Using feature film to support learning in Indigenous studies, perspectives, reconciliation and countering racism
See also: NATSIEW Cinema resources, Aboriginal people in Australian feature film: A timeline
Resource guides: Indigenous studies, Indigenous perspectives across the curriculum, Reconciliation, Countering racism
Contents
Article
Screening Indigenous Australia: an overview of Aboriginal representation on film (PDF)
By Peter Krausz
In surveying Australian feature film production over the last 100 years, what clearly emerges is a general avoidance of Aboriginal issues and a lack of any balanced representation of Australia’s significant Indigenous population; at least that was the case until recently. Over 1,000 feature films have been produced in Australia, yet I could only identify around fifty films that represent Aborigines in any way at all within the narrative.
Resource provider: EnhanceTV
Resource list
Recommended films for Aboriginal studies and Reconciliation Topics
Produced by the Department for Education and Children's Services (SA).
Film sources
Australian Centre for the Moving Image
ACMI Lending Collection contains over 35,000 16mm films, videos, CD-ROM and DVD titles, including animated titles, Australian films, captioned titles, children's titles, cult classics, documentaries, educational titles, experimental works, international award winners, short films, student films, television series and the best of world cinema. Members can borrow from the collection. The above link lists the holdings in response to the keyword 'indigenous'.
CAAMA Short Documentary Film and Video Catalogue (PDF file)
CAAMA Productions is the largest Indigenous production house in Australia. Located in the centre of Alice Springs they have an intimate knowledge of Aboriginal people.
Film Australia Indigenous Studies Catalogue and Indigenous Studies update 2005
Film Australia's unique collection of film, video, stills and sound material includes an invaluable record of life in indigenous communities of Australia, Papua New Guinea and the South Pacific, from the early 20th century to the present. The Indigenous Studies catalogue features a selection of over 170 programs.
Marcom Projects Aboriginal/Indigenous video/DVD/CD-ROM catalogue
Listings categorised into art, culture, dance, health, history, music, social issues, stories and non-Aboriginal Indigenous.
ScreenSound Australia National Screen and Sound Archive
The National Collection of Screen and Sound is available online in a text database listing over 560,000 items. It spans 100 years of Australia's film, television, radio and recorded sound heritage. The above link opens the catalogue's 'Advanced search' page. (Be patient. This page can take some time to appear.)
Ronin Films catalogue of Aboriginal Australia
Providing a range of significant feature film and documentary titles.
Suitable titles
 | Australian Rules Australian Rules is a study of a fictional small town where racism does exist, and where members of the local population, both black and white, behave in dysfunctional ways. On NATSIEW: Aboriginal people in Australian feature film Media kit: Beyond International Reviews: The Producers' and Directors' Guild of Victoria, Message Stick (ABC), The Blurb Available from: EzyDVD, Atlantic DVD | |
 | Beneath Clouds Beneath Clouds takes us on a journey with two young indigenous Australians, Lena and Vaughn, as each tries to escape their past, and head into a different future. On NATSIEW: Aboriginal people in Australian feature film Info page: Culture and Communication Reading Room Reviews: DVD.net.au, DVDanswers, The Blurb Available from: EzyDVD, Atlantic DVD, Ronin Films, Sanity | |
 | Rabbit Proof Fence Rabbit-Proof Fence is a powerful film based on the true story and experiences of three young Aboriginal girls, Molly, Gracie and Daisy, who were forcibly taken from their families in Jigalong, Western Australia in 1931. On NATSIEW: Aboriginal people in Australian feature film Info sites: Culture and Communication Reading Room Reviews: Web Wombat, The Blurb Available from: EzyDVD, Atlantic DVD, FBO, Ronin Films | |
 | The Tracker Set in the Australian outback in 1922, THE TRACKER tells the story of The Fanatic, the Follower and the Philosopher - three white men who use an indigenous Tracker to pursue a Fugitive. On NATSIEW: Aboriginal people in Australian feature film Info pages: The Tracker, Rolf De Heer’s The Tracker Reviews: Message Stick (ABC), The Producers' and Directors' Guild of Victoria, DVD.net.au, The Blurb Available from: EzyDVD*, Atlantic DVD, Ronin Films | |
 | Yolngu Boy Yolngu Boy is about the search for identity, making the journey from adolescence to adulthood and the implications of belonging to a larger social group, whether it be a culture, a family or a group of friends. On NATSIEW: Aboriginal people in Australian feature film Media kit: Beyond International Info sites: Yolngu Boy Official site, Message Stick page, Culture and Communication Reading Room Reviews: NineMSN Available from: EzyDVD, Sanity |
* Together with Nicolas Roeg's 1971 film 'Walkabout'. It is interesting to compare these two films.
Issues to consider prior to viewing
The suggested films by their very nature can be confronting and contentious. Before showing these films to students:
- View the film yourself.
- Be aware of the ratings that some of the below films attract. The PDF file Information for schools: Showing films and playing computer games from the Office of Film and Literature Classification is a useful reference.
- Consider the individual class members and the effect it may have upon them. While the classification may suggest it is appropriate this may be inconsistent with a student's home culture.
- Give special consideration to any possible impact on Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander students and how its showing may affect relationships with other students.
- Consider informing parents/carers of your intention to view the film, what the film is about and your reasons for showing it.
- Examine the copyright information for each film and any guidelines your department may have regarding such issues. The fact sheet (PDF) Educational institutions: introduction to copyright from the Australian Copyright Council should be consulted.
Study guides
| Title | ACTF | Enhance | HREOC | NCHE | NSW HSC |
| Australian Rules |  | | | ||
| Beneath Clouds | | | | | |
| Rabbit Proof Fence | | ||||
| Yolgnu Boy | | | |
ACTF = Australian Children's Television Foundation
ATOM = Australian Teachers Of Media
HREOC = Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
NCHE = National Centre for History Education
Additional study guides for many suitable documentaries can be found on the Enhance TV site.