Serenades

Mojgan Khadem
Australia 2001
96 min

Set in the 1890s in the central desert region of Australia, Seremades tells the tale of Jila who is conceived when her Afghan cameleer father wins her Aboriginal mother in a card game.

Raised initially in an Aboriginal community, Jila, on the death of her mother, is moved to a nearby Lutheran mission where she befriends the pastor's son Johann. Jila's father, keen to reunite with his daughter, trades with the Lutheran Minister who exchanges Jila for the price of a pig (which the Afghan, a follower of Islam, is loathe to transport).

Jila reaches adulthood under the strict mores of her father's remote Islamic community. On the brink of an arranged marriage to a significantly older holy man in the Ghan Camp, Johann reappears in Jila's life and the battle for Jila's freedom begins. (AFTRS Network)

Cast
Release dates	May 31st, 2001 - Australia July 27th, 2001 - UK World premiere at the Perth International Arts Festival on February 5th, 2001.
Video/DVD Release Date	October 17th, 2001 (Fox Home Video), November 22nd, 2005
Awards	not available
Rating	M - Medium level sex scene, low level violence
Language level	not available
Distributor	Southern Star Film & Ancillary Sales, Palace Films
Soundtrack	Davood A. Tabrizi Move offers an extensive review and many links. Urban Cinefile offers two track excerpts.
Genre	Drama, Romance
Notes

Where to from here?

• Read more about Aboriginal culture
• Learn about Aboriginal people
• Aboriginal arts