The Australian Wars

Last updated

The Australian Wars
The Australian Wars.jpg
GenreDocumentary
Created by Rachel Perkins
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes3
Original release
Network SBS, NITV
ReleaseSeptember 2022 (2022-09)

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

Contents

The series received positive reviews, with a number of people calling it "essential viewing" for Australians. However, others have criticised it as exaggerating the number of Aboriginal deaths and promoting a political agenda. In response to the series, the Australian War Memorial announced it would work towards great inclusion of the violence against Indigenous people in its exhibitions. The series won the 2023 Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Factual or Documentary Program.

Production

The series was directed and narrated by Rachel Perkins, a filmmaker of Arrernte and Kalkadoon lineage. [1] It was produced by Blackfella Films for SBS, with investment from Screen Australia and financial support from Shark Island Foundation and Screen NSW. [2] [3] Perkins changed the title from First Wars after filming. [4] Blackfella Films and SBS collaborated with an Aboriginal-led organisation called Culture is Life to publish educational resources using short clips from the series. [5]

Release

The series aired simultaneously on SBS and National Indigenous Television in September 2022. [2] It was made available to stream on demand in Simplified Chinese, Arabic, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean, as well as English. [5]

The Australian Wars was released internationally as First Wars. [6] In November 2023, the series premiered in the United Kingdom on BBC Four. [6]

Summary

The series traces the Australian frontier wars from the landing of the First Fleet in 1788 until the 1920s. [7] It explores the phases, locations and features of the wars, seeking to understand the tactics and strategies employed by both British and Aboriginal people, and asking why war was never declared. [1] It focuses particularly on Aboriginal resistance to settlement, [7] and explores the lives of those involved in the wars, as well as its impact and legacy on Australia today [2] and what has been called "the great Australian silence" about many of the massacres. [8] The first episode focuses on events in and around Sydney, the second episode solely on Tasmania, and the final episode looks at the formation of the native police corps in Queensland. [9]

The series weaves together interviews with indigenous and non-indigenous historians including Marcia Langton and Henry Reynolds, re-enactments of events, study of colonial records, oral testimony from survivors' descendants and archaeological research. [1] [9] [10] It includes investigation of the wars' impact on Aboriginal women, and their sexual exploitation. [4] Perkins also revisited her own family's story, returning to the location of the massacre her grandmother survived on Arrernte Country in the Northern Territory, and including testimony from her grandmother recorded in the 1970s. [11] [9]

Reception

Writing for The Conversation , Anne Maree Payne and Heidi Norman called the series "an important contribution to truth-telling" and a "public reckoning", [1] while Ethan Floyd in Honi Soit called it "a crucial milestone in the process of truth-telling". [7] The Guardian's Beejay Silcox called it "a hymn to memory – a work of candour, dignity and humane grace." [12] Reece Goodwin, film and TV curator at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, named it in his five favourite TV shows of 2022, saying it "should be essential viewing for all Australians". [13]

However it was criticised in some quarters for its content. Chris Battle, writing for Quadrant , called the series "propaganda on the taxpayer dollar". [14] Author Peter O'Brien called "a new myth" the claim "that the Aborigines [ sic ] fought a series of sustained wars of resistance". [15]

The series calls on the Australian War Memorial, who had previously rejected including the frontier wars in its exhibitions, [1] to acknowledge and recognise those who died during the conflicts. [11] In an episode of the series, the War Memorial's director Matt Anderson says it was conceived to represent military activity overseas, not within Australia. [16] [9] A week after the series premiered, however, the War Memorial's outgoing chair, former government minister Brendan Nelson, announced the Memorial's governing council would work towards a "much broader, a much deeper depiction and presentation of the violence committed against Indigenous people, initially by British, then by pastoralists, then by police, and then by Aboriginal militia". [11] [17] In response to the announcement, Perkins said, "In the making of our series, we worked closely with the War Memorial ... [but] I never saw this coming. I thought, 'Maybe in a generation'... but not right now ... It is a watershed moment in Australian history. It can't be underestimated, the change that this heralds." [18] Liberal senator Matt Canavan argued that the proposal is beyond the charter of the War Memorial under the Australian War Memorial Act; however, Anderson said the War Memorial has discretion to do so, and has previously included galleries covering "colonial" battles. [19]

Ratings

The premiere episode on 21 September 2022 was SBS' highest-rated program with 154,000 viewers overnight. [20] The final episode on 5 October had a viewing audience of 147,000 on overnight ratings, rising to 335,000 on daily consolidated ratings. [21]

Awards and nominations

The series won Best Documentary/Factual Series at the 3rd Australian International Documentary Conference Awards in March 2023, [22] with the jury statement saying "From the opening minutes, we all agreed that The Australian Wars stood out as a superbly crafted piece of television. But as those opening minutes went by, it quickly became apparent how such masterful craftsmanship was serving a story of far-reaching significance." [23]

The Australian Wars won the Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Factual or Documentary Program, an award chosen by a television industry jury, at the Logie Awards of 2023. [24]

Casting director Anousha Zarkesh won the 2022 Casting Guild of Australia Award for 'Achievement in Casting' for the series. [25] The script, by Jacob Hickey, Rachel Perkins and Don Watson, was shortlisted for the Betty Roland Prize for Scriptwriting at the 2023 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards. [26]

Perkins and Reynolds were jointly awarded the 2022 Annual History Citation Award by the History Council of New South Wales "for their outstanding contributions to the research, writing and filmmaking of Australian (Frontier) Wars history and for communicating history to broad audiences." [27] The film was a finalist for the 2023 Screen Diversity and Inclusion (SDIN) Award at the 21st Annual Screen Producers Australia Awards. [28]

Episode 1 won the 2023 Digital History Prize, New South Wales Premier's History Awards, recognising the work of Perkins, Darren Dale, Hickey and Watson and Blackfella Films. [29]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Grant (journalist)</span> Australian journalist (born 1963)

Stan Grant is an Australian journalist, writer and radio and television presenter, since the 1990s. He has written and spoken on Indigenous issues and his Aboriginal identity. He is a Wiradjuri man.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Indigenous Television</span> Australian television channel

National Indigenous Television (NITV) is an Australian free-to-air television channel that broadcasts programming produced and presented largely by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It includes the six-day-a-week NITV News Update, with programming including other news and current affairs programmes, sports coverage, entertainment for children and adults, films and documentaries covering a range of topics. Its primary audience is Indigenous Australians, but many non-Indigenous people tune in to learn more about the history of and issues affecting the country's First Nations peoples.

First Australians is a seven-part Australian historical documentary TV series produced by Blackfella Films over the course of six years, and first aired on SBS TV in October 2008. A book was published to accompany the series.

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

Rachel Perkins is an Indigenous Australian film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. She founded and was co-director of the independent film production company Blackfella Films from 1992 until 2022. Perkins and the company were responsible for producing First Australians (2008), an award-winning documentary series that remains the highest-selling educational title in Australia, and which Perkins regards as her most important work. She directed the films Radiance (1998), One Night the Moon (2001), Bran Nue Dae (2009), the courtroom drama telemovie Mabo (2012), and Jasper Jones (2017). The acclaimed television drama series Redfern Now was made by Blackfella Films, and Perkins directed two episodes as well as the feature-length conclusion to the series, Promise Me (2015).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malarndirri McCarthy</span> Indigenous Australian politician and journalist

Malarndirri Barbara Anne McCarthy is an Indigenous Australian politician and former journalist who has been a Senator for the Northern Territory since 2016. She is the Minister for Indigenous Australians in the Albanese Government since 29 July 2024. She previously served in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly.

<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> 2012 Australian TV series or program

Redfern Now is an Australian drama television series featuring the lives of Aboriginal Australian families living in Redfern, Sydney, that first aired on ABC1 in 2012. A second season followed in 2013, and the series concluded with a feature-length telemovie, Redfern Now: Promise Me, in April 2015. The series' release contributed to widespread public debate surrounding Indigenous representation in the Australian media, and both series as well as the film were nominated for and won many awards.

Hetti Kemerre Perkins is an Aboriginal Australian art curator and writer. She is known for her work at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, where she was the senior curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art at the gallery from around 1998 until 2011, and for many significant exhibitions and projects.

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

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

First Contact is an Australian reality television documentary series that aired on SBS One, SBS Two and NITV from November 2014. A second season aired in 2016. The show, produced by Blackfella Films and presented by Ray Martin, takes six European Australians on a journey across Australia, challenging their preconceived ideas about Indigenous Australians. In the second season, the non-Indigenous participants are all well-known Australians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Indigenous Human Rights Awards</span> Australian annual Indigenous awards

The National Indigenous Human Rights Awards are annual Australian awards that recognise the contribution of Indigenous Australians to human rights and social justice. The ceremony takes place in Sydney, New South Wales.

<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.

Thalu is an Australian children's post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama television series made for National Indigenous Television (NITV) and ABC Me, broadcast in April 2020. All cast members are Indigenous Australians, and the children are first-time actors. There are guest appearances by seasoned actors Elaine Crombie, Trisha Morton-Thomas, and Hunter Page-Lochard. It was filmed in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

Erica Glynn is an Indigenous Australian filmmaker, known for directing, producing and writing documentaries and other films.

Darren Dale is an Indigenous Australian film and television producer. He joined film production company Blackfella Films as a producer and later co-director, and as of August 2024 is managing director. 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.

Firebite is an Australian drama/horror television series featuring vampires created by Warwick Thornton and Brendan Fletcher. A co-production between See-Saw Films and AMC Studios, the series premiered on AMC+ on 16 December 2021 and ran for 8 episodes until 3 February 2022. It stars Rob Collins, Shantae Barnes-Cowan, Yael Stone, and Callan Mulvey.

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.

Jub Clerc, also known as Suzanne Jub Clerc, is a Indigenous Australian actor, playwright, film director, and screenwriter. She has worked in film and television since the early 2000s and has also worked in theatre. She is best known for her 2022 debut feature Sweet As.

Dena Curtis is an Australian film producer and director. She is known for writing and directing several short films, and directed the first series of ABC Television comedy series 8MMM Aboriginal Radio in 2015. She co-developed and co- produced the 2018 children's TV series Grace Beside Me, and co-produced the documentary series First Weapons (2023) and Firebite (2024). She is the owner of production company Inkey Media in Brisbane, Queensland.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Payne, Anne Maree; Norman, Heidi (21 September 2022). "In The Australian Wars, Rachel Perkins dispenses with the myth Aboriginal people didn't fight back". The Conversation . Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "Filmmaker Rachel Perkins reveals the truth of The Australian Wars — the battles fought on home soil". NITV. 25 August 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  3. ↑ "'It's time for a reckoning. Are we ready to face the past that made our country what it is today?'". SBS. 26 August 2022. Archived from the original on 22 January 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  4. 1 2 Salem, Merryana (28 October 2022). "In 'The Australia Wars', Filmmaker Rachel Perkins Wants Us To Own 'Australian' Violence". Junkee. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  5. 1 2 Perry, Kevin (21 September 2022). "Confront the history that shaped our nation in new series THE AUSTRALIAN WARS tonight on SBS". TV Blackbox. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Award-winning documentary series The Australian Wars acquired for UK audiences". ABC Content Sales. 9 November 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 Floyd, Ethan (17 October 2022). "'The Australian Wars' on SBS: A reckoning with forgotten history". Honi Soit. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  8. ↑ Dumas, Daisy (26 September 2022). ""I was angry that my ancestors were part of the white-washing of history"". SBS. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Dow, Steve (19 September 2022). "'They are burning with a desire for justice': Rachel Perkins on Australia's genocidal past". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  10. ↑ "Reconciliation in Action:The Frontier Wars". Shepparton News. 20 November 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 Ross, Isabella (5 October 2022). "Rachel Perkins knew her family's history was confronting. But recently, she uncovered the full truth". MamaMia. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  12. ↑ Silcox, Beejay (29 December 2022). "The Tourist, Byron Baes, Muster Dogs and more: the 14 best Australian TV shows of 2022". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  13. ↑ Landy, Samantha (2 January 2023). "ACMI expert reveals 2022 film and TV show recommendations". Herald Sun. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  14. ↑ Battle, Chris (26 September 2022). "Propaganda on the Taxpayer Dollar". Quadrant Online. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  15. ↑ O'Brien, Peter (11 October 2022). "Hands off our Australian War Memorial!". Spectator Australia. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  16. ↑ Knowles, Rachael (23 September 2022). "Senator open to including frontier wars in Australian War Memorial". NITV. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  17. ↑ Karvelas, Patricia (2 October 2022). "The Australian War Memorial's promise of a 'deeper depiction' of the frontier wars signals an important new chapter". ABC. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  18. ↑ Butler, Dan (30 September 2022). "Rachel Perkins welcomes War Memorial's expansion of frontier conflicts exhibits". NITV. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  19. ↑ Tomevska, Sara (9 November 2022). "Budget for Frontier Wars gallery at Australian War Memorial revealed". SBS News. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  20. ↑ Thomas, Trent (23 September 2022). "TV Ratings September 21 & 22: The Block continues to build a solid audience for Nine". Media Week. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  21. ↑ Molk, Steve (6 October 2022). "Wednesday Ratings:THE REAL LOVE BOAT AUSTRALIA sinks as it casts off". TV Blackbox. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  22. ↑ Keast, Jackie (8 March 2023). "'Wash My Soul in the River's Flow', 'The Australian Wars' win AIDC Awards". IF.com.au. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  23. ↑ "AIDC 2023 Award Winners Announced". AIDC. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  24. ↑ Kelly, Vivienne (30 July 2023). "2023 Logie Award Winners". Variety. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  25. ↑ "Casting Guild of Australia crowns winners of 8th annual CGA Awards". Media Week. 5 December 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  26. ↑ "The Australian Wars". State Library of NSW. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  27. ↑ "Annual History Awards 2022 Winners Announced". History Council NSW. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  28. ↑ "Annual SDIN Award Finalists Announced". Screen Diversity Inclusion Network. 6 April 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  29. ↑ "NSW Premier's History Awards". State Library of NSW. 25 March 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
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.