Much has been written about Paul Cox since his death over the weekend, and rightly so. His death has provoked an outpouring of grief, fond reminiscence and profound respect across the globe.
Prolific and forensically personal, he will be remembered as having shaped arthouse cinema – both its production and appreciation – in Australia. His sense of social conscience is an underlying theme that is seen in all his work.
A recognised photographer, the twenty-five year-old Paul Cox made his first short film in 1965 (Matuta: An Early Morning Fantasy) just after his arrival in Australia from The Netherlands. Over the next five decades, he made around 50 films which included shorts, documentary, features and television material.
His photography has been celebrated in numerous books and exhibitions. His love of art and music is well documented. He published Reflections: An Autobiographical Journey in 1998 and wrote a memoir, Tales of the Cancer Ward (2011), which detailed his own very personal experience with illness.
