Pauline Clague
In the early 1900s, the circus was the world’s greatest entertainment and its performers were global celebrities. Among them was Con Colleano, the legendary “Wizard on the Wire”, whose family rose from humble beginnings in the Australian bush to become an international circus sensation.
Through remarkable home movies, rare archive footage and family testimonies, The Colleano Heart reveals how the family overcame discrimination and restrictive Australian laws, concealing their Indigenous heritage while reaching the highest levels of circus fame. Con Colleano dazzled fans as the renowned ‘wizard on the wire’, mingling with icons including Charlie Chaplin, at the most exclusive social sets of America and Europe, beguiling even the likes of Hitler and Mussolini.
As filmmaker Pauline Clague uncovers her personal connection to the story, alongside descendants and family historians, long-hidden secrets emerge. The film reveals the Colleanos as survivors of Australia’s Hidden Generation of Aboriginal people and celebrates the resilience of an extraordinary Aboriginal family whose legacy is finally being reclaimed. Supported by leading Indigenous and circus historians, The Colleano Heart offers a powerful portrait of family, identity and survival.
FILM DETAILS
Title: The Colleano Heart
Genre: Arts | Contemporary History
Language: English
Year of production: 2026
Country of production: Australia
Director: Pauline Clague
Pauline Clague is a Yaegl woman from Australia’s New South Wales North Coast, she has worked as a storyteller and producer in fi lm and TV for 25 years. Pauline is founder and Artistic Director of Winda Film Festival in Sydney, was the programmer for imagineNATIVE media+arts festival in Toronto and is co-creator of NativeSLAM, a 72-hour Indigenous fi lm challenge held at Maoriland Film Festival in Otaki and nativeSLAM the feature. Her roles include the Series Producer for ABC’s Message Stick from 2000-2004, the Indigenous training officer at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School from 2009 to 2013; and from 2013-15 she was the Commissioning Editor and Head of Internal Productions for NITV.
Producers: Kate Pappas, Bettina Dalton and Alan Erson
VISUAL FEEL
Festivals
International Premiere: Adelaide FF