For the Term of His Natural Life (1927), with hybrid soundtrack by Lori
Experience one of Australia’s greatest silent films, newly restored on the Big Screen, with an immersive new soundscape by local DJ LORI, blending pre-recorded and live sounds.
Presented as part of our series of Silent Cinema with Live Scores, see Norman Dawn’s 1927 masterpiece of Australian silent cinema, starring Eva Novak and George Fisher.
Set in the the penal colonies of early colonial Australia and filmed in multiple Australian locations including Port Arthur and the convict-built Berrima Gaol in NSW, For the Term of His Natural Life was the most expensive Australian silent film of its time.
Melbourne-based DJ LORI reimagines this landmark of Australian cinema through an immersive soundscape blending pre-recorded and live sounds – featuring unreleased and demo works by local artists, her own vocals and layered effects – creating a contemporary, atmospheric response to this enduring story of resilience and survival.
The deckchairs will be out, or you can BYO picnic rug – and bring along a film or music-loving friend to share this very special Big Screen and live music experience.
Presented by Fed Square with support from Insite Arts, as part of Open Air at the Square.
LORI is a Melbourne-based vocalist, DJ and producer with a lifelong fascination for songs and the stories they tell. Her career spans live performance, DJing, curation, event production, radio and education.
She has collaborated with artists including Hiatus Kaiyote, Baro, Silentjay and Remi, and featured on releases for Touching Bass and Theo Parrish’s Sound Signature label. You might catch her behind the decks on Skylab Radio or NTS, or curating events with Crown Ruler.
Blurring genre boundaries, LORI continues to explore soulful melodies, rare grooves and unexpected sounds – always searching for new ways to connect through music.
Dir. Norman Dawn | 1927 | 102 minutes | Australia | English | Classification: G
Based on the 1874 novel by Marcus Clarke, For the Term of His Natural Life was directed, produced and co-written by American director Norman Dawn.
Set in the brutal penal colonies of early colonial Australia, the film follows Rufus Dawes, a man wrongly convicted of murder and sent to Van Diemen’s Land on a convict ship, as he endures years of hardship and injustice in a quest for redemption and freedom.
The film was completely restored by the National Film and Sound Archive in 2024–2025.