Magical win for Broome doco maker

A local filmmaker has won big on the national stage for his contribution to an Australian-produced documentary series.

Paul Bell recently accepted the AACTA Award for best cinematography in a documentary for the first episode of Magical Land of Oz alongside Dan Proud and Jon Shaw.

Narrated by Barry Humphries, Magical Land of Oz was a continent-wide series that explored the Australian landscape and revealed the challenges animals must navigate in a land of extremes and human-induced changes.

Bell said it felt amazing to win such a prestigious award, especially as a cinematographer from Broome beating his city-based contemporaries.

“To have that kind of recognition is pretty special,” he said.

“I was a small part of a big team as one of many cinematographers that worked on Magical Land of Oz but it’s nice to have your name up there.”

He said the win also proved people didn’t have to be based in a big city to be recognised.

“It certainly shows that if you stick to your guns, you can find other ways to be involved in big projects like Magical Land of Oz without having to move away to a city like Melbourne or Sydney,” he said.

“You can really build up your craft and get to know the area if you stay in the regions so some people might see you as a bit of a specialist.”