Samson and Delilah
MA15+
Australia , 2009
Genre: Drama
Director: Warwick Thornton
Starring: Rowan McNamara, Marissa Gibson
What's it about?
Samson and Delilah's world is small- an isolated community in the Central Australian desert. When tragedy strikes they turn their backs on home and embark on a journey of survival. Lost, unwanted and alone the discover that life isn't always fair, but love never judges.
[link title="Samson And Delilah: a symbol of things to come" url="node/174"]
[link title="Samson and Delilah Review" url="node/4587"]
Manganinnie
PG
Australia, 1980
Language: English
Director: John Honey
Starring: Mawuyul Yanthalawuy, Anna Ralph, Phillip Hinton
What's it about?This lyrical story of isolation and survival explores the harrowing story of the Black Drive of 1830: the near-genocide of the Tasmania's indigenous population. A newly arrived Englishman is pressured into helping British colonial forces carry out the forced removal of Aboriginal people from white settlements. A woman, Manganinnie, survives a Black Line raid which claims the life of her husband, Meenopeekameena. During a family outing in the wilderness, the Englishman's young daughter becomes separated from her family. She and Manganinnie overcome mutual mistrust to embark upon a search of Manganinnie’s people.
Yolngu Boy
M
Australia, 2001
Genre: Drama
Language: [language]
Director: Stephen Johnson
Starring: Sean Mununggurr, John Sebastian Pilakui, Nathan Daniels
What's it about?
/Yolngu Boy/ is about the coming-of-age of three Aboriginal boys in Arnhem Land who inhabit two cultures at once - that of North-East Arnhem Land and also western culture. Botj, Lorrpu and Milika are three Yolngu teenagers who once shared a dream of becoming great hunters. Now aged 14, only Lorrpu hasn\'t diverged. Botj is a lost soul in trouble with the law, and Milika is more interested in football and girls. One of the central themes of the film is the divide between the prosperity-driven, materialistic western ideal of life and the everyday reality faced by young Aborigines.
[link title="This & That: 'Walkabout', 'Yolngu Boy'" url="node/157311"]
[link title="Yolngu Boy review: A truly impressive film" url="node/3720"]
Toomelah
MA15+
Australia, 2011
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Director: Ivan Sen
Starring: Michael Connors, Christopher Edwards, Daniel Connors
What's it about?
In a remote Aboriginal community, 10-year-old Daniel yearns to be a 'gangster' like the male role models in his life. Skipping school, getting into fights and running drugs for Linden who runs the main gang in town, Daniel is well on his way to accomplishing his goal, when rival drug dealer Bruce returns from prison and a violent showdown ensues.
[link title="Toomelah Review" url="node/5465"]
Here I Am
M
Australia, 2011
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Director: Beck Cole
Starring: Shai Pittman, Pauline Whyman, Marcia Langton, Bruce Carter
What's it about?
Fresh out of prison, Karen (Shai Pittman), finds herself stuck on the streets. She finds sanctuary at a shelter for Aboriginal women where she begins the painful journey of reconnecting with her estranged mother and her young daughter.
[link title="Here I Am Review" url="node/5482"]
Radiance
M
Australia, 1998
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Director: Rachel Perkins
Starring: Deborah Mailman, Rachel Maza, Trisha Morton Evans
What's it about?
Three sisters reunite after some years apart, for their mother’s funeral. Cressy (Rachael Maza), the eldest of the three, is a diva - an opera singer who is reluctant to visit the past and definitely doesn’t want to share it with her sisters. Mae (Trisha Morton-Thomas), has stayed behind looking after mum, and believes that Cressy hasn’t shared enough. Nona (Deborah Mailman), the youngest and the party girl, just wants them to all be one happy family.
[link title="Radiance Review" url="node/3803"]
Putuparri and the Rainmakers
M
Australia, 2015
Genre: Documentary
Language: English
Director: Nicole Ma
Starring:
What's it about?This AACTA Award nominated documentary follows Tom "Putuparri" Lawford as he connects with his ancestral lands, and reconciles his past wrongs. Director Nicole Ma spent more than a decade documenting Putuparri's journey, travelling with him and his family on numerous occasions as they fight for their native title claim over the area.
