-
Period: to
Silence Films
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have been portrayed in film since the silent era of the 1920s. Films from this time about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies were made from a European viewpoint. They were also condescending in their view of Indigenous Australians. Fictional film, dramas and feature films, often portrayed Aborigines as threatening, but also represented them as mysterious or playful. -
Period: to
Un-Civilisation
The conflict between white settlers and Indigenous peoples has frequently been a theme in Australian films. For example in the early Sound Era film Heritage (Chauvel 1935) 'black devils' attack a homestead. -
Period: to
Roads
As the Australian film industry blossomed in the 1970's, Indigenous characters played a greater role in Australian cinema. In films such as Walkabout (Roeg 1971) and Stormboy (Safran 1976) Aboriginal characters are presented as helpful, kind and much more knowledgeable about the land than white characters. However, they are removed from the audience, presented as mysterious and misunderstood. -
Period: to
White Australia has a Black History
In the 1980s, awareness grew in the Australian public that Indigenous experience since white settlement was more complicated and shocking than had been acknowledged. -
Period: to
No More Terra Nullius
The 1992 Mabo Land Rights Case exposed the myth of 'terra nullius', and recognised the rights of Indigenous people to land (See Land & Sea Rights). The documentary, Mabo: Life of an Island Man (Graham 1997) provides a window into the struggle of Torres Strait Islander Eddie Mabo to have his rights to ancestral land recognised. The landmark decision was only achieved after his death. The Mabo Case influenced the portrayal of land in many films that followed including Vacant Possession (Nash 1994) -
Period: to
Reconciling the Nation
A number of Indigenous films were broadcast by SBS as part of Unfinished Business: Reconciling the Nation in the year 2000. For more information on these films see the article Sorry Day and the Stolen Generations.