NAIDOC Week 2024 is here and with the theme “Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud”, there are plenty of events across the nation to attend and celebrate First Nations history and culture. If you can’t make it to any of these events, or just want to continue observing NAIDOC from the comfort of your own home, I’ve got you covered with some deadly TV and film made by mob.
First Nations filmmakers have shifted the Australian entertainment industry massively, with captivating and binge-worthy depictions of Indigenous stories taking centre stage across the world. Whether it’s a quiet, yet masterful documentary or a haunting and malevolent horror, these Indigenous TV shows and films truly reflect the Indigenous talent that this year’s NAIDOC theme celebrates.
1. In My Blood It Runs (2019)
An intimate observational doco of 10-year-old Arrernte boy Dujuan and his journey to balance his traditional Arrernte/Garrwa uprising in Western state education. A beautifully raw film that will have you laughing and crying at the same time whilst reflecting on the inner-workings of community and culture.
You can stream ‘In My Blood It Runs’ on ABC iView.
2. Bedevil (1993)
A campy and surreal supernatural anthology created by Tracey Moffatt. This film follows three different ghost stories that traverse through the outback, rotting swamps and the Brisbane docks. Moffatt positions the audience to consider place, memory, and the abstract modes of storytelling by mob.
You can stream ‘Bedevil’ for free on SBS.
3. The Art of Incarceration
With the late Uncle Jack Charles establishing the statistics and processes of Indigenous incarceration, this film shows how art and culture can empower mob to transcend their unjust and disproportionate cycles of imprisonment, through the eyes of Indigenous prisoners.
You can stream ‘The Art of Incarceration’ on Netflix.
4. Babakiueria
A quintessential watch this NAIDOC week for all Non-Indigenous people. Babakiueria is a satirical yet thought-provoking film that uses role reversal to critique Australia’s treatment of First Nations people following colonisation. Michelle Torres presents a 60 Minutes-styled documentary using Aboriginal actors playing colonisers, while white actors play the Indigenous population.
You can stream ‘Babakiueria’ on YouTube.
5. The New Boy
With a masterful casting, this film set in the 1940s follows a nine-year-old Indigenous orphan who appears at a remote monastery. Cate Blanchett plays a retrograde nun who takes the boy in as a story of Christianity and Aboriginal Spirituality unfolds, accompanied by stunning visuals and a soundtrack to match.
You can watch ‘The New Boy’ on Binge, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime.
6. The Moogai
Coming fresh out of Sundance’s Midnight Strand and Sydney Film Festival 2024, this horror is a sinister colonial metaphor for the Stolen Generations. As a young Indigenous mother becomes increasingly unstable when she is terrorised by a malevolent spirit she thinks is trying to steal her children. This film is the culmination of the benevolent and disturbing reality of the Stolen Generation and is a must watch this NAIDOC week.
You can watch ‘The Moogai’ for free on SBS.
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