First Nations (11/14)

SKIN OF OTHERS, THE

2020 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 91 min

A story of modern Australia told through the extraordinary life of Aboriginal WW1 soldier Douglas Grant (c.1885-1951), an intellectual, a journalist, a soldier and a bagpipe player with a fine Scottish accent. Featuring the acclaimed Indigenous actor Balang Tom E. Lewis in his final performance (as Douglas Grant) and guest... more

price includes GST and postage

SOMETHING OF THE TIMES [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1985 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 41 min

The story of Aboriginal and white buffalo hunters in the remote wetlands of the Northern Territory in the 1930s. more

price includes GST and postage

SONS OF NAMATJIRA [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1975 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 47 min

A group of celebrated Aboriginal artists and their relationship with the outside world. more

price includes GST and postage

SPEAR IN THE STONE [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1983 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 34 min

An age-old tradition of making spear-heads from special stones in Arnhem Land. more

price includes GST and postage

SPECIAL TREATMENT- Locking Up Aboriginal Children

1991 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 56 min

Australia imprisons almost as many black children as are imprisoned in South Africa. Today 45% of all juveniles in NSW jails are Aboriginal, though they form less than 2% of the population. Made by a crew of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians, this documentary asks why police are under-using alternative procedures... more

price includes GST and postage

STILL OUR COUNTRY

2015 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 88 min

A poetic celebration of country and culture, Still Our Country documents the swiftly changing lives of the Yolngu people of Ramingining in the Northern Territory. This evocative carnival of images and sounds makes a bold declaration of identity and offers a hopeful promise of a future. more

price includes GST and postage

STOCKMAN'S STRATEGY [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1984 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 51 min

An insight into the transfer of knowledge and experience on the Collum Collum cattle station in north-eastern New South Wales. more

price includes GST and postage

STOLEN GENERATIONS

2000 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min

The removal of Aboriginal children in Australia was a deliberate government policy and forms part of the history of dispossession of the country's original inhabitants. Every Aboriginal family in Australia has directly or indirectly been affected and the effects have lasted over generations. Many have called this genocide. more

price includes GST and postage

STONE COUNTRY

2006 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 26 min

Stone Country is a snapshot of a remote Indigenous community of Ngukurr in northern Australia. more

price includes GST and postage

STRONG MEN OF NGUIU

2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 24 min

Nguiu (known as Wurrumiyanga today) is a community on Bathurst Island, Northern Territory. There the "strong men" have been striving to restore cultural traditions among the youth on the island. Leading by example, they are steering the next generation away from substance abuse and crime to become leaders of tomorrow. more

price includes GST and postage

SUNNY AND THE DARK HORSE [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1987 (PG) 86 min

Country folk know of pleasures that townsfolk never know ... The story of an Aboriginal stockman and his family and their growing passion for "picnic racing" on bush tracks in New South Wales. more

price includes GST and postage

SUNSET TO SUNRISE [from the CAAMA Collection]

2006 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 24 min

By the light of a comforting campfire, Rupert Max Stuart, a 77-year old Arrernte Mat-utjarra Elder and a custodian of the Alice Springs area, offers poignant words of wisdom to a younger generation. more

price includes GST and postage

SURFING THE HEALING WAVE

1999 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 55 min

In this documentary, Kyle Slabb, a young Aboriginal surfer, takes us to the annual indigenous surfing contest at Fingal on the Northern New South Wales coast. Along the way, he offers us insights into traditional ways, dances and ceremonies and an understanding of his struggle to preserve those values in his modern life. more

price includes GST and postage

TAKEOVER [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1979 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 87 min

The story of an Aboriginal community under threat from a distant bureaucracy. A film by David and Judith MacDougall. DIGITALLY RE-MASTERED FROM ORIGINAL FILM MATERIALS! more

price includes GST and postage

TALES FROM THE DALY - Nauiyu Nambiyu [from the CAAMA Collection]

2010 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 20 min

A journey into the stories and spectacular landscapes of the Daly River region in the north-west of the Northern Territory. more

price includes GST and postage

TALKING BROKEN

1991 (G) 76 min

'Broken' is the creole spoken by the Torres Strait Islanders in far north Australia. Although they appear to keep up with 'the system', the hidden language of the authorities will always remain a mystery. With humour and intelligence, various Islanders talk openly about subjects as wide-ranging as independence, culture,... more

price includes GST and postage

TALKING LANGUAGE with Ernie Dingo [from the CAAMA Collection]

2014 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 132 min

There are around 250 languages with 600 dialects spoken on this land. Today it is estimated around 30 of those languages are still strong and spoken daily, while over a hundred are critically endangered. more

price includes GST and postage

TEACH A MAN TO FISH

2018 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 80 min

Grant Leigh Saunders is an Aboriginal filmmaker, writer and musician who has secretly always wanted to be a fisherman, just like his father and grandfather before him. This fishing yarn is set against the backdrop of the beautiful Manning River in central New South Wales. more

price includes GST and postage

TERRA NULLIUS

1992/2021 (G) 21 min

RE-RELEASE OF AN ACCLAIMED FILM FROM 1992, RE-MASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL FILM NEGATIVES. "In evoking what an Aboriginal child goes through when disconnected from family and taken into foster-care, this film is ahead of its time in its treatment." - Margo Neale, Senior Indigenous Curator and historian. more

price includes GST and postage

THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH

2003 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 26 min

A film about the remarkable relationship between Indigenous cultures, the dolphin and the marine environment. We learn of remarkable signs observed between land and ocean to indicate when fish are travelling and in what numbers, and gain a clear insight into the 'yuri' or totem system and its place in contemporary culture. more

price includes GST and postage

THIS IS HOW YOU'LL MAKE YOUR BED IN PRISON

2009 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 10 min

The story of Vickie Lee Roach, an Aboriginal woman in an Australian prison who challenged the Federal government to gain the right to vote ... and won. more

price includes GST and postage

THREE BOYS DREAMING

2011 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 85 min

A universal story about young dreams and ambitions as three Indigenous boys chase the dream of becoming football stars. more

price includes GST and postage

THREE HORSEMEN [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1982 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 51 min

Three generations of Aboriginal stockmen on a cattle station in far north Queensland. more

price includes GST and postage

TIME BOMB [from the CAAMA Collection]

2005 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 25 min

TIME BOMB is a film about diabetes and its impact on one man's life. Frank Djara is a Pitjantjatjara man who developed diabetes after an active life dedicated to the health of his community. more

price includes GST and postage

TNORALA - BABY FALLING [from the CAAMA Collection]

2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 22 min

Tnorala, in Central Australia, is a breathtaking land formation that rises above the windswept plains fringing the edge of the Western MacDonnell Ranges. It is a place of unique and sacred importance to the Western Arrente people, who actively protect its beauty and integrity. more

price includes GST and postage

TO GET THAT COUNTRY [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1977 (G) 66 min

A record of an historic event: the inaugural meeting of the Northern Land Council, representing traditional owners of the northern part of the Northern Territory. more

price includes GST and postage

TOMBSTONE OPENING, THE

2012 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 29 min

Releasing the spirit of Ephraim Bani, a great cultural custodian, in Torres Strait's unique ritual. more

price includes GST and postage

TOO MANY CAPTAIN COOKS

1988 (G) 18 min

In this film, Paddy Wainburranga of the Rembarrnga tribe from the centre of Arnhem Land in Northern Australia relates and paints the Rembarrnga history of Captain Cook. more

price includes GST and postage

TOOMELAH

2011 (MA) 97 min

In a remote Aboriginal community, Daniel, a sensitive, troubled 10 year old boy from a broken home, yearns to be a "gangster" like the male role models in his life. A film by Ivan Sen, director of WIND, YELLOW FELLA, MYSTERY ROAD and LIMBO. more

price includes GST and postage

TOTEM & ORE

2019 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 98 min

In Australia, British atomic bomb testing ran from 1953 to 1963 at Emu Field and Maralinga in South Australia. Indigenous communities had to live with the impact of these tests – testing that infected many with radioactive fallout. more

price includes GST and postage

TRANSFER OF POWER, A [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1986 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 21 min

Replacing the engine in an old car: the work of "bush mechanics" on a cattle station in northern New South Wales. more

price includes GST and postage

TROBRIAND CRICKET

1979 (G) 52 min

"Trobriand cricket" refers to a unique version of the ball-and-bat sport cricket played by the Trobriand Islanders. They were first exposed to the game by Christian missionaries, who thought the game would discourage war among the natives. However, the game was quickly adapted to Trobriand culture by expanding the number... more

price includes GST and postage

TUPAIA'S ENDEAVOUR

2020 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 119 min

A first contact story, told from a Pacific point of view. Tupaia was a Polynesian high-priest, star-navigator, and artist who joined Cook's Endeavour expedition in Tahiti in 1769 as a navigator, and had a profound impact on Cook's journey and survival. This film cements Tupaia's role as a central figure in Pacific history. more

price includes GST and postage

TWELVE CANOES

2008 (PG) 66 min

In the wake of the international success of TEN CANOES, Rolf de Heer has collaborated again with the Ramingining community of north Arnhem Land in making this series of twelve short documentaries that together paint a visual and audio portrait of the people, history, culture and place of the Yolngu people. more

price includes GST and postage

UNDERCURRENTS: meditations on power

2023 (M) 19 min

A poetic essay documentary by Margot Nash, about the undercurrents of history playing out in the present: a 'song' for the dark times about repression and resistance. more

price includes GST and postage

UP IN THE SKY

1999 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 26 min

A funny, honest and revealing look into the life and work of photographic artist and filmmaker Tracey Moffatt, whose work's were exhibited at the prestigious gallery Dia Centre for the Arts in New York City. more

price includes GST and postage

URBAN CLAN

1997 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 55 min

A documentary portrait of three brothers: choreographer Stephen Page, composer David Page, and performer Russell Page, who together form the creative core of the Bangarra Dance Theatre, one of Australia's most exciting and internationally acclaimed contemporary dance companies. more

price includes GST and postage

VACANT POSSESSION

1994 (M) 95 min

NOW RE-MASTERED FROM ORIGINAL FILM MATERIALS! A welcome re-release of the acclaimed dramatic feature film from 1994, written and directed by Margot Nash (director of The Silences, also available from Ronin). Following her mother's death, a young woman returns to the old family home, a dilapidated cottage in a coastal... more

price includes GST and postage

Vis a vis TECHNO TRIBAL

2004 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min

A fascinating and emotional 4-day encounter. Ningali Lawford from the Kimberley in north-western Australia and James Luna from California meet through a satellite video link and embark on a journey into each other's world. The agenda for what would happen was entirely unknown. more

price includes GST and postage

VOTE YES FOR ABORIGINES - The Story of the 1967 Referendum

2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min

A documentary about the 1967 Referendum and the fight for citizenship rights for Aborigines. It marks the 40th anniversary of the occasion, celebrating its historical significance and contemporary relevance. more

price includes GST and postage

WAITING FOR HARRY [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1980 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 56 min

Tensions behind the scenes of a ritual event in central Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. more

price includes GST and postage

WALBIRI FIRE CEREMONY, A - Ngatjakula [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1977 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 19 min

Ngatjakula is one of the most spectacular ceremonies of central Australia, employing fire, and several days of singing and dance, to resolve conflicts and re-affirm social order among the Warlpiri (Walbiri) people. more

price includes GST and postage

WALKING DANCING BELONGING [from the CAAMA Collection]

2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 22 min

Three women from the Kununurra area of Western Australia share their art and their experience of being "in country". more

price includes GST and postage

WANJA

2008 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 25 min

Wanja is a documentary about 'the Block', through the eyes of Auntie Barb and the life of Wanja her blue heeler dog, recently deceased. The community on the Block's many and varied stories of Wanja reflect on the issues affecting this indigenous community in the heart of Sydney. more

price includes GST and postage

WARREN WILLIAMS - The Stories, The Songs [from the CAAMA Collection]

2000 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 24 min

A journey into the world of Warren H. Williams – his music and his Arrernte culture. more

price includes GST and postage

WAYS OF THINKING

1990 (G) 29 min

A young Warlpiri Aboriginal man wants to leave his traditional community to seek work in a town. His wife is against this move; she wants to remain in the community, to be part of the traditional life of her tribe and to bring up their children in their ancient culture. She fears that the children will lose their language,... more

price includes GST and postage

WE DON'T NEED A MAP

2017 (M) 85 min

A bold and provocative essay film by Warwick Thornton about the deeply spiritual meaning of the Southern Cross constellation for Aboriginal people. The film challenges us to consider the place of the Southern Cross in the psyche of all Australians. WINNER! Digital History Prize, NSW Premier's History Awards, 2018. more

price includes GST and postage

WE OF LITTLE VOICE (NIDF series 5)

2002 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 26 min

WE OF LITTLE VOICE reveals the effects of uranium mining and nuclear testing on Indigenous communities in South Australia. more

price includes GST and postage

WESTERN DESERT WOOMERA: Fashioned With Stone Tools [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1981 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 11 min

A documentary about the making of a spear-thrower by two Pintupi men of the Lake McDonald area in the central west of the Northern Territory. The film demonstrates their use of stone tools. more

price includes GST and postage

WHEN THE NATIVES GET RESTLESS

2007 (M) 28 min

A film about racism and inequality in a small country town. It is about life, family and the disadvantage of not having opportunities because of the colour of your skin. more

price includes GST and postage

WHEN THE SNAKE BITES THE SUN

1985 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 57 min

A film by Michael Edols. Available on DVD and Vimeo-on-Demand as part of the ASPECTS OF A LIFE collection. more

WHERE THE WATER STARTS

2021 (PG) 71 min

After seeing the destruction of the fragile alpine ecology of Australia's Snowy Mountains first-hand, Richard Swain decides to speak out. A powerful new film by Amanda King and Fabio Cavadini. more

price includes GST and postage

WHISPERING IN OUR HEARTS

2002 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 52 min

The story of the 1916 massacre of Aboriginal people at Mowla Bluff, Western Australia, told in interviews with surviving Nyikina, Mangala and Karajarri peoples, as well as through dramatised re-enactments of the testimonials of Aboriginal witnesses. more

price includes GST and postage

WHITEYS LIKE US

1999 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min

A group of 15 white strangers come together to participate in an eight-week Aboriginal reconciliation circle. The film follows the impact the process has on the participants' lives as they grapple with these difficult and complex issues. more

price includes GST and postage

WHO WE ARE - Brave New Clan [from the CAAMA Collection]

2015 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 47 min

Six young Australians share what Indigenous culture means to them today in contemporary urban Australia. From the bustling streets of Sydney to the aquamarine vistas of the Torres Strait, their stories span a diverse population across the country and yet share common themes of resilience, courage, optimism and success. more

price includes GST and postage

WHO WE ARE IN SPORT

2012 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 49 min

Six Indigenous sports stars talk about their experiences, achievements and challenges on the track, in the ring - and in life. Presented by Aaron Pedersen with Nova Peris, Mark Ella, Kyah Simon, Phil Krakouer, Des Abbott and Anthony Mundine. more

price includes GST and postage

WHY ME?

2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 56 min

STORIES FROM THE STOLEN GENERATIONS. WHY ME? explores the human costs of a government policy which removed children from their families and country. more

price includes GST and postage

WILLABERTA JACK [from the CAAMA Collection]

2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 26 min

He survived an attempted killing. He survived an unjust legal system. But can he survive white "payback"? A true story from the Northern Territory, 1929, which inspired the feature film, SWEET COUNTRY. more

price includes GST and postage

WIND

1999 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 28 min

A short drama by Ivan Sen (director of YELLOW FELLA, TOOMELAH, MYSTERY ROAD and LIMBO) about the relationship between a black tracker and his 'boss'. They are tracking an Aboriginal man accused of murder. more

price includes GST and postage

WIRRIYA: Small Boy [from the CAAMA Collection]

2001 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 27 min

This moving documentary is a record of a few hours in the life of a small 7 year old boy, Ricco, from Hidden Valley, one of the many town camps on the outskirts of Alice Springs. more

price includes GST and postage

WOMEN OF THE SUN

1981 (PG) 240 min

Comprising of four stand-alone one-hour episodes, this ground-breaking series from 1982 depicts events in the lives of four Aboriginal women over more than 150 years. more

price includes GST and postage

WOMEN OF THE SUN ... 25 YEARS LATER

2006 (PG) 80 min

A powerful documentary about the lives of the women who played leading roles in the ground-breaking drama series, WOMEN OF THE SUN. more

price includes GST and postage

WRAP ME UP IN PAPERBARK

2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 28 min

This provocative documentary portrays the struggle faced by two indigenous Australians, Speedy McGinness, and his sister, Kathy Mills, to return their mother's remains from Darwin to her homelands, 600 kilometres south. more

price includes GST and postage

YELLOW FELLA [from the CAAMA Collection]

2004 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 25 min

A portrait of the late Balang Tom E. Lewis who as a young man in 1978 was chosen by director Fred Schepisi to star in THE CHANT OF JIMMY BLACKSMITH. The life of the character he played was hauntingly close to his own – a restless young man of mixed heritage, struggling between two cultures to find his own identity. more

price includes GST and postage

YOLNGU HOMELAND

2015 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 58 min

Garrthalala in Arnhem Land: the story of the community's connectedness with other beings - ancestors, animals and plants. Totemic beings of significance include the saltwater crocodile, crows, dogs and dingoes, crabs, sea eagles, turtles, and yams. A film by Natasha Fijn. more

price includes GST and postage

YORKY BILLY [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1980 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 17 min

A portrait of a disappearing way of life in the Northern Territory outback. more

price includes GST and postage