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 nessessarily cover Aboriginal topics.
- 2008
- Aboriginal FilmTimelineAboriginal 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]
Get a copy of Tudawali, Ernie Dingo's outstanding portrayal of Robert Tudawali, the first Aboriginal film star, whose lead role in Jedda is iconic in Australian cinema.
Tudawali is out now on DVD.
Films by non-Indigenous directors
Click table headers to sort films by name, director, film type or year.
| Film title | Director | Movie type | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Dying Shame | Paul Roy | documentary | 1997 |
| A Northern Town | Rachel Landers | documentary | 2008 |
| Aboriginal Rules | Liam Campbell | documentary | 2007 |
| Always Was Always Will Be | Martha Ansara et al. | documentary | 1989 |
| Australia | Baz Luhrmann | epic adventure | 2008 |
| Australian Rules | Paul Goldman | drama | 2002 |
| Babakiueria | Don Featherstone | comedy | 1987 |
| Backroads | Phillip Noyce | drama | 1977 |
| Bastardy | Amiel Courtin-Wilson | documentary | 2008 |
| Benny and The Dreamers | Ivo Burum | documentary | 1993 |
| Between The Lines: The Initiation Of Adam Hill | Monica Garriga, Esther Lozano | documentary | 2007 |
| Beyond Sorry | David Vadiveloo | documentary | 2003 |
| Beyond The Dreamtime | John Lind | documentary | 1994 |
| Black And White | Craig Lahiff | drama | 2002 |
| Blackfellas | James Ricketson | drama | 1993 |
| Blowback | David Hansen | comedy/short | 2009 |
| Bran Nue Dae (musical) | Tom Zubrycki | documentary | 1991 |
| Buried Country | Andy Nehl | documentary | 2000 |
| Burned Bridge | Paul Faint et al. | drama/series | 2003 |
| Bush Bikes | David Vadiveloo | short | 2002 |
| Call me Mum | Margot Nash | drama | 2006 |
| Contact | Bentley Dean, Martin Butler | documentary | 2009 |
| Coolbaroo Club | Roger Scholes | documentary | 1996 |
| Dead Heart | Nick Parsons | drama | 1997 |
| Deadly | Esben Storm | drama | 1992 |
| Dreaming of Lords | Bob Ellis | documentary | 1988 |
| Eye | Andy Canny, Donna McCrum | documentary | 2010 |
| From The Ashes | Dean Gibson | documentary | 2009 |
| Heartland | Paul Faint et al. | drama/series | 2003 |
| How The West Was Lost | David Noakes | documentary | 1987 |
| In My Father's Country | Tom Murray | documentary | 2008 |
| Jedda | Charles Chauvel | drama | 1955 |
| Jindabyne | Ray Lawrence | drama | 2006 |
| Journey out of Darkness | James Trainor | epic | 1967 |
| Kalkadoon Man | Brendan Fletcher | documentary | 2004 |
| Kanyini | Melanie Hogan | documentary | 2006 |
| Keeper | Ali Russell | documentary | 2010 |
| Liyarn Ngarn | Martin Mhando | documentary | 2007 |
| Lousy Little Sixpence | Alec Morgan, Gerry Bostock | documentary | 1983 |
| Manganinnie | John Honey | drama | 1980 |
| Mixed Bag | Imogen Thomas | drama | 2008 |
| My Home The Block | Trevor Almeida | documentary | 2009 |
| Our Generation | Sinem Saban | documentary | 2010 |
| Rabbit Proof Fence | Phillip Noyce | drama | 2002 |
| Sacred Ground | Kim Mavromatis | documentary | 2007 |
| September | Peter Carstairs | drama | 2007 |
| Serenades | Mojgan Khadem | drama | 2001 |
| Shadow Of The Boomerang | Dick Ross | adventure, drama | 1960 |
| Sisters, Pearls and Mission Girls | David Batty | documentary | 2003 |
| Storm Boy | Henri Safran | drama | 1976 |
| Ten Canoes | Rolf de Heer | drama | 2006 |
| The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith | Fred Schepisi | drama | 1978 |
| The Circuit | Catriona McKenzie | drama/romance | 2007 |
| The Life of Harry Dare | Aleski Vellis | drama | 1995 |
| The Fringe Dwellers | Bruce Beresford | drama | 1987 |
| The Last Wave | Peter Weir | suspense | 1977 |
| The Naked Country | Tim Burstall | drama | 1993 |
| The Tracker | Rolf de Heer | drama | 2002 |
| Think About It | Richard and Wendy Friar | political documentary | 2007 |
| Three Boys Dreaming | Michael Cordell | documentary | 2010 |
| Trespass | David Vadiveloo | documentary | 2002 |
| Tudawali | Steve Jodrell | drama | 1987 |
| Us Mob | David Vadiveloo | documentary | 2005 |
| Voices From The Cape | David Vadiveloo | documentary | 2008 |
| Walkabout | Nicolas Roeg | drama | 1971 |
| Walkabout With Malcolm Douglas | Malcolm Douglas | documentary | 1967-1985 |
| Where the Green Ants Dream | Werner Herzog | documentary | 1984 |
| Why me? | Rick Cavaggion | documentary | 2006 |
| Wrong Side of the Road | Ned Lander | drama | 1981 |
| Yolngu Boy | Stephen Johnson (III) | drama | 2001 |
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]
Films by Aboriginal directors
Click table headers to sort films by name, director, film type or year.
| Film title | Director | Movie type | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Sister's Love | Ivan Sen | documentary | 2007 |
| Aunty Connie | Ivan Sen | documentary | 2006 |
| Aunty Maggie & The Womba Wakgun | Leah Purcell | short | 2009 |
| Back Seat | Pauline Whyman | drama | 2007 |
| Barngngrnn Marrangu Story | Queenie Brennan | short/documentary | 2009 |
| Bedevil | Tracey Moffatt | drama | 1993 |
| Beneath Clouds | Ivan Sen | drama | 2002 |
| Big Fella | Michael Longbottom | documentary | 2010 |
| Bit of Black Business | various | compilation | 2007 |
| Black Chicks Talking | Leah Purcell | documentary | 2002 |
| Bloodlines | Jacob Nash | short | 2007 |
| Bollywood Dreaming | Cornel Ozies | short | 2007 |
| Bourke Boy | Adrian Wills | short | 2009 |
| Boxing For Palm Island | Adrian Wills | documentary | 2010 |
| Bran Nue Dae | Rachel Perkins | musical,comedy | 2010 |
| Bush Mechanics | David Batty | comedy | 2001 |
| Case 442 | Mitch Torres | drama | 2005 |
| Checkerboard Love | Anita Heiss | short | 2004 |
| Courting With Justice | Debbie Carmody | documentary | 2007 |
| Crocodile Dreaming | Darlene Johnson | drama | 2007 |
| Custard | Michelle Blanchard | drama | 2007 |
| Daniel's 21st | Adrian Wills | short | 2009 |
| Days Like These | Martin Leroy Adams | drama | 2007 |
| Done Dirt Cheap | Debbie Carmody | short | 2007 |
| Dreamland | Ivan Sen | Sci-Fi/UFO | 2009 |
| Feel My Absence | Kyas Sherriff | short | 2004 |
| Fire Talker | Ivan Sen | documentary | 2008 |
| First Australians | Rachel Perkins, Darren Dale | documentary | 2008 |
| Fitzroy Stars: More Than a Game | John Harding | documentary | 2008 |
| Fly, Peewee, Fly | Sally Riley | short | 1995 |
| Freedom Ride | Rachel Perkins and Ned R Lander | documentary | 1993 |
| Green Bush | Warwick Thornton | drama | 2005 |
| Gulpilil: One Red Blood | Darlene Johnson | documentary | 2002 |
| Hush | Dena Curtis | comedy | 2007 |
| In a League Of Their Own | Steven McGregor | documentary | 2009 |
| Island Fettlers | Kelrick Martin | documentary | 2006 |
| Jackie Jackie | Adrian Willis | short | 2007 |
| Jacob | Dena Curtis | short | 2009 |
| Jindalee Lady | Brian Syron | drama | 1992 |
| Journey | Ivan Sen | short | 1997 |
| Kwatye | Trisha Morton-Thomas | comedy | 2007 |
| La Perouse Panthers | Michael Longbottom | documentary | 2006 |
| Lani's Story | Genevieve Grieves | documentary | 2009 |
| Mad Morro | Kelrick Martin | drama | 2007 |
| Making Samson & Delilah | Beck Cole | documentary | 2009 |
| Marluku Wirlinyi - Kangaroo Hunters | Timothy J. Marshall & Craig J. Williams | documentary | 1998 |
| Mimi | Warwick Thornton | short | 2002 |
| Mirror Images | Daniel King | short | 2001 |
| My Bed Your Bed | Erica Glynn | short | 1998 |
| My Brother Vinnie | Steven McGregor | documentary | 2006 |
| My Life As I Live It | Essie Coffey | documentary | 1993 |
| My Survival As An Aboriginal | Essie Coffey | documentary | 1978 |
| My Uncle Bluey | Britt Arthur | documentary | 2009 |
| Nana | Warwick Thornton | short | 2007 |
| Nia's Melancholy | Sio Tusafa'aaefili | short | 2009 |
| Nigger Lovers | Rhonda Hagan | documentary | 2007 |
| Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy | Tracey Moffatt | short | 1990 |
| Nin's Brother | Mary Munro | documentary | 2010 |
| No Way to Forget | Richard Frankland | short | 1996 |
| Nundhirribala's Dream | Ella Geia | short | 2009 |
| One Tree, One Man | Jedda Puruntatameri | documentary | 2008 |
| One Night the Moon | Rachel Perkins | musical/drama | 2001 |
| One River All Rivers | Tom E Lewis | short | 2008 |
| Over d-fence | Destiny Deacon | drama | 2004 |
| Pay Back | Warwick Thornton | short | 1996 |
| Plains Empty | Beck Cole | short | 2004 |
| Radiance | Rachel Perkins | drama | 1998 |
| Ralph | Deborah Mailman | short | 2009 |
| River of No Return | Darlene Johnson | documentary | 2008 |
| Sa Black Thing | Rima Tamou | short | 2005 |
| Samson & Delilah | Warwick Thornton | drama | 2009 |
| Satellite Boy | Catriona McKenzie | family | 2012 |
| Sharpeye | Aaron Fa'aoso | short | 2007 |
| Shifting Shelter 3 | Ivan Sen | documentary | 2006 |
| Sister, if You Only Knew | Janet Isaac | documentary | 1975 |
| Spirit Stones | Alan Collins | documentary | 2007 |
| Stolen Generations | Darlene Johnson | documentary | 2000 |
| Stone Bros. | Richard Frankland | comedy | 2009 |
| Storytime | Jub Clerc | short | 2007 |
| Tears | Ivan Sen | short | 1998 |
| The Djarn Djarns | Wayne Blair | short | 2004 |
| The Farm | Romaine Moreton | short | 2009 |
| The Forgotten | Glen Stasiuk | documentary | 2003 |
| The Intervention | Julie Nimmo | documentary | 2008 |
| The Opportunists | Daniel King | short | 2000 |
| The Party Shoes | Michelle Blanchard | short | 2009 |
| The Third Note | Catriona Mackenzie | short | 2000 |
| The Turtle | Kelli Cross | short | 2007 |
| Too Late | Michael Longbottom | short | 2007 |
| Too Little Justice | Dean Francis | short | 2004 |
| Two Big Boys | Jon Bell | short | 2007 |
| Vote Yes for Aborigines | Frances Peters-Little | documentary | 2007 |
| Wanja: Warrior Dog | Angie Abdilla | documentary | 2007 |
| Warm Strangers | Ivan Sen | short | 1997 |
| When Colin Met Joyce | Rima Tamou | documentary | 2007 |
| Wind | Ivan Sen | short | 1999 |
| Who Paintin' Dis Wandjina? | Taryne Laffar | short | 2008 |
| Yajilarra | Melanie Hogan | documentary | 2009 |
| Yellow Fella | Ivan Sen | short | 2005 |
| Yolngu Guya Djamamirr | Frank Djirrimbilpilwy Garawirritja | short | 2008 |
[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.
- $7.5m
- Box office result of Bran Nue Dae in July 2010, which is the second best of the past 12 months [3].
- $3.2m
- Box office result of Samson And Delilah in July 2010, which puts the movie in sixth place [3].
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.
Masthead image ©ourtesy Melanie Kuipers, www.sxc.hu. [1] 'Shot from the heart', Deadly Vibe 147, 5/2009 p.5 [2] 'Tears, laughs and plenty more', Koori Mail 476 p.28 [3] SMH, 17/7/2010

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