Movies

The Colleano Heart

Synopsis

The Colleano Heart is a documentary about the Colleanos, a First Nations family and self-made entertainers of circus, who miraculously escaped oppression and racism to rise to the upper echelons of the world’s vaudeville and circus, until the next generation of Colleanos knew nothing of their Aboriginal heritage.

Generations later, American-born, octogenarian Molly Colleano O’Donnell meets Australian family historian Deb Hescott who helps Molly build a bridge across the oceans on a quest to reclaim identity, connect to ancestors and unearth family secrets - breaking the cycle of the hidden generation and reigniting The Colleano Heart. A contemporary story of a family's quest to unravel their history in Australia.

More details

Show

Through the wisdom of their Aboriginal matriarch, the famous Colleano circus family outmanoeuvred 1900’s oppression and racism to rise to the highest echelons of international circus stardom. Generations later, flamboyant, American-born, octogenarian Molly O’Donnell meets Deb Hescott, an Australian family historian with a DNA connection to Molly’s Colleano line. They build a bridge across the oceans on a quest to reclaim identity, connect to ancestors and unearth family secrets. In doing so, Molly breaks the cycle of the Hidden Generation and reignites The Colleano Heart.

From humble beginnings in outback Australia, the Colleano circus quickly earned a reputation of excellence and local stardom. Remarkably, this Aboriginal family managed to legally leave Australia, performing world class circus acts shapeshifting around the world, under the guise of their varied acts; Royal Hawaiians, Arab Tumblers, Senorita Sanchez, Zeneto and Panko, the Colleano Sisters ladder balancing act, Bonar’s Ponies, The Olympian Gladiators, all to avoid the controlling policies of the 1900’s.

Con, was the most famous Colleano (and the highest paid circus performer of his era), considered circus royalty for his amazing tight wire acts and still the only Australian male to be inducted to the Circus Hall of Fame. Con was a visionary with a 16mm camera and filmed many hours of the Colleano family life. This rich archival footage blends into the contemporary world of Molly’s quest for truth, as she “up-ends” her life in Florida, and embarks on a road trip across the USA and Australia.

Molly comes to realise her Aboriginality was the missing part of herself, finding a sense of home in a place she had never been before and connecting to family she never knew she had. Now is Molly’s time to shine and reignite the Colleano Heart and bring family back together in the bosom of truth. Truth telling at its greatest!

Watch sample videos

Trailer

Details

Rating

Watch now or find a DVD/BlueRay copy

Powered by JustWatch

Browse a list of Aboriginal film suppliers and distributors

Other films by Pauline Clague

Go exploring!

Use the Aboriginal film timeline to discover films you never heard of.

Take the quiz: Are you an Aboriginal movie buff?

Cite this page

Korff, J 2024, The Colleano Heart, <https://www.creativespirits.info/resources/movies/the-colleano-heart>, retrieved 12 December 2024

Creative Spirits is a starting point for everyone to learn about Aboriginal culture. Please use primary sources for academic work.

Join thousands of Smart Owls who know more!