Australian Rules

Paul Goldman | Australia 2002 | 95 min

Prospect Bay is a poor fishing village in South Australia, where Gary 'Blacky' Black is an unremarkable 16 year old in a battling family of four siblings.

He is also part of the local Australian Rules football team - albeit not its star player. His best friends are the edgy and very white Pickles and Dumby Red, a charismatic Aboriginal kid with a lovely sister, Clarence, whose affections Blacky slowly earns.

The racially divided town comes together on the football field, since the Aboriginal players make up half the team. Blacky's mum offers some winning tips, but success at footy, however hard won, does not equate to success at home, as Blacky's racist, abusive father, Bob, demonstrates in a moment of drunken violence that impacts on the whole community. (source: Urban Cinefile)

Cast	Nathan Phillips Simon Westaway Kelton Pell Celia Ireland Kevin Harrington Luke Carroll Lisa Flanagan Tom Budge Gary 'Blacky' Black Blacky's father ? Blacky's mum ? Dumby Red Clarence Pickles
Release dates	August 29th, 2002 - Australia First shown on the 2002 Adelaide Festival of the Arts.
Video/DVD Release Date	2005
Awards	Best adapted screenplay (2002 Australian Film Institute Awards)
Rating	MA (15+) - Drug use; medium level violence
Language level	not available
Distributor	Palace Films
Soundtrack	Mick Harvey
Genre	Sports / Drama
Notes	Based on a novel by Phillip Gwynne, Deadly Unna. The film has been the subject of longstanding protests by the Coalition Against Australian Rules. Its members are upset the film dramatises a real-life incident - the shooting death of two Aboriginal youths who broke into a pub in the 1970s. (more at ENIAR)
Find this movie	Indigenous film suppliers and distributors

Australian Rules soundtrack

CD	Australian Rules soundtrack (2003)
Tracks	Opening Credits Training Pickle Rides Out Clarence And Blacky On The Boat Darcy's Gents Fantasy Line-Up Ruck Training In Pickle's Bedroom Grand Final First Half Dumby At Half Time Grand Final Second Half What I Done To Her Under The Pier Best On Ground Announcement Pickle's Torches Darcy's Gents The Shooting Mourning Outside The Pub Stones At House Walking To Dumby The Funeral End Titles

Where to from here?

• Learn about traditional Aboriginal sport games
• Read more about Aboriginal culture
• Take the Aboriginal Australia Test