Shifting Shelter 4
Acclaimed filmmaker Ivan Sen follows the lives of four young Aboriginal people in rural northwest NSW. This is the fourth instalment in the lives of Cindy, Danielle, Ben and Willie. Shifting Shelter 4 is a powerfully poignant insight into the lives of these four characters, who all have children now and are in their mid 30s.
From the ‘coming of age’ teenagers full of hopes and dreams in the first Shifting Shelter back in 1995, to today’s adults dealing with the harsher realities of life and raising their own families, Shifting Shelter 4 is an extraordinary project.
Here I Am
Director Beck Cole’s new movie Here I Am, explores the strength and resilience of women, through three generations.
Fresh out of prison, beautiful yet complex Karen is a young woman with a burning desire to turn her life around for good. On her release from prison she eventually finds shelter at Temple House – a safe haven for Aboriginal women. With the support of her new family of friends Karen begins reconnecting with her estranged mother and daughter and faces the difficult truth that sometimes the most important person to forgive is yourself.
Mad Bastards
A film about manhood in Aboriginal Australia that is confronting, tender, entertaining and meaningful. The plot grew out of interviews Director Brendan Fletcher conducted in the Kimberley with various local people, and some of those people also ended up playing roles in the movie.
Shooting took place over a couple of years, with a series of script-readings and consultations aimed at keeping it real. It worked: the film’s sense of reality is its greatest asset. It brings various aspects of Aboriginal life into perspective with a raw, gritty script that’s combined with heartfelt acting inspired by personal experiences.
Jandamarra’s War
Director Mitch Torres first heard the story of Jandamarra from her grandfather and it has fascinated her ever since. Jandamarra’s War is the story of an Australian Aboriginal man who led a rebellion against invading pastoralists in the latter part of the 19th century.
This 55-minute documentary, also written by Mitch Torres, was based on the book Jandamarra and the Bunuba Resistance by Howard Pedersen and Banjo Woorunmurra. Jandamarra’s War is fashioned as a factually based, ripping yarn.
Toomelah
Toomelah is a full-length motion picture by acclaimed director Ivan Sen and stars Toomelah Primary School Year 5 student Daniel Connors.
The story centres on 10-year-old Daniel, who dreams of being a gangster. He is kicked out of school and befriends a local gang leader, until a rival gangster arrives back from jail to reclaim his turf.
A showdown ensues and Daniel is caught in the middle, leaving him with a choice to make about his uncertain future. The film is set entirely in the remote Indigenous community of Toomelah, located on the NSW/Qld border.
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