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First Nations (10/14)
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,
PITJIRI: The Snake That Will Not Sink
1986 (G) 48 min
In 1936 on a remote outpost in the Northern Territory, nine Aboriginal Elders appeared before Ruth Heathcock, who they believed was a member of their tribe before the Dreaming. Fifty years later, Sister Ruth returns and describes the psychic phenomena that she experienced and how this changed her perception of the human... more
PLEAD GUILTY, GET A BOND
1991 (G) 30 min
A young Aboriginal woman has been charged with wounding her husband during a domestic argument. It is expected by all concerned that she will simply plead guilty and receive a good behaviour bond. The inexperienced legal aid lawyer is outraged by this expectations and persuades Amy to plead her innocence. more
PORTRAITS OF US
2022 (PG) 82 min
An intimate portrait of the life and work of iconoclastic New Zealand artist Geoff Dixon. See GEOFF DIXON - PORTRAITS OF US: more
PRISON SONGS
2015 (M) 56 min
The inmates of a Darwin prison are shown in a new light in Australia's first documentary musical. Incarcerated in tropical Northern Territory, over 800 inmates squeeze into the overcrowded spaces of Berrimah Prison, and share their experiences in the most extraordinary way – through song. more
PUTUPARRI and the Rainmakers
2015 (M) 97 min
Against the backdrop of Australia's tangled colonial and Indigenous history, Putuparri and the Rainmakers explores one man's struggle to fulfill his destiny. more
QUEST OF JIMMY PIKE, THE
1989 (G) 51 min
Jimmy Pike lives an extraordinary and idyllic life hunting and painting in a harsh and primitive environment in the Great Sandy Desert. He first learnt to paint whilst in prison serving a life sentence for murder. As a young boy, he had come out of the Great Sandy Desert and saw white men for the first time. Now he wants... more
REDFERN STORY, THE
2014 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 57 min
In Redfern, in inner Sydney, a group of determined visionaries pioneered the National Black Theatre at a turbulent time for Indigenous politics in the 1970s. The Theatre left a lasting legacy on national politics, social welfare and the Australian arts scene. more
REMEMBERING COUNTRY
2000 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 26 min
An intimate autobiographical film that invites the audience into Harold Furber's vivid memories of being a desert kid stolen away to a tropical island. more
RIDDLE OF THE BRADSHAWS, THE
2002 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 53 min
This story of the Bradshaw rock paintings or Gwion Gwion as they are known to the Aboriginal traditional owners, unfolds in the vast and beautiful Kimberley region of Australia's far north west. more
RINGBALIN - BREAKING THE DROUGHT
2014 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 32 min
A powerful documentary about the healing of Australia's greatest river and its diverse peoples through ancient ceremony of culture and spirit. more
RINGTONE
2016 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 30 min
In the Yolngu community of Gapuwiyak in the Northern Territory, individual ringtones on mobiles reveal rich insights into lives and relationships. Ringtone features individuals talking directly to camera, revealing the stories behind their own ringtones as well as the pleasures and perils of their new connectivity. more
RIVER OF NO RETURN
2008 (PG) 52 min
The story of Frances Daingangan, one of the stars of TEN CANOES, and her journey from traditional tribal life to the international red carpet. A film written and directed by Darlene Johnson, one of Australia's leading Indigenous documentary filmmakers, acclaimed for GULPILIL – ONE RED BLOOD and STOLEN GENERATIONS. more
![ROSALIE'S JOURNEY [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/6497.jpg)
ROSALIE'S JOURNEY [from the CAAMA Collection]
2003 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 22 min
The story of Rosalie Kunoth-Monks who (as Ngarla Kunoth) gained fame in the leading role of Charles Chauvel's legendary feature film, JEDDA (1955). more
![RYDIN' TIME [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/2888.jpg)
RYDIN' TIME [from the CAAMA Collection]
2005 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 22 min
Life on the rodeo circuit in Queensland for three teenagers who risk their lives to compete. more
SALTWATER STORY, THE
2017 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 55 min
Guided by Indigenous canoemaker Kyle Slabb from the Bundjalung people, a group of young men (both Indigenous and non-Indigenous) build traditional canoes and embark on a 3-day sea voyage re-tracing an ancient trade route from the heart of the Queensland Gold Coast to North Stradbroke Island. more
![SAMMY BUTCHER: Out of the Shadows [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/5632.jpg)
SAMMY BUTCHER: Out of the Shadows [from the CAAMA Collection]
2004 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 24 min
A portrait of Sammy Butcher [Warumpi Band], one of the leading figures in the contemporary Indigenous music scene. more
![SATELLITE DREAMING [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/10777.jpg)
SATELLITE DREAMING [from the CAAMA Collection]
1991 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 52 min
A film of considerable historic importance, this documentary narrates the emergence of Indigenous media in Australia, and discusses its role in preserving Indigenous languages and culture. more
SECRET AND SACRED
2008 (G) 53 min
A documentary detailing the anthropological and historical story of the Badtjala people of the Hervey Bay and Fraser (K'Gari) Island region. more
SERPENT AND THE CROSS, THE
1991 (G) 55 min
In several outback Australian communities Aboriginal artists are consciously seeking an expression that builds bridges between Aboriginal spirituality (the Dreaming) and the Christian religion of their invaders. A look at these artists' thinking and dreaming which provides a rich, privileged look at the artwork, beautifully... more
SHADOW PANIC
1989/2020 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 25 min
The feminist classic from 1989, now restored from original 16mm film materials. An innovative film by Margot Nash (director of VACANT POSSESSION and THE SILENCES) based on "the idea of structuring a film via the female gaze". more