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From Sand to Celluloid – Black Man Down (1996)

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Drowning the sorrow

This clip chosen to be G

Clip description

A young boy lays unconscious on the sand. He is helped to his feet by his mother (Roslyn Trillot-Watson) and father (Ted Hopkins). A white woman (Jo-Anna Lawson) takes young Waxy (Jarred Wall) by the hand, and leads him towards the city skyline of Brisbane. A Warrior (Jeffrey Locke) done up in traditional dress empties two flagons of wine over the heads of the man and woman who drink thirstily. Waxy runs from the white woman back towards his parents but slams into a wall. Back in the present Waxy falls against the wall and then to the floor of the jail. A police officer (Karen Crone) and a priest (Andrew Booth) talk about Waxy. A spirit woman watches the goings on.

Curator’s notes

by Romaine Moreton

A somewhat experimental narrative written by Indigenous writer Sam Watson, who says the city skyline represents death and destruction, and the Bora Ring the doorway to life. Watson’s narrative relies heavily on symbolism to convey meaning within this film.

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  • 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.

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