that violated previously discussed guidelines.

Russell addressed the incident in a statement distributed to conference attendees.

“We met several times with him and his team to detail our requirements, including attire, language, and specific songs,” Russell said. “Unfortunately, our requirements were ignored. The language, lyrics, and comments made by the artist were not acceptable. I ended the performance because of the disrespect for our organization and our brand.”

Trick Daddy’s performance during an Alpha Kappa Alpha conference was shut down early due to “disrespect for our organization and our brand” pic.twitter.com/AX8xsELyP4
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 4, 2026

Viral Video Fuels Online Debate

Videos posted on social media showed audience members reacting with surprise and discomfort during the performance.

In one clip, attendees could be seen leaving the room as the rapper used explicit language and interacted with the crowd in a manner some attendees described as inappropriate for the event.

The video quickly spread online, fueling debate over whether the performer or the event organizers were responsible for the mismatch between the artist and the audience.

Some critics argued the booking itself raised questions about vetting.

Questions About Booking and Vetting

The controversy has prompted broader discussion about event planning and audience expectations.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated is one of the nation’s oldest historically Black sororities, known for its emphasis on scholarship, leadership, and community service.

Critics on social media questioned why an artist known for explicit hip-hop lyrics was booked for a conference audience largely composed of professional women and long-time sorority members.

Supporters of the organizers say the issue was not the booking itself but whether the performer honored the agreed-upon content guidelines.

Russell emphasized that the step teams and conference participants represented “creativity, discipline, and excellence,” adding that she regretted the performance overshadowed their work.

Trick Daddy Responds: “They Booked Me, Trick Daddy Dollars” [VIDEO]

Following the incident, Trick Daddy posted a video response denying that he violated the agreement and accusing organizers of damaging his reputation.

Trick Daddy video responding to AKA Director statement telling her not to give him a playlist, this isn’t her wedding and not to defame his characte, according to the video.

the video further that he states that anybody in there that was saddity and sanctified should not have been in there once I grabbed the MF’in mic.

He also referenced Russell’s political ambitions, saying: “I heard you’re running for some type of office or something. I’ll get on you every day until you don’t win. Don’t play with me.”

The comments intensified the controversy as the incident shifted from a performance dispute to a potential political crisis for Russell’s Orange County mayoral campaign.

What Happens Next? Reputation, Politics and Public Reaction

For Trick Daddy, the dispute raises questions about how the controversy could affect his public image and performance bookings.

For Tiffany Moore Russell, the issue arrives as she prepares for a campaign for mayor in Orange County, Florida, potentially drawing political scrutiny to the situation.

Whether the rapper follows through on his pledge to publicly attrack Russell’s mayoral campaign remains unclear.

For now, the moment stands as a cautionary tale about entertainment programming at professional events—where audience expectations, artist identity, and brand reputation must align.