Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

Titles curated by Romaine Moreton

156 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2 3 4 next

F (continued)

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.

Frontier: Stories from White Australia’s Forgotten War television program – 1996

This documentary is about the continuing war that erupted between white colonists and Indigenous peoples upon first contact.

G

Grange short film – 2005

Grange is an irreverent story of the extremes two young lawyers go to in order to get promoted in the corporate sector.

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

Harold documentary – 1994

A big man with a big voice. As the first Indigenous man to sing on national radio, Harold Blair carried huge responsibilities on his shoulders.

Harry’s War short film – 2000

Richard Frankland, writer and director of the short drama Harry’s War, is from the third generation of Indigenous men to have served in the Australian army.

How the West was Lost documentary – 1987

The strike of 1 May 1946 was the first major strike by Indigenous peoples. It took a significant organisational effort to bring unified opposition against the powerful pastoral industry.

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.

J

Jabiluka documentary – 1997

This film offers Indigenous, scientific and economic perspectives on the issue of mining uranium at Jabiluka.

Jedda feature film – 1955

Jedda (1955) is probably Charles Chauvel’s best film, as well as his last. It is historic both for being the first colour feature film made in Australia, but more importantly, because it is arguably the first Australian film to take the emotional lives of Aboriginal people seriously.

Jimmy Little’s Gentle Journey documentary – 2006

Jimmy Little’s softly softly style came under scrutiny during the heyday of 1970s Indigenous politics.

Jindabyne feature film – 2006

Jindabyne is based on a 20-year-old short story by American Raymond Carver, but it’s been so well adapted to the Australian milieu that it feels home-grown.

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

The Last of the Nomads documentary – 1997

A feature-length documentary about an expedition to find the last suriving nomadic couple, who broke tribal marriage laws and fled into the Gibson desert.

The Last Wave feature film – 1977

As the weather gets worse, tax lawyer David Burton has a premonition of disaster, in which he is to play a key role.

Living Country documentary – 2005

The federal government’s 2005 proposal to dump nuclear waste 'in the middle of nowhere’ is impossible, given that the whole of Australia is ‘somewhere’.

Lousy Little Sixpence documentary – 1983

Lousy Little Sixpence highlights the injustice of withheld wages, and the fight for rightful payment to be made to Indigenous peoples.

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.

Message Stick – Wayne’s World television program – 2005

Indigenous actor and filmmaker Wayne Blair offers insights into his craft and recounts experiences from his career.

Mimi short film – 2002

Warwick Thornton’s satirical short film stars Sophie Lee and Aaron Pedersen and pokes fun at white art collectors who purchase Indigenous art purely for its investment value.

Mimi: An Evening with the Aboriginal Dance Theatre documentary – 1988

NAISDA led to the emergence of the Bangarra Dance Theatre and produced artists such as Christine Anu and Stephen Page.

Minymaku Way: There’s Only One Women’s Council documentary – 2000

Minymaku Way challenges views of Aboriginal community dependence on outside bureaucracy.

Moodeitj Yorgas documentary – 1988

Moffatt’s work, influenced by cinema and pop culture, probes misconceptions about Aboriginality and explores gender, sexuality and identity.

Mparntwe Sacred Sites documentary – 2004

This documentary about Mparntwe (Alice Springs) provides a history of the region and the journey of the ancestral beings that gave Mparntwe its form.

My Brother Vinnie documentary – 2006

When Vinnie made actor Aaron Pedersen his carer, he saw something in Aaron that Aaron himself could not understand.

My Country documentary – 1994

My Country is about the impact of the Native Title Act on relationships between Indigenous peoples and pastoralists.

My Mother’s Country Part 1 documentary – 2001

Oral history is an important feature of Indigenous culture. The stories told by family members give the Coniston massacre of 1928 a human face.

My Mother’s Country Part 2 documentary – 2001

Japanangka’s act of retaliation for the theft of his wife sparked one of the last-known massacres of Aboriginal people in Australian history.

My Survival as an Aboriginal documentary – 1978

The first documentary directed by an Indigenous woman offers a solution by way of continuing cultural practice.

N

Narbalek documentary – 2001

Narbalek is one of more than 100 documentaries made in the Nganampa Anwernekenhe Series, designed primarily for Indigenous audiences.

Nice Coloured Girls short film – 1987

The tongue-in-cheek title of Tracey Moffatt’s first film positions Aboriginal women as naïve and 'nice’ but these are merely roles played by the women.

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