First Australians

Last updated

First Australians
First Australians Logo.png
First Australians Intro title
GenreHistorical documentary
Created by Rachel Perkins
Directed byRachel Perkins, Beck Cole
Country of originAustralia
No. of episodes7
Production
Producers Darren Dale, Rachel Perkins
Cinematography Warwick Thornton, Kim Batterham
Running time60 minutes
Production company Blackfella Films
Original release
Network SBS
Release12 October (2008-10-12) –
2 November 2008 (2008-11-02)

First Australians is an Australian historical documentary series produced by Blackfella Films over the course of six years, and first aired on SBS TV in October 2008. The documentary is part of a greater project that further consists of a book, a community outreach program and a substantial website featuring over 200 mini-documentaries.

Contents

Description

The series chronicles the history of contemporary Australia, from the perspective of its first people, Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander people. The series is essentially a synthesis of well-documented historical information. It relies heavily on archival documents and interpretations from historians and members of both the Aboriginal and European community and leaders. The story begins in 1788 in Sydney, with the arrival of the First Fleet and ends in 1993 with Koiki Mabo's legal challenge to the foundation of Australia.[ citation needed ]

The series comprises seven episodes in which it explores what unfolded when the oldest living culture in the world was confronted by the British Empire. [1] It explores the lives of particular individuals and uses their stories as a vehicle to explain the larger situations of the time. It explains violent aspects of European settlement of Australia, such as killings, battles, wars, as well as acts of friendship and decency between the early European settlers and Aboriginal Australians. Aboriginal Australian history has until recently been clouded by the "great Australian silence", referring to ignorance of the real history of Australia seen as a way for non-Aboriginal Australians to hide shame for their own history. [2]

The series was the winner of multiple awards, remains the highest-selling educational title in Australia as of 2021, and was also sold overseas. [3]

Episodes

A total of seven episodes were filmed. The series was first transmitted in Australia from 12 October to 2 November 2008.

#TitleAir dateSynopsis
1They Have Come to Stay New South Wales (1788–1824)12 October 2008The arrival of the First Fleet in Sydney in 1788. Curious of each other, friendships form, but relations between the two races soon sour as settlers spread out across the land. Focuses on the relationship between Bennelong and Governor Arthur Phillip, as well as the lives of Pemulwuy, William Dawes and Patyegarang, and Windradyne.
2Her Will to Survive Tasmania (1803–1880)14 October 2008The land grab moves south to Tasmania. In an effort to protect real estate prices, Tasmanian Aboriginal people are removed from the island. The government enlists an young immigrant for the job, who is helped by a young Aboriginal woman Truganini.
3Freedom For Our Lifetime Victoria (1860–1890)19 October 2008The threat of extinction hovers over the first Australians of Victoria after the city of Melbourne is founded. Follows the establishment of mission stations in Victoria such as Coranderrk. Explores the lives of Wurundjeri clan leaders Simon Wonga and William Barak.
4There Is No Other Law Central Australia (1878-1897)21 October 2008Explores the history of white settlement in Central Australia and the stories of homicidal police officer Constable Willshire, as he brings mayhem to the Arrernte nation. Authorities turn a blind eye before the telegraph operator Frank Gillen stops him.
5Unhealthy Government Experiment Western Australia (1897–1937)26 October 2008European settlement spreads to Western Australia and is met with much conflict as explored through the stories of Jandamarra. The Stolen Generations is explored through the stories of Chief Protector of Aborigines A. O. Neville and many children including Gladys Gilligan and many others.
6A Fair Deal for a Dark Race South-east Australia (1937–1967)28 October 2008Chronicles the beginnings of the Aboriginal rights movement, as explored through Yorta Yorta man, William Cooper and his foundation of the Australian Aborigines League in 1933. Also explores the Maralinga nuclear bomb tests in the 1950s and the life of AFL footballer Douglas Nicholls.
7We Are No Longer Shadows Queensland & Torres Strait Islands (1967–1992)2 November 2008Explores the story of Eddie Koiki Mabo and Aboriginal land rights in the late 20th century, and the high court overturn of the legal fiction of terra nullius which characterised Australian law with regards to land and title.

Production

The series was made by Film Australia and the Film Finance Corporation in conjunction with SBS Independent and the New South Wales Film and Television Office. It was written, produced and directed by Rachel Perkins, daughter of outspoken Aboriginal activist Charles Perkins, [1] with episode writing and directing credits including Beck Cole and Louis Nowra. The series was produced by Darren Dale. [4]

When SBS first came to ask me if I were interested in doing a major documentary series on Indigenous history I enthusiastically agreed although I had no idea what it would be. I approached my business partner Darren Dale, and he also readily agreed. All we knew is that it would be bigger than anything we had done before. In making First Australians it has been common for many to ask why hasn't this story been told? The truth is these stories have been told, at least in print, by the historians we feature in our series. There is more being written all the time and there is a substantial body of work to be found in good libraries if you have the interest. Although First Australians cannot hope to be as comprehensive as the work of these historians, it will provide the public (in the comfort of their own homes), a taste of the story that remains to be understood. Hopefully it will spark national interest in the people on whose lands we have made our homes.

— Rachel Perkins, Director/Writer/Producer, 2008

The series featured writer Bruce Pascoe and historians Marcia Langton and Janet McCalman. [5] [6] [7]

Community consultation

A significant part of the production of the series involved consultation with the descendants of the individuals portrayed in the documentary. According to the First Australians Documentary website, this involved; checking the content of scripts, usually face to face, seeking permission to film in particular locations, showing the rough cut of the film for comment and showing the film at fine cut. The series was made in accordance with Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) rights, to ensure the cultural content and the rights of Indigenous people.

Awards and nominations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deborah Mailman</span> Australian actress

Deborah Jane Mailman is an Australian television and film actress, and singer. Mailman is known for her characters: Kelly Lewis on the Australian drama series The Secret Life of Us, Cherie Butterfield in the Australian comedy-drama series Offspring, Lorraine in the Australian drama series Redfern Now and Aunt Linda in the Australian dystopian science fiction series Cleverman. Mailman portrayed the lead role of MP Alexandra "Alex" Irving on the Australian political drama series Total Control.

Mark Doyle, better known by his stage name Louis Nowra, is an Australian writer, playwright, screenwriter and librettist.

Blackfella is an informal term in Australian English to refer to Indigenous Australians, in particular Aboriginal Australians, most commonly among themselves.

<i>Radiance</i> (1998 film) 1998 Australian film

Radiance is a 1998 Australian independent film. It is the first feature film by Aboriginal director Rachel Perkins about three indigenous sisters who reunite for their mother's funeral. The film is based on the 1993 play written by Louis Nowra.

Screen Australia is the Australian Federal Government's key funding body for the Australian screen production industry, created under the Screen Australia Act 2008. From 1 July 2008 Screen Australia took over the functions of its predecessor agencies the Australian Film Commission (AFC), the Film Finance Corporation Australia (FFC) and Film Australia Limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Perkins</span> Australian filmmaker

Rachel Perkins is an Australian film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. She directed the films Radiance (1998), One Night the Moon (2001), Bran Nue Dae (2010), and Jasper Jones (2017). Perkins is an Arrernte and Kalkadoon woman from Central Australia, who was raised in Canberra by Aboriginal activist Charles Perkins and his wife Eileen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warwick Thornton</span> Australian film director

Warwick Thornton is an Australian film director, screenwriter, and cinematographer. His debut feature film Samson and Delilah won the Caméra d'Or at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and the award for Best Film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. He also won the Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Film in 2017 for Sweet Country.

<i>Redfern Now</i> Australian TV series or program

Redfern Now is an Australian drama television series that first aired on ABC1 in 2012. It follows the lives of six Aboriginal Australian families living in the urban hub of Redfern, Sydney. The series provides insight into contemporary issues facing Aboriginal Australians, including lack of employment and mental illness, which are positioned as direct ramifications of colonialisation and the Stolen Generations. Produced by Blackfella Films as part of the ABC's Indigenous Department, the show is the first series to be 'commissioned, written, acted and produced by Indigenous Australians'. f5 in The series' release contributes to widespread public debate surrounding Indigenous representation in the Australian media.

Mabo is an Australian docudrama TV film, released in 2012, which relates the successful legal battle waged by Torres Strait Islander man Eddie Koiki Mabo to bring about native land title legislation in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackfella Films</span> Australian film production company

Blackfella Films is an Australian documentary and narrative film production company is Sydney, founded in 1992 by Rachel Perkins. The company produces distinctive Australian short and feature-length content for film and television with a particular focus on Aboriginal Australian stories. Its productions have included the documentary series First Australians, the documentary The Tall Man, the television film Mabo, and the TV series Redfern Now.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Pascoe</span> Australian writer (born 1947)

Bruce Pascoe is an Australian writer of literary fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essays and children's literature. As well as his own name, Pascoe has written under the pen names Murray Gray and Leopold Glass. Pascoe identifies as Aboriginal. Since August 2020, he has been Enterprise Professor in Indigenous Agriculture at the University of Melbourne.

<i>The Tall Man</i> (2011 film) 2011 Australian film

The Tall Man is a 2011 Australian documentary film directed by Tony Krawitz. It is about the death of Cameron "Mulrunji" Doomadgee in police custody on Great Palm Island, Palm Islands, Queensland on 19 November 2004.

<i>Grace Beside Me</i> Australian television series

Grace Beside Me is an Australian fantasy drama television series for children which premiered on NITV on 16 February 2018 and later aired on ABC Me. The series is based on the novel Grace Beside Me, by Sue McPherson, and was filmed in the Scenic Rim Region in South East Queensland. The television adaptation was produced by a team composed entirely of women, including Aboriginal screenwriters.

Dr Keith Vincent Smith is an Australian writer, historian and journalist. He has become a notable specialist on early Sydney and indigenous Australians of the Sydney area, including the lives of the Eora peoples, Bungaree, and Bennelong.

Sally Riley is an Australian filmmaker, writer, producer and media executive, as of 2021 Head of Scripted Production at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

Message Sticks Festival, also known for some time as Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival, was an arts festival celebrating the culture of Aboriginal Australians, based at the Sydney Opera House, between 1999 and 2013. It focused on film for several years, but music, theatre and dance were also showcased. The festival was succeeded by Homeground in 2014.

Darren Dale is an Indigenous Australian film and television producer. Since joining Blackfella Films as a producer in 2001, he is as of 2021 co-director of the company, along with founder Rachel Perkins. Dale is known for co-producing many films and television series with Miranda Dear since 2010, with their most recent collaboration being the second season of Total Control.

Beck Cole is an Australian filmmaker of the Warramungu and Luritja nations. She is known for her work on numerous TV series, including First Australians, Grace Beside Me, Black Comedy and Wentworth, as well as documentaries and short films. She is based in Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory.

Steven McGregor is an Australian filmmaker, known for his work on Redfern Now, Black Comedy, Sweet Country, and numerous documentaries, including My Brother Vinnie.

<i>The Australian Wars</i> 2022 Australian TV documentary series

The Australian Wars is a three-part 2022 documentary series about the Australian frontier wars by Indigenous Australian filmmaker Rachel Perkins made for SBS Television. Using interviews, re-enactments, archaeological research, and original documents, it explores massacres in Sydney, Tasmania and Queensland.

References

  1. 1 2 Unearthing our first voices, The Canberra Times, 14 October 2008
  2. ↑ Stanner, W.E.H. (1968). The Boyer Lectures 1968: After the Dreaming, p. 27. The Australian Broadcasting Commission, Sydney.
  3. ↑ "About". Blackfella Films. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  4. ↑ First Australians at IMDb OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  5. ↑ "Bruce Pascoe". Austlit. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  6. ↑ "First Australians – Episode 1, They Have Come to Stay (2008) [Principal credits]". Australian Screen. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  7. ↑ "First Australians – Episode 1, They Have Come toStay (2008) [videoclip + text]". Australian Screen. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  8. ↑ "The Australian Film Institute | Ceremony Winners". Afi.org.au. Archived from the original on 7 March 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.