Film

Your Deadly Guide To What To Watch This NAIDOC Week

One of the best ways to enjoy NAIDOC Week during COVID is by watching things.

by Merryana Salem  6 July 2021
NAIDOC

Want more Junkee in your life? Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook so you always know where to find us.

Happy NAIDOC week! This year’s theme is Heal Country. Healing Country is all about understanding, appreciating and respecting the lands we live on and the responsibilities of traditional custodianship. It is about reflecting on what was taken and what must be done to set things right.

There are plenty non-Indigenous allies can do to help First Nations people heal like supporting First Nations owned businesses, donating to Indigenous funds and charities, and educating yourself about First Nations peoples.

And if you’re anything like me (a big ol’ movie and TV addict), another thing you can do is support First Nations made media. So, here are some suggestions for things to watch this week that align with the theme Heal Country.

History Bites Back

In this NITV special, documentary meets the comedy skit as Anmatyerr woman, Trisha Morton-Thomas exercises her “right of reply” to the ignorant about Indigenous history perpetrated on social media. The all-star cast includes Black Comedy’s Elaine Crombie and Steven Oliver re-enacting historical scenes a la Horrible Histories style. Catch it on 11th July 8:30pm on NITV.

Dark Place

If horror is more your style, I can’t recommend Dark Place on ABC iView enough. Dark Place is a collection of short horror films by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander filmmakers and let me tell you, they’re not for the faint of heart. Stream Dark Place for free on iView.

The Whole Table

Hosted by Jabirr Jabirr and Bardi legend, Shari Sebbens (The Sapphires, Top End Wedding), The Whole Table is a panel show like ABC’s Q&A but, well, Blak-er. Sebbens hosts top guests including Taika Waititi, Nakkiah Lui, Miranda Tapsel and many other deadly Indigenous voices in a groundbreaking all-Indigenous panel series. Stream all episodes on SBS On Demand.

Satellite Boy

There are a lot of beautiful First Nations films that sublimely suit this year’s theme of heal country, but one close to my heart is Satellite Boy. Directed by Gunai Kurnai woman, Catriona McKenzie, Satellite Boy follows 12-year-old Pete (Cameron Wallaby) and his best mate, Kalmain (Joseph Pedley) as they adventure across wild Country to save their land from a local mining company. But even in the darkest times, these young boys learn that the land always protects and provides. Stream on Netflix.

Uncle Jack Charles On Who Do You Think You Are?

Personally, I am PUMPED for this. Uncle Jack Charles is an activist and screen legend. If his episode of Who Do You Think You Are? is half as deadly as him, it’ll be unforgettable. A survivor of the Stolen Generations, Charles seeks to finally learn the identity of his father.

“I haven’t found who my father is, and that is part of the missing jigsaw, the puzzle, that doesn’t make me complete within myself,” he told SBS. Stream it on SBS on Demand on Tuesday the 6th of July.

Wrong Kind Of Black

Based on his true story, Wrong Kind of Black is a delightfully deadly mini-series about activist and educator Boori Monty Pryor set against the 1970s. At the height of the afros, flares, and disco, Pryor was the hottest DJ in Melbourne; facing Australia’s tumultuous racial attitudes with a groovy attitude, and the truth that our past isn’t so different from now. Stream it on Netflix.

In My Blood It Runs

This gently intimate documentary celebrates the journey of 10-yr-old Arrernte Aboriginal boy Dujuan as he grows up Alice Springs. The documentary shows why it’s vital for Aboriginal peoples to have autonomy over our education systems. Directed by Maya Newell, the cinematography is stunning.

Stream it on ABC iView, Kanopy, and Netflix.

Total Control

If political thrillers are your thing, Total Control is top tier content thriving on the tensions between how non-Indigenous politicians think of this country and how Indigenous politicians do. Produced by Blackfella Films and starring the incredible Deborah Mailman, Total Control follows fearless Indigenous senator Alex Irving as she finds herself toe-to-toe with Canberra’s cunning politics.

A second series is due later this year and I am practically counting down the minutes.

In the meantime, stream series one on iView.

Sweet Country

When I die my gravestone will literally read, “please, watch Sweet Country.” Kaytetye director, Warwick Thornton’s brutal post-Federation Western is inspired by the true story of Willaberta Jack, the first Aboriginal man acquitted of killing a white man. Breathtaking cinematography abounds, despite the brutality of the story. In my humble opinion, it’s one of the best Australian films ever made.

Stream it on Netflix.

Our Law

Our Law is a short documentary about the first-ever Indigenous-run police station in Warakurna, Western Australia made by Indigenous filmmaker, Cornel Ozies. Police brutality and racial discrimination within law enforcement have always disproportionately affected Indigenous peoples. Our Law presents one possible way to begin addressing those issues by granting First Nations peoples autonomy to protect and police our own communities.

Stream on ABC iView and Netflix.

Nightwalkers

For fans of What We Do In The Shadows, Nightwalkers blends comedy horror to tell the story of two vampire-slaying sisters trying to stop the Vampire Apocalypse happening in Western Sydney. Co-created by Cabrogal woman Bee Cruse, Cruse also stars as a troublemaking enigmatic vampire.

Nightwalkers is deadly fun in more ways than one and is streaming free on ABC iView.

This is in no way an exhaustive list of all the deadly First Nations content that’s out there. These are just some of the titles from Indigenous creatives worth celebrating with a binge this NAIDOC.

Happy watching, happy NAIDOC, and remember, this always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

Merryana Salem (they/she) is a proud Wonnarua and Lebanese–Australian writer, critic, teacher and podcaster on most social media as @akajustmerry. If you want, check out their podcast, GayV Club where they gush about LGBTIQ rep in media. Either way, she hopes you ate something nice today.