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Nice Coloured Girls (1987)

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Captains

This clip chosen to be PG

Clip description

An intoxicated man sways before the camera. Three Aboriginal women walk into a games parlour in seedy Kings Cross. They sit at a table and check out the other patrons. Subtitles tell us about 'Captains’ – men who can be tricked into paying for their night out. A drunken white man approaches the women and eventually takes a seat at their table, offering them cigarettes.

Curator’s notes

In this opening sequence of Nice Coloured Girls, Tracey Moffatt introduces the audience to the concept of 'Captains’, the men who are picked up by the three Indigenous women to fund their night out. Moffatt contextualises this sexual relationship by providing an historical insight into how Indigenous women were perceived by British men during the early colonisation of Australia. Rather than being depicted as victims, Moffatt shows how the women who knowingly exploit the men who desire their company reverse a potentially powerless position.

This clip uses footage of Kings Cross nightlife, subtitles and a painting that serves as a metaphor for the sexual relationship between white men and Indigenous women. Dialogue is largely absent, providing a space that Moffatt maximises to inform this short film with a history that – at the time of making the film – was strictly taboo and, some may argue, still is.

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australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

All materials on the site, including but not limited to text, video clips, audio clips, designs, logos, illustrations and still images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia and international conventions.

When you access australianscreen you agree that:

  • You may retrieve materials for information only.
  • You may download materials for your personal use or for non-commercial educational purposes, but you must not publish them elsewhere or redistribute clips in any way.
  • You may embed the clip for non-commercial educational purposes including for use on a school intranet site or a school resource catalogue.
  • The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.

All other rights reserved.

ANY UNAUTHORISED USE OF MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY RESULT IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY.

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