Mabo (film)

Last updated

Mabo
Directed by Rachel Perkins
Written by Sue Smith
Produced by Darren Dale
Miranda Dear
Starring Jimi Bani
Deborah Mailman
Ewen Leslie
Colin Friels
Miranda Otto
Damien Garvey
Tom Budge
Felix Williamson
Leon Ford
Lasarus Ratuere
Edited byRochelle Oshlack
Music byAntony Partos
Production
companies
ABC
Blackfella Films
Screen Queensland
Screen NSW
Release date
  • 9 June 2012 (2012-06-09)(Australia)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish

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.

Contents

Synopsis

Mabo tells the story of one of Australia's national heroes - Eddie Koiki Mabo, the Torres Strait Islander man who left school at age 15, yet spearheaded the High Court challenge that overthrew the fiction of terra nullius . [1]

Cast

Production

The film was written by Sue Smith, directed by Rachel Perkins and produced by Darren Dale and Miranda Dear, all of Blackfella Films, with the assistance of the ABC and SBS. [2] It was filmed at Mer Island in the Torres Strait, Townsville, Brisbane and Canberra. [3]

Release

It premiered at the Sydney Film Festival 2012. [2] [4]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Cook University</span> Public university in North Queensland, Australia

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Edward Koiki Mabo was an Indigenous Australian man from the Torres Strait Islands known for his role in campaigning for Indigenous land rights in Australia, in particular the landmark decision of the High Court of Australia that recognised that indigenous rights to land had continued after the British Crown acquired sovereignty and that the international law doctrine of terra nullius was not applicable to Australian domestic law. High court judges considering the case Mabo v Queensland found in favour of Mabo, which led to the Native Title Act 1993 and established native title in Australia, officially recognising the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torres Strait Islanders</span> Ethnic group of Australia

Torres Strait Islanders are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia, they are often grouped with them as Indigenous Australians. Today there are many more Torres Strait Islander people living in mainland Australia than on the Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murray Island, Queensland</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

Murray Island in the Torres Strait Island Region, Queensland, Australia. The island is part of the Murray Island Group in the Torres Strait. The town is on the island's northwest coast and within the locality of Mer Island. The island is of volcanic origin, the most easterly inhabited island of the Torres Strait Islands archipelago, just north of the Great Barrier Reef. The name Meer/Mer/Maer comes from the native Meriam language. In the 2016 census, Murray Island had a population of 453.

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Ernestine Bonita Mabo, was an Australian educator and activist for Aboriginal Australians, Torres Strait Islanders, and Australian South Sea Islanders. She was the wife of Eddie Mabo until his death in 1992.

Mabo Day is a commemorative day that occurs annually on 3 June. It is an official holiday in the Torres Shire, and occurs during National Reconciliation Week in Australia.

Jimi Bani is an Indigenous Australian actor, known for his portrayal of land rights activist Eddie Mabo in the 2012 tele-movie Mabo, several television series, and theatre performances.

The 2012 Deadly Awards were hosted by Luke Carroll and Casey Donovan at the Sydney Opera House on 25 September 2012. Jessica Mauboy and opera singer Deborah Cheetham performed at the ceremony. The Awards program were broadcast on nationally on SBS One on 30 September 2012. The event was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackfella Films</span>

Blackfella Films is a Sydney-based documentary and narrative production company, 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.

<i>Mabo: Life of an Island Man</i> 1997 film by Trevor Graham

Mabo: Life of an Island Man is a 1997 Australian documentary film on the life of Indigenous Australian land rights campaigner Eddie Koiki Mabo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queensland Coast Islands Declaratory Act 1985</span>

The Queensland Coast Islands Declaratory Act 1985 was an Act of the Parliament of Queensland, the intent of which was to retroactively abolish native title claims by Torres Strait Islanders to islands off the coast of Queensland, specifically Murray Island. It was passed in response to court proceedings started by the Torres Strait Meriam people led by Eddie Koiki Mabo, who were attempting to have their land claims recognised by the common law. The Act was condemned by supporters of the Indigenous Australian civil rights movement. The act was overturned in the 1988 Mabo v Queensland High Court case, which found it inconsistent with the Racial Discrimination Act 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mau Power</span> Hip-hop artist from Torres Strait

Mau Power, born Patrick James Mau, is a hip hop artist from Thursday Island in the Torres Strait and is the first Australian rapper to tour from this region. He is also the founder and executive director of One Blood Hidden Image, the first Torres Strait independent record distribution label, film production and media company.

Saibo Mabo was an Australian bishop in the Anglican Church of Australia. He served as an assistant bishop in the Anglican Diocese of North Queensland from 2002 to 2015, and as National Bishop to the Torres Strait Islander people during that time.

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.

Gail Mabo is an Australian visual artist who has had her work exhibited across Australia. She is the daughter of land rights campaigner Eddie Mabo and educator and activist Bonita Mabo. She was formerly a dancer and choreographer.

References

  1. "Mabo's story of sacrifice and love to premiere at festival". The Sydney Morning Herald . 9 May 2012.
  2. 1 2 Dalton, Kim Speech: Mabo Premiere, Sydney Film Festival 2012, 7 June 2012, at ABC TV Blog
  3. "Mabo". Creative Spirits. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  4. Dale, D., Perkins, R. Mabo at Sydney Film Festival 2012