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First Nations (13/14)
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,
![WAITING FOR HARRY [from the AIATSIS Collection]](/images/small/10159.jpg)
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
![WALBIRI FIRE CEREMONY, A - Ngatjakula [from the AIATSIS Collection]](/images/small/10113.jpg)
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
![WALKING DANCING BELONGING [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/3326.jpg)
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
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
![WARREN WILLIAMS - The Stories, The Songs [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/6584.jpg)
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
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
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
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
![WESTERN DESERT WOOMERA: Fashioned With Stone Tools [from the AIATSIS Collection]](/images/small/10738.jpg)
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
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
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
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
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
![WHO WE ARE - Brave New Clan [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/11889.jpg)
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
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
![WILLABERTA JACK [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/3327.jpg)
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
![WIRRIYA: Small Boy [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/2512.jpg)
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
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
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
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
![YELLOW FELLA [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/2299.jpg)
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
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
![YORKY BILLY [from the AIATSIS Collection]](/images/small/10158.jpg)
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