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First Nations (6/14)
Films about the First Nations peoples of Australia and the Torres Strait Islands, including many films by First Nations filmmakers. Stories range across issues relating to identity and the diversity of histories and cultures both before and after the arrival of Captain Cook, including the "Stolen Generations," art, anthropology, archaeology and politics,
INTERVENTION: Stories from the Inside
2009 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 46 min
An incisive inside look at the historic Intervention by the Federal Government in Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, made with the participation of Alice Springs town-campers. more
ISLAND OF LIES
1991 (G) 56 min
When Eliza Fraser was shipwrecked on Fraser Island in 1836, there were up to 3000 Aboriginal people living there — by 1905, there were perhaps a dozen left. Filmmaker Gillian Coote follows the route of early settlers north out of Sydney to Fraser Island to uncover the lies and secrets of Australia's settlement. more
IT'S A LONG ROAD BACK [from the AIATSIS Collection]
1981 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 13 min
The story of one woman's struggle to regain her Aboriginality more
JABIRU 0886: TRESPASS [from the CAAMA Collection]
2002 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 26 min
The story of Yvonne Margarula and the resistance of the Mirarr people to the loss of their land and their heritage because of mining operations in the Kakadu area. more
JAPARTA - a Journey to the Gurindji Way
2025 (G) 100 min
The story of a Japanese scholar, Minoru Hokari, who, before his death in 2004 at the age of 32, achieved work which today commands an ever-widening audience. It is a story of cross-cultural understanding, how Gurindji Elders in the Northern Territory tasked Minoru to relay stories from their culture to a wider world. A... more
JARLMADANGAH: Our Dream Our Reality [from the CAAMA Collection]
2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 25 min
Welcome to Jarlmadangah – where we go well off the beaten track! Situated in the West Kimberleys, Jarlmadangah is a remote community often hailed as 'a model' for its many social and cultural achievements. more
JOURNEY WEST (BUWARRALA ARYAH)
2019 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min
In the Gulf of Carpentaria in northern Australia, Aboriginal Elders lead their community on a traditional walk across Country to re-connect children and youth to their culture. more
JUPURRURLA - MAN OF MEDIA (from the CAAMA Collection)
2019 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 28 min
A portrait of Warlpiri Elder and Lawman, Francis Jupurrurla Kelly – a pioneer of Indigenous filmmaking in central Australia. more
KABBARLI
2003 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 50 min
KABBARLI explores the extraordinary life of Daisy Bates and her passionate involvement with Australian Aborigines. The film interweaves fiction and biography, history and memory to explore Daisy Bates' life - a dramatic map of the colonial imagination, and a portrait of a remarkable and wily old woman. more
KARLU KARLU: Devil's Marbles [from the CAAMA Collection]
2009 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 21 min
Stories of Karlu Karlu and its handback by the government to the traditional owners. more
KEEPERS OF THE STORY - Jandamarra [from the CAAMA Collection]
2010 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 24 min
The story of the Bunuba people's efforts to keep alive the story of Jandamarra and his war against white settlers in the 1880s in the Kimberleys, as a source of inspiration for Aboriginal people and all Australians. more
KIMBERLEY MOB, THE
1991 (PG) 54 min
Three Aboriginal brothers run a cattle station in the Kimberley. They face drought, divided tribal loyalties, government bureaucracy, diamond-mining companies and fundamentalist Christianity while trying to keep traditional Aboriginal beliefs and customs alive for their children and future generations. more
KINGS OF BAXTER
2017 (M) 66 min
A rare insight into life behind bars for juvenile inmates in one of the country's largest juvenile justice centres: two actors from the Bell Shakespeare company engage with young offenders in an attempt to stage a performance of Shakespeare's Macbeth for their families and fellow inmates. more
KULKA: The Life and Times of Gordon Briscoe
2010 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min
The inspirational story of Dr. Gordon Briscoe's life - from his work with legendary eye doctor Fred Hollows, to his days as an activist travelling Australia and telling traditional land owners about their land rights, and everything in between. more
LAKE OF SCARS, THE
2022 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 95 min
A documentary exploring the beautiful, mysterious scarred trees, middens and stone scatters at Lake Boort and surrounds in Victoria, and the story of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, who are working against the clock to preserve and promote what they can. A film presented by the late, great Uncle Jack Charles, more
LALAI DREAMTIME
1972 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 60 min
LALAI DREAMTIME takes the viewer into pre-colonial Australia to tell a story depicting the spiritual tradition of the people. A film by Michael Edols, from the story told by Sam Woolagoodja. more
LAND BILONG ISLANDERS
1990 (G) 52 min
LAND BILONG ISLANDERS tells the story of what has become known as the 'Mabo Case'. It contains rare interviews with the late Eddie Mabo, James Rice, Father Dave Passi and others involved in this historic legal drama. Together they challenged the idea that prior to European settlement, Australia was a land belonging to no-one,... more
LAND OF THE LITTLE KINGS
2000 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 78 min
LAND OF THE LITTLE KINGS is a feature-length documentary which provides personal accounts of the forcible removal of Indigenous children from their families. Through these stories of survivors of the stolen generations, musician and performer Archie Roach reconstructs his own story. more