1. The Conqueror (Hollywood Fallout)
The story of one of the great environmental disasters to befall the United States, and the terrible movie that help bring the catastrophe to light.
2. Ella
Ella Havelka made history in 2013 by becoming the first Indigenous dancer at the 50-year-old Australian Ballet. In this engaging, MIFF Premiere Fund-supported world premiere, Ella – a descendant of the Wiradjuri people – charts her inspiring journey from growing up in modest circumstances as the only child of a single mother in rural Australia to gaining entry to National Ballet School, then spending formative years with the acclaimed Bangarra Dance Theatre before accepting the invitation of The Australian Ballet's artistic director David McAllister to join one of the world's foremost ballet companies.
3. Servant or Slave
During the time of the Stolen Generations, thousands upon thousands of Aboriginal girls were taken from their families and pressed into domestic servitude by the Australian Government. They were supposedly employed as servants, but with total control over their movements, wages and living conditions, their lives all too frequently became an inescapable cycle of abuse, rape and enslavement, with consequences that echo powerfully to this day. Recounting the stories of five of these women – Rita, Violet and the three Wenberg sisters – Servant or Slave is a commanding piece of first-person testimony to a dark and unacknowledged corner of Australian history. Shot with admirable craft and humanity by documentarian Steven McGregor , Servant or Slave is a work of great sadness and urgency, bringing to forceful life the human tragedy of Australia's Indigenous history in the unadorned words of those who lived it.
It has an average vote of 7.5 on TMDB.
4. 1945-1998
"2053" - This is the number of nuclear explosions conducted in various parts of the globe. "This piece of work is a bird's eye view of the history by scaling down a month length of time into one second. No letter is used for equal messaging to all viewers without language barrier. The blinking light, sound and the numbers on the world map show when, where and how many experiments each country have conducted. I created this work for the means of an interface to the people who are yet to know of the extremely grave, but present problem of the world."
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
5. Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky
A new songline for 21st century Australia - a fresh look at the Cook legend from a First Nations' perspective - the songline tells of connection to country, resistance and survival and features the cheeky, acerbic and heartfelt showman - Steven Oliver and a host of outstanding, political Indigenous singer/songwriters.
It has an average vote of 5.3 on TMDB.
6. WINHANGANHA
WINHANGANHA - is a lyrical journey of archival footage and sound, poetry and original composition. It is an examination of how archives and the legacies of collection affect First Nations people and wider Australia, told through the lens of acclaimed Wiradjuri artist, Jazz Money.
7. No Foe Can Scare Us (Mums nebaisus jokie priesai)
The people of Samogitian village are preparing to participate in civil protection competitions. Exercises are held in the village. The most important thing is to be prepared for an nuclear attack. All instructions are carefully executed. And it does not matter at all that the exercise looks funny for bystanders. Samogitians are also happy to be together.
8. 100 Years of the Atom (Notre ami l'atome : un siècle de radioactivité)
The exciting story of the splitting of the atom, a scientific breakthrough of incalculable importance that ushered in the nuclear age, has a dark side: the many events in which people were exposed to radiation, both intentionally and by accident.
It has an average vote of 6.3 on TMDB.
9. Still We Rise
50 years on, the Aboriginal Tent Embassy is the oldest continuing protest occupation site in the world. Taking a fresh lens this is a bold dive into a year of protest and revolutionary change for First Nations people.
10. My Survival as an Aboriginal
Essie Coffey gives the children lessons on Aboriginal culture. She speaks of the importance of teaching these kids about their traditions. Aboriginal kids are forgetting about their Aboriginal heritage because they are being taught white culture instead.
11. Uluru and the Magician
Follows the incredible journey of Dave Welsman, a Sydney kids' magician determined to reboot his life with a grand illusion to make Uluru disappear. As Dave works alongside the Rock’s traditional owners and Indigenous Custodians to pull off this spectacular stunt, he discovers the profound cultural and spiritual significance of Uluru, and his own illusions about fame and success begin to disappear.
12. Black Man's Houses
In 1832 the government of Van Diemen’s Land sent the last Aboriginal resistance fighters into exile at Wybalenna on Flinders Island, bringing an end to the Black War and opening a new chapter in the struggle for justice and survival by Tasmanian Aboriginal people. Black Man’s Houses tells a dramatic story of the quest by Aboriginal people to reclaim the graves of their ancestors against a background of racism and denial. Documenting a moving memorial re-enactment of the funeral of the great chief Manalargenna, the film also charts the cultural strength and resilience of his descendants as they are forced to fight for recognition in a society that is not ready to remember the terrible events of the past.
13. Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra
Taking us through Bangarra Dance Theatre’s spectacular growth, we follow the story of how three young Aboriginal brothers — Stephen, David and Russell Page — turned the newly born dance group into a First Nations cultural powerhouse.
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
14. Freeman
The story of a nation coming together around Indigenous athlete Cathy Freeman who delivered when it mattered on the greatest stage on earth. 20 years on, Freeman sheds light on one of Australia's proudest moments. In 49.11 seconds, Cathy Freeman's win at the 2000 Sydney Olympics brought Australia together as a nation.
15. Cop It Sweet
In the winter of 1991 an ABC film crew spent six weeks following Sydney's Redfern police.</p><p> The inner city patrol of Redfern is predominantly working class with a large aboriginal and migrant population.</p><p> The police in this film are general duties officers mostly on mobile patrols.</p><p> At the time of filming 78% of police at Redfern were under the age of 25.
16. In My Blood It Runs
The story of Dujuan, a 10-year-old Aboriginal boy living in Alice Springs, Australia, who is struggling to balance his traditional Arrernte/Garrwa upbringing with a state education.
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
17. Etched in Bone
Drawing on original footage from National Geographic, Etched in Bone explores the impact of one notorious bone theft by a member of the 1948 American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land. Hundred of bones were stolen and deposited in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, until it became known to Arnhem elders in the late 1990s. The return of the sacred artefacts was called for, resulting in a tense standoff between indigenous tribespeople and the Department of Anthropology at the Smithsonian.
18. Carriberrie
Narrated by award-winning actor and dancer David Gulpilil, Carriberrie guides audiences across a stunning array of iconic Australian locations and performances, from the traditional to contemporary. From ceremonial creation dances in the heart of the Outback, to honey gathering songs in the rain-forest, bush-punk band The Lonely Boys performing in Alice Springs and a finale featuring Ban-garra Dance Theatre by Sydney Harbour, Carriberrie brings together art, technology and Indigenous performance in inspired new ways.
It has an average vote of 10 on TMDB.
19. Island Home Country
A poetic cine-essay about race and Australia’s colonised history and how it impacts into the present offering insights into how various individuals deal with the traumatic legacies of British colonialism and its race-based policies. The film’s consultative process, with ‘Respecting Cultures’ , offers an evolving shift in Australian historical narratives from the frontier wars, to one of diverse peoples working through historical trauma in a process of decolonisation.
It has an average vote of 5 on TMDB.
20. Gurrumul
Blind from birth, Dr G Yunupingu found his identity through song and the haunting voice that has already become legend. His debut album introduced Australia to the Songlines and culture of his Elcho Island community, but now Dr G Yunupingu finds himself increasingly torn between city and country, present and past, self and the community to which he owes so much.
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
