Australian Aboriginal movies and films

Movies with Aboriginal content have been scarce 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 movie 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" not nessessarily cover Aboriginal topics.

2007

Aboriginal FilmTimelineAboriginal film timeline

I've also prepared an Indigenous film timeline which lists the movies below in chronological order.

Browse for Aboriginal movie DVDs in my Aboriginal Book Store.

Films by non-Indigenous directors

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

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Film title	Director	Movie type	Year
A Dying Shame	Paul Roy	documentary	1997
Australian Rules	Paul Goldman	drama	2002
Babakiueria	Don Featherstone	comedy	1987
Backroads	Phillip Noyce	drama	1977
Benny and The Dreamers	Ivo Burum	documentary	1993
Beyond The Dreamtime	John Lind	documentary	1994
Black And White	Craig Lahiff	drama	2002
Blackfellas	James Ricketson	drama	1993
Call me Mum	Margot Nash	drama	2006
Coolbaroo Club	Roger Scholes	documentary	1996
Dead Heart	Nick Parsons	drama	1997
Deadly	Esben Storm	drama	1992
How The West Was Lost	David Noakes	documentary	1987
Jedda	Charles Chauvel	drama	1955
Journey out of Darkness	James Trainor	epic	1967
Kanyini	Melanie Hogan	documentary	2006
Liyarn Ngarn	Martin Mhando	documentary	2007
Rabbit Proof Fence	Phillip Noyce	drama	2002
September	Peter Carstairs	drama	2007
Serenades	Mojgan Khadem	drama	2001
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 Life of Harry Dare	Aleski Vellis	drama	1995
The Fringe Dwellers	Bruce Beresford	drama	1987
The Naked Country	Tim Burstall	drama	1993
The Tracker	Rolf de Heer	drama	2002
Think About It	Richard and Wendy Friar	political documentary	2007
Walkabout	Nicolas Roeg	drama	1971
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

Films by Aboriginal directors

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

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Film title	Director	Movie type	Year
A Sister's Love	Ivan Sen	documentary	2007
Aunty Connie	Ivan Sen	documentary	2006
Back Seat	Pauline Whyman	drama	2007
Bedevil	Tracey Moffatt	drama	1993
Beneath Clouds	Ivan Sen	drama	2002
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
Bush Mechanics	David Batty	comedy	2001
Case 442	Mitch Torres	drama	2005
Courting With Justice	Debbie Carmody	documentary	2007
Crocodile Dreaming	Darlene Johnson	drama	2007
Custard	Michelle Blanchard	drama	2007
Days Like These	Martin Leroy Adams	drama	2007
Done Dirt Cheap	Debbie Carmody	short	2007
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
Island Fettlers	Kelrick Martin	documentary	2006
Jackie Jackie	Adrian Willis	short	2007
Journey	Ivan Sen	short	1997
Kwatye	Trisha Morton-Thomas	comedy	2007
La Perouse Panthers	Michael Longbottom	documentary	2006
Mad Morro	Kelrick Martin	drama	2007
Marluku Wirlinyi - Kangaroo Hunters	Timothy J. Marshall & Craig J. Williams	documentary	1998
My Bed Your Bed	Erica Glynn	short	1998
My Brother Vinnie	Steven McGregor	documentary	2006
Nana	Warwick Thornton	short	2007
Nigger Lovers	Rhonda Hagan	documentary	2007
Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy	Tracey Moffatt	short	1990
No Way to Forget	Richard Franklin	short	1996
One Night the Moon	Rachel Perkins	musical/drama	2001
One River All Rivers	Tom E Lewis	short	2008
Plains Empty	Beck Cole	short	2004
Radiance	Rachel Perkins	drama	1998
River of No Return	Darlene Johnson	documentary	2008
Sa Black Thing	Rima Tamou	short	2005
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
Storytime	Jub Clerc	short	2007
Tears	Ivan Sen	short	1998
The Djarn Djarns	Wayne Blair	short	2004
The Forgotten	Glen Stasiuk	documentary	2003
The Turtle	Kelli Cross	short	2007
Too Late	Michael Longbottom	short	2007
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
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.

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.

Masthead image ©ourtesy Melanie Kuipers, www.sxc.hu.

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