Indigenous drama

31 titles - sorted alphabetically / by year

Dramas written and directed by Indigenous people.

B

BeDevil (feature film – 1993)

BeDevil, a trilogy of ghost stories, uses myth interwoven with living memory to evoke a sense of place. Told in three parts – 'Mr Chuck’, ...

Beneath Clouds (feature film – 2002)

A visually poetic feature film about two youths who in trying to find themselves, momentarily find each other on the road to Sydney.

Black Talk (short film – 2002)

A short drama about two cousins Tim (Russell Page) and Scott (Laurence Clifford) who are temporarily reunited when city-based Tim returns to visit his family.

C

Confessions of a Headhunter (short film – 2000)

A drama about two Indigenous men – Frank (Bruce Hutchinson) and Vinnie (Kelton Pell) – who seek revenge for the repeated beheading of the statue ...

D

The Djarn Djarns (short film – 2005)

A short drama about a group of Indigenous boys who become each other’s family following the death of Franky’s (Hunter Page) father.

F

Flat (short film – 2002)

A short drama about the day in a life of a young teenager, who captures Alice Springs through a video camera given to her by ...

From Sand to Celluloid – Black Man Down (short film – 1996)

An experimental short drama about Aboriginal deaths in custody.

From Sand to Celluloid – No Way to Forget (short film – 1996)

A short film that uses flashback to tell the story of Shane Francis’ (David Ngoombujarra) close encounters with the spirit and secular worlds during his ...

From Sand to Celluloid – Payback (short film – 1996)

A short drama about payback, the Indigenous traditional law system. After 20 years, Paddy (George Djilaynga) is released from jail into tribal law.

From Sand to Celluloid – Round Up (short film – 1995)

A short drama about two stockmen, one Indigenous and one not, who are caught up in racial conflict. Desi Little (Gary Cooper) and Hugo Hutton ...

From Sand to Celluloid – Two Bob Mermaid (short film – 1996)

A short drama, set in the 1950s, about an Aboriginal girl Koorin (Carrie Prosser) who is fair skinned and gains access to the local swimming ...

G

Green Bush (short film – 2005)

A short film about an Indigenous radio DJ who struggles to keep his community functioning. Kenny (David Page) does the nightshift at a remote radio ...

H

Harry’s War (short film – 2000)

Harry Saunders (David Ngoombujarra) prepares to go to fight for his country in the Second World War, but his fight is also for the rights ...

M

Mimi (short film – 2002)

A short drama about a young Western art collector who gets more than she’s bargained for when she purchases Indigenous art pieces that include a ...

N

Nice Coloured Girls (short film – 1987)

This short film is about three Indigenous women and their night out at Kings Cross.

Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy (short film – 1989)

A short experimental film shot totally in a studio, it is about the relationship between an Aboriginal daughter and her white mother. The daughter, now ...

O

One Night the Moon (feature film – 2001)

One Night the Moon is a film based on events that took place in 1932, about a young girl who goes missing on the night ...

P

Plains Empty (short film – 2005)

An enthralling drama about a young married woman who, left alone in the mining fields, encounters a ghost of the past.

Q

Queen of Hearts (short feature – 2003)

A short feature film about the relationship between a granddaughter and grandmother, following the journey of the granddaughter and how she deals with her grandmother’s ...

R

Road (short film – 2000)

A drama that depicts one night in Sydney, where chance occurrences and luck collide, taxi cabs become predatory and all roads lead to the beach.

S

Sa Black Thing (short film – 2005)

A romantic comedy about a young corporate businessman whose computer is taken by a woman he offends on the beach.

Saturday Night, Sunday Morning (short film – 1999)

A short film based on a story by Archie Weller, Saturday Night, Sunday Morning is the story of a robbery gone wrong, an unplanned kidnapping ...

Shifting Sands – Grace (short film – 1998)

A short drama about a woman (Justine Saunders) who returns to Cairns for the burial of her sister.

Shifting Sands – My Bed Your Bed (short film – 1998)

A young couple promised in marriage to each other as children, now move in together and the courtship truly begins.

Shifting Sands – Passing Through (short film – 1998)

A drama about a young family who pass through a town that isn’t quite what it seems.

Shifting Sands – Promise (short film – 1997)

A short drama about a grandmother’s tale of her promise marriage.

Shifting Sands – Tears (short film – 1997)

A short drama from Ivan Sen about two teenagers Lena (Jamilla Frail) and Vaughn (Luke Carroll) who want to get off the 'mish’ – or ...

Shit Skin (short film – 2002)

A short drama about a young man who takes his grandmother back to the place of her childhood so that she may reconnect with her ...

Snake Dreaming (short film – 2002)

A short drama written and performed by Indigenous children about the Stolen Generations. Snake Dreaming is part of the Nganampa Anwernekenhe series produced by Central ...

T

Turn Around (short film – 2002)

A romantic comedy about a young man who fantasises about a liaison with a stranger, yet fails to see the real woman before him.

W

Wind (short film – 1999)

A short drama about the relationship between a black tracker and his 'boss’. They are tracking an Aboriginal man accused of murder.

australian screen