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Silence
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. However Indigenous people in both types of films were portrayed as primitive and inferior to the white settlers. -
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Key Dates
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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. They are shown swarming across the landscape, killing a man and a mother with spears, before being scared off by men on horseback shooting guns. More info in link about 1950s -
Un-Civilisation
A later film by the same director as Heritage presents a different portrayal. Charles Chauvel's Jedda (1955) pays serious attention to the experiences and feelings of the title character Jedda (Ngarla Kunoth), an Aboriginal girl raised by a white family. It is arguably the first film that does so, yet it is an ambivalent portrayal. The audience is led to identify with Jedda and her perspective, rather than the racist views of the white characters. More info in Link !! -
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. More Info In the Link !! -
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.Lousy Little Sixpence (Morgan 1982) is a documentary in which Indigenous Australians recount their experience of being forcibly sent away from their families and communities to work for the Australian Government without pay. More info In Link!! -
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. More info in Link !! -
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. Since Unfinished Business, SBS in partnership with the Adelaide Festival has helped to produce a number of film that address Indigenous issues and experience including: Yolngu Boy (Johnson 2000), Australian Rules (Goldman 2002), The Tracker (de Heer 2002) and Beneath Clouds (Sen 2002).
