Australian Aboriginal movies and films

Movies with Aboriginal content were rare before the mid-1990s. It wasn’t before the international success of the movie Rabbit-Proof Fence that the awareness for Aboriginal issues increased, even in Europe where this film was screened for almost half a year in Germany. Many of the films listed here are available on DVD or VHS tapes.

The section “Movies by non-Indigenous directors” lists movies with Aboriginal topics which were directed by non-Aboriginal people whereas “Movies by Aboriginal directors” do not necessarily cover Aboriginal topics.

2013

Aboriginal Film TimelineAboriginal film timeline

An Indigenous film timeline lists the movies below in chronological order.

Browse for Aboriginal movie DVDs in my Aboriginal Book Store.

Cinema is performance, that's how us blackfellas have connected with it. It's where we come from, with our storytelling. A lot of dreaming stories are about moral stories and news and teaching… that's the way Indigenous filmmakers are thinking.—Warwick Thornton, Aboriginal director [1]

Films by Aboriginal directors

A lot of whitefellas in the press put shit on Aboriginal communities. That's one of the reasons why I make films.—Adrian Wills, Aboriginal director [2]

From traditional dreamtime tales to the challenges of contemporary Indigenous life, our film-makers give an insiders' view of what it means to be a Black Australian in the 21st century.—Rachel Perkins, Aboriginal director [8]

We’re not trying to educate people; we’re just trying to give them access to a life that they might not have ever seen before. That for me, is the beauty of what we do as filmmakers; that special thing of showing people a different world, and helping them one screening at a time.—Warwick Thornton, Aboriginal director [9]

Films by non-Indigenous directors

Click table headers to sort films by name, director, film type or year.

[Aboriginal people are] one of the globe's invisible people. Most know them only from tourist ads, in which they appear almost as totems, evoking Outback exotica. A smaller number know some of their art, the colorful dot paintings of a strange, sunburned landscape. Yet there are few images that convey the humanity of Australia's struggling Aboriginal population, who [...] can seem invisible even at home. But that may be starting to change, thanks to the movies.—The Miami Herald, Dec. 15, 2002

If you have heard of a movie not listed here, please contact me.

Movies listed for research

Many more films are out there. I’ve created a list of movies waiting for research where you might find a film not listed here.

Fact: The original versions of more than 90% of all Australian films made during the pre-1930 silent era are missing.

We've had plenty of so-called Aboriginal content created by non-Aboriginal producers, writers and directors. But the issue of Aboriginal control is paramount. Now is the time to invest in genuine Aboriginal screen culture as the unique film sector of tomorrow.—Michael Coughlan, director of an Aboriginal film skills training company [6]

Aboriginal actors eager

“People have to start from somewhere and you would be surprised how many Aboriginal people have a desire to be on the screen and give it a go,” says Aboriginal director Beck Cole. “If people keep casting the same people over and over again, we’re not going to build up that body of skills and people to draw on.” [6]