Indigenous Film & Television
99 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2 next
Film and television titles written and directed by an Indigenous person.
A
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.
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
BeDevil feature film – 1993
Tracey Moffatt, who is best known as an artist, challenged Western storytelling traditions in Bedevil and polarised critics.
Beneath Clouds feature film – 2002
While the narrative devices that director Ivan Sen uses to communicate his themes are firmly located within Indigenous sensibility and cultural perspective, the subject matter is universal.
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.
Black Talk short film – 2002
Wayne Blair fits a lot into 12 minutes of drama, weaving Indigenous language through the dialogue and exploring spiritual aspects of Indigenous culture and community.
Blood Brothers – Freedom Ride documentary – 1993
This documentary about Indigenous campaigner Charlie Perkins was made by his daughter Rachel, giving it extra intimacy.
Bush Tucker is Everywhere documentary – c1987
As intended, this production both records Indigenous women gathering food for their families and teaches others the skills.
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.
Confessions of a Headhunter short film – 2000
Based on a short story by Archie Weller, this short drama speaks about the conflict between the Indigenous people of the Perth area and colonial culture.
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
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.
The Djarn Djarns short film – 2005
The Djarn Djarns is a comedy-drama very much suited for young people. It is a dance film with a sports feel, so culture and sport are not in competition.
Dog Dreaming documentary – 2001
Dog Dreaming is a documentary about the journey of two ancestral dogs that became a Dreaming story.
Double Trouble – Episode 1 television program – 2007
Double Trouble is in the vein of Parent Trap, but with an Australian spin. It is an entertaining children’s program that offers insights into the lives of young people living in the Alice.
Double Trouble – Episode 4 television program – 2007
Double Trouble allows a cultural exchange to happen for the audience as well as the characters, as we follow the adventures of twin sisters who are both 'fish out of water’.
Double Trouble – Episode 7 television program – 2007
Double Trouble has entertaining and likeable characters and boasts an experienced cast. It also wonderfully captures an Indigenous sensibility and humour.
Dugong Dugong documentary – 1980
Depending on the individual viewer’s attitude, scenes of dugong hunting can be exhilarating or disturbing.
F
Flat short film – 2002
A short drama about the day in a life of a young teenager. Marnie lives in a housing commission estate and captures Alice Springs through a video camera given to her by her mostly absent father.
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, Indignous Australains formed The Foundation for Aboriginal Affairs in 1963, to agitate for political and social change.
From Sand to Celluloid – Black Man Down short film – 1996
This short experimental drama offers a spiritual alternative to fighting the system. To overcome injustice, return to your spiritual roots for healing to take place.
From Sand to Celluloid – No Way to Forget short film – 1996
Writer-director Richard J Frankland drew on his experience as a field officer for the Royal Commission into Deaths in Custody to compose this story.
From Sand to Celluloid – Payback short film – 1996
Payback, a black-and-white short about the Western and Indigenous legal systems, is one of Warwick Thornton’s earliest dramatic works.
From Sand to Celluloid – Round Up short film – 1995
Round Up is a lighthearted short drama that deals with the cultural clash between a white stockman and an Indigenous stockman.
From Sand to Celluloid – Two Bob Mermaid short film – 1996
In this visually stunning short film set in the 1950s, a fair-skinned Aboriginal girl gains access to the local swimming pool where Aboriginal people are legally denied access.
G
Green Bush short film – 2005
Warwick Thornton began his film career as a cinematographer and moved into directing and writing. In Green Bush, his visual aesthetic complements his storytelling strengths.
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.
H
Harry’s War short film – 2000
Richard Frankland, writer and director of the short drama Harry’s War, is from the fourth generation of Indigenous men to have served in the Australian army.
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.
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.
