Indigenous documentary
85 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2
Factual representation of Indigenous people and culture by Indigenous people.
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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: 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.
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 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.
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Narbalek documentary – 2001
Narbalek is one of more than 100 documentaries made in the Nganampa Anwernekenhe Series, designed primarily for Indigenous audiences.
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The Old Man and the Inland Sea documentary – 2005
Warwick Thornton’s documentary about a 'noodler’ on the mining fields of Coober Pedy and the sense of community he shared with Indigenous people whilst doing this work.
One People Sing Freedom television program – 1988
One People Sing Freedom documents the largest gathering of Indigenous people since 1788, a protest march against the Bicentennial celebrations of 26 January 1988.
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Pioneers of Love documentary – 2005
The relationship between a Russian immigrant and a Ngadjonji woman in the late 1800s was considered an act of immorality.
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River of No Return documentary – 2008
A thought-provoking film that explores the issues involved in living a traditional lifestyle while trying to gain access to the larger, dominant society.
Rosie documentary – 2004
Rosie, a member of the Stolen Generations, started to search for her parents because ‘part of me was still missing’.
Rydin’ Time documentary – 2005
This documentary about three Indigenous rodeo riders at the 2005 Mt Isa Rodeo has an energetic soundtrack that creates a youthful, lively narrative true to its subjects.
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Sammy Butcher, Out of the Shadows documentary – 2004
Musician Sammy Butcher played with the Warumpi Band and now invests his energy in young musicians in his community of Papunya.
Shifting Shelter 3 documentary – 2005
Shot over a ten-year period, and reminiscent of the British 7 Up series, Shifting Shelter follows four Indigenous teens into young adulthood.
Smoking the Baby documentary – 2001
Smoking the Baby demonstrates an Indigenous ritual that helps children and mothers fend off illness.
Stolen Generations documentary – 2000
Describes the destruction of the familial, cultural and social fabric of Indigenous communities following the removal of children form Indigenous families.
Sunset to Sunrise (ingwartentyele – arrerlkeme) documentary – 2006
A yarn told by Rupert Max Stuart, an Arrernte and Mu-tujulu Elder, encapsualing his philosophies about passing culture on and keeping it alive.
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Teddy Briscoe documentary – 2000
Indigenous stockman Teddy Briscoe, now an old man, tells his story, sharing the historical importance of men like him to the Australian cattle industry.
Time Bomb documentary – 2003
A time bomb’ is how Frank Djara, a diabetic and the first male health worker in Areyonga, refers to living with diabetes.
Tnorala: Baby Falling documentary – 2007
An ancient central Australian dreaming story about the formation of a large meteorite crater in the Northern Territory.
Tombstone Unveiling documentary – 2000
In Torres Strait Islander culture, unveiling the tombstone of the deceased a year after death marks the end of the mourning period.
Trespass documentary – 2002
Trespass revisits the Mirarr people’s fight against the uranium mines in Jabiluka. Yvonne Margarula is arrested for walking on her own land.
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Us Deadly Mob documentary – 2005
A 'surf family story’ featuring Amber Mercy, who describes Indigenous surfing competitions as ‘sharing waves and laughing’.
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Vanish documentary – 1998
Ivan Sen’s Vanish explores the history of the Gamilaroi people being moved onto Toomelah Reserve.
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A Walk with Words: The Poetry of Romaine Moreton short film – 2000
This short biographical film showcases the life and poetry of performance artist Romaine Moreton and her struggles to gain freedom.
Warlpiri documentary – 1993
Elders teach children how to collect and prepare bush potato – a bush tucker favourite.
Warren H Williams, the stories, the songs documentary – 2004
Inspired by his musical family, Arrernte musician Warren H Williams became a singer-songwriter himself.
Whispering in Our Hearts documentary – 2001
Remembering those who were murdered in the 1918 massacre of Aboriginal people at Mowla Bluff is very much to do with healing.
Willaberta Jack documentary – 2007
Willaberta Jack and Harry Henty on the record, recalling an incident that occurred almost a century ago.
Willigan’s Fitzroy documentary – 2000
In the film’s introduction we hear the director talking with Willigan as they drive through the country in a four-wheel drive vehicle, setting up a style Thornton uses throughout the film.
Wirriya: Small Boy documentary – 2004
A warm account of family narrated by eight-year-old Ricco, who lives with his foster mother in an Indigenous Australian town camp near Alice Springs.
Wrap Me Up in Paperbark documentary – 1999
At the heart of this documentary is the struggle to reclaim a mother’s remains and return her to the country and people from whom she was taken.
