Indigenous documentary
85 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2 next
Factual representation of Indigenous people and culture by Indigenous people.
A
Agnes Abbott: Hard Worker documentary – 2006
An Eastern Arrernte woman’s journey from mustering cattle to performing at the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Alyawarre Country documentary – 2001
For decades there was awful conflict between pastoralists and Indigenous people; two elders share their perspective, in their language.
The Art of Healing documentary – 2005
Indigenous artists have given biblical texts a unique interpretation on the walls of a church near Alice Springs.
Art + Soul documentary – 2010
Senior art curator Hetti Perkins travels across Australia to meet leading Aboriginal artists and talk about their works within an Aboriginal cultural context.
Aunty Connie documentary – 2006
Narration by Deborah Mailman reading from Connie’s life story told in her book, When You Grow Up is skillfully blended with Connie speaking to camera.
B
Benny and the Dreamers documentary – 1992
Freddy West Tjakamarra, a member of the Pintubi people, thought that tinned food contained human flesh.
Beyond Sorry documentary – 2003
The filmmakers get to the heart of the consequence of child removal, yet tell a story that is painfully humane, and never compromising the humanity and beauty of its subjects.
Big Girls Don’t Cry documentary – 2002
This is about Indigenous women living with renal disease, and their strength pulls at the heart strings.
Black and Dusty documentary – 2005
This is a film for those addicted to speed and dust. Filmmaker Warwick Thornton is one of the Indigenous participants in the 2005 Finke Desert Race from Alice Springs.
Blood Brothers – Freedom Ride documentary – 1993
This documentary about Indigenous campaigner Charlie Perkins was made by his daughter Rachel, giving it extra intimacy.
Bungalung: A Dreaming of Cannibals documentary – 2007
A dramatised documentary about an ancient ghost story told by two Anmatjere elders to a group of children.
Bush Toys documentary – 2008
A group of boys from the Titjikala community maintain the desert tradition of making miniatures or ‘bush toys’ from materials found in the environment.
C
Cheeky Dog documentary – 2006
Dion is profoundly deaf and has muscular dystrophy but his love of dogs and his carer’s love have transformed him.
Cool Drink and Culture documentary – 2006
These three young women are passionate about passing on their knowledge of bush tucker to the Amunturrngu community’s children.
Crook Hat and Camphoo documentary – 2005
This is an episode of the important Nganampa Anwernekenhe TV series that aims to preserve indigenous language and culture.
D
Deadly Yarns 3 – Who Paintin’ Dis Wandjina? short film – 2007
When a Perth artist uses traditional iconography as graffiti, the traditional owners are not impressed.
Deadly Yarns – Don’t Say Sorry short film – 2004
In this short documentary Christine Jacobs describes how she overcame the pain of being a child of the stolen generations.
Deadly Yarns – Sugar Bag short film – 2004
A story of love and endurance about an Aboriginal child fathered by a white man and hunted down by police troopers.
Desert Tracks short film – 1997
Desert Tracks – a business established without government funding – is a community’s attempt to sustain itself culturally and an important initiative for self-determination.
Dog Dreaming documentary – 2001
Dog Dreaming is a documentary about the journey of two ancestral dogs that became a Dreaming story.
Dugong Dugong documentary – 1980
Depending on the individual viewer’s attitude, scenes of dugong hunting can be exhilarating or disturbing.
F
First Australians – Episode 1, They Have Come to Stay documentary – 2008
The opening episode of this landmark television series explores the first contact, meetings and relationships between the British and the first Australians.
First Australians – Episode 2, Her Will to Survive documentary – 2008
This episode covers the period from 1825–60 and European settlement in Tasmania, told through the stories of Truganini and George Augustus Robinson.
First Australians – Episode 3, Freedom For Our Lifetime documentary – 2008
Episode 3 focuses on the first Australians of Victoria and the lives of Simon Wonga and William Barack.
First Australians – Episode 4, No Other Law documentary – 2008
This episode examines the coming of the telegraph pole and white settlement to Central Australia.
First Australians – Episode 5, Unhealthy Government Experiment documentary – 2008
This episode explores the lives of Jandamarra, an Aboriginal stockman, and Gladys Gillian, an institutionalised half-caste.
First Australians – Episode 6, A Fair Deal for a Dark Race documentary – 2008
Episode 6 of First Australians explores Indigenous history from 1930–67, primarily in the south-eastern regions of Australia.
First Australians – Episode 7, We Are No Longer Shadows documentary – 2008
The final episode of First Australians covers the period 1967–93 and Eddie Mabo’s fight for land rights.
Footy The La Perouse Way documentary – 2006
Sydney’s La Perouse had an all-black football team in the 1930s but all nationalities were being welcomed by the 1950s.
The Foundation 1963–1977 documentary – 2002
Excluded from the census until 1967, Indigenous Australians formed The Foundation for Aboriginal Affairs in 1963, to agitate for political and social change.
G
Gulpilil: One Red Blood documentary – 2002
David Gulpilil continues to be a person – culturally and creatively – of incredible artistic significance to Indigenous peoples and Australian society alike.
I
Island Fettlers documentary – 2006
In the 1960s, Torres Strait Islander men moved to the Pilbara for work and stayed on. Island Fettlers starkly contrasts two cultures – visually, physically and aurally.
K
Karli Jalangu – Boomerang Today documentary – 2004
The making of the number seven boomerang is not a hurried process, but measured and multifaceted. Every step of the procedure has meaning.
L
Loved Up – Endangered documentary – 2005
While parts of Endangered have a light, Sex and the City feel to them, the undertones are serious and speak of cultural responsibility.
Loved Up – Lore of Love documentary – 2005
This film about people in love is a refreshing break from the usual heavy-handed anthropological treatment of Indigenous subjects.
Loved Up – Our Bush Wedding documentary – 2005
This documentary is about the wedding of artist Gordon Syron and photographer Elaine Pelot-Kitchener. Gordon went to jail for killing a man to protect his family’s country.
Loved Up – The Dream of Love documentary – 2005
Do blackfellas love the same way as everyone else?’ One of four films in this series which engages with themes of Indigenous love, family and identity.
Loved Up – Yellow Fella documentary – 2005
Tommy E Lewis, Indigenous star of the stage and screen, identifies as a 'yellow fella’ – both black and white.
M
Marn Grook documentary – 1996
'Marn Grook’ is the Indigenous name of a game very similar to AFL. This revealing documentary contends that AFL is in fact derived from Marn Grook.
Merrepen documentary – 2005
Women from the Nauiya community 'are painting our stories and making things’ to practise cultural knowledge and pass on and preserve traditions.
Message Stick – Arafura Pearl television program – 2003
This is a snapshot of the Mills family, a respected family in the Darwin area. Kathleen is an Indigenous Elder, mother of eight, musician and singer.
Message Stick – Babinda Boulders television program – 2005
The story of the Devils Pool, recounted by Yidinji elder Annie Wonga, is an ancient love story. Young men fall victim to a waterhole where the spirit of a woman dwells.
Message Stick – Bill’s Wake television program – 2001
Bill Neidjie, a traditional owner of Kakadu, had a wake while he was alive, rather than waiting until his death, to hear what people wanted to say about him.
Message Stick – Black Olive television program – 2005
As a chef, Mark Olive has developed dishes that use Indigenous knowledge of fauna and flora and food preparation that complements the Australian landscape.
Message Stick – Child Artists of Carrolup television program – 2003
This episode provides another perspective on the child removal policies and how the government of the day had specific designs on how half-caste children would occupy a place in society.
Message Stick – Koori Court television program – 2005
The Koori Court in Victoria was set up to reduce high imprisonment rates by combining Aboriginal beliefs with the white legal system.
Message Stick – Kurtal: Snake Spirit television program – 2002
A beautiful story about Kurtal, an ancestor and Dreaming song, and the Elder Spider, whose responsibility it is to perform the dance as well as pass it on.
Message Stick – Scotty Martin, Rodeo Boy, Don’t Say Sorry television program – 2005
A story about songman Scotty Martin, who inherited the role of composer of songs, a repository of knowledge passed from generation to generation.
Message Stick – The Long-grassers television program – 2005
An exposé on the homeless Aboriginal people of Darwin, known as 'long-grassers’. Deals with both the compassion and the bigotry they evoke by their mere presence.
Message Stick – Wathaurong Glass television program – 2003
Wathaurong Glass is an initiative that not only creates a new way of expressing Aboriginal art, but also provides a service to the community from which it comes.
