Indigenous drama
63 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2 next
Dramas written and directed by Indigenous people.
1980s
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.
Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy short film – 1989
Tracey Moffatt continues to challenge the social construction of Aboriginality and how it is viewed nationally and internationally. Night Cries is a possible sequel to Jedda.
1990s
BeDevil feature film – 1993
Tracey Moffatt, who is best known as an artist, challenged Western storytelling traditions in Bedevil and polarised critics.
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 – 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 – 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.
Shifting Sands – Promise short film – 1997
This is essentially a love story told in the absence of the love interest – grandfather – that resonates as one of those moments that are a cherished memory.
Shifting Sands – Tears short film – 1997
Tears introduces the two main characters from Ivan Sen’s feature film Beneath Clouds, and also presents the elements that shape his later feature.
Shifting Sands – Grace short film – 1998
This short drama from Wesley Enoch depicts the emotional journey of an Indigenous woman back to Australia for the funeral of her sister.
Shifting Sands – My Bed Your Bed short film – 1998
This short romantic drama from Erica Glynn uses the power of silence to communicate the tension between two characters who have been promised to each other.
Shifting Sands – Passing Through short film – 1998
A directorial debut from filmmaker and celebrity chef Mark Olive, Passing Through weaves myth and legend to tell an Indigenous-flavoured ghost story.
Saturday Night, Sunday Morning short film – 1999
The film offers few answers or a resolution and presents a possibility of characters trapped in an experience from which all are seeking liberation.
Wind short film – 1999
The story of a black tracker – an Indigenous man employed by whites to hunt fellow Indigenous people – and a man with loyalties divided between two cultures.
2000s
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.
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.
My Mother My Son short film – 2000
The pain experienced by three generations of a family as the cycle of separation of mother from child repeats itself.
Road short film – 2000
A film that emphasises the strangeness of the city, where a black fella has a hard time getting a cab, and more often than not, anything can happen.
One Night the Moon feature film – 2001
One Night the Moon, from director Rachel Perkins, reintroduces song into the Australian landscape. For Indigenous peoples, song has been one of the central means of land management.
Redfern Beach short film – 2001
Redfern Beach is a love story between two people from different cultural backgrounds, set in a fish-processing factory.
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.
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.
Cold Turkey short feature – 2002
This short feature is told in a series of flashbacks and flashforwards because the lead character suffers from blackouts.
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.
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.
Shit Skin short film – 2002
This beautiful short drama tells of a young man who takes his grandmother back to the place of her childhood to reconnect with her surviving family.
Snake Dreaming short film – 2002
A short drama written and performed by Indigenous children about the Stolen Generations. It won Best Indigenous Film at the Alice Springs Youth Festival in 2002.
Turn Around short film – 2002
Director Samantha Saunders refers to her film as a 'girl fantasy’ and it is refreshing to have an all-Indigenous cast in a romantic comedy.
Queen of Hearts short feature – 2003
Framed by Indigenous relationships to place, Queen of Hearts offers the audience the chance to see the land through the eyes of people to whom the land is of great significance.
Deadly Yarns – Ganggu Mama short film – 2004
In this short film, Ganggu Mama guides his nephew towards his culture and out of trouble.
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.
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.
Plains Empty short film – 2005
Plains Empty functions as a metaphor for the whole Australian landscape, where the living characters are beset by the spirits of the past, and at no time is the past truly absent.
Sa Black Thing short film – 2005
This romantic comedy explores the role that cultural values play in the romance between two Indigenous characters.
Deadly Yarns 2 – Adrift short film – 2006
In this short film a boy responds to the healing power of the natural environment, Aboriginal cultural practices and family.
Deadly Yarns 2 – Frankie’s Story short film – 2006
A young boy excluded from a school trip to the fire station brings the fire trucks to him.
Bit of Black Business – Back Seat short film – 2007
One day seen through the eyes of 12-year-old Janine, who is meeting her biological family for the first time.
Bit of Black Business – Bloodlines short film – 2007
Josh is putting off making a difficult phone call. His procrastination is interrupted by voices from his past.
Bit of Black Business – Custard short film – 2007
A young woman’s grandfather has died. She returns to Stradbroke Island to comfort her grandmother and discover the truth about her grandfather’s death.
Bit of Black Business – Days Like These short film – 2007
Days Like These is a day in the life of Dan, a young Aboriginal man trying to get ahead – but it seems the odds are stacked against him.
Bit of Black Business – Done Dirt Cheap short film – 2007
A tourist overhears two miners talking with Amos, a gold prospector. He buys a nugget from Amos that’s worth a lot less than he bargained for.
Bit of Black Business – Hush short film – 2007
Ethel’s daughter thinks her mum and Mary get together to play cards. She’s shocked to discover they’ve found an unexpected new way of supplementing their pensions.
Bit of Black Business – Jackie Jackie short film – 2007
Inspired by a dream, Jackie Jackie is reminiscent of Strictly Ballroom (1992) and Tracey Moffatt’s BeDevil (1993) in its stylised kitsch.
Bit of Black Business – Kwatye short film – 2007
Filmed in Alice Springs and inspired by a true story, Kwatye is a humorous lesson in being careful about what you say in front of the children.
Bit of Black Business – Nana short film – 2007
This short film from Warwick Thornton is a humorous portrait of an all-rounder told from the perspective of her adoring granddaughter.
Bit of Black Business – Sharpeye short film – 2007
An 11-year-old boy’s sharp eyes help thwart an invasion exercise by elite Special Forces soldiers in the Torres Strait.
Bit of Black Business – The Turtle short film – 2007
Jason’s mother sends him to a small coastal town to keep him out of trouble. But it takes a turtle hunt with his grandfather to bring Jason out of his shell.
Bit of Black Business – Too Late short film – 2007
Ben arrives home late to find his wife not talking to him and his son ignoring him. His pleas for forgiveness are ignored, and he uncovers a shocking truth.
