Cirrus@Austlit

'A cinematic reinvention of Archie Roach and the late Ruby Hunter’s 2004 award-winning concert – a fertile music collaboration with Paul Grabowsky and the Australian Art Orchestra.

'In 2004, Ruby and Archie worked with Grabowsky and the Australian Art Orchestra to create the seminal concert Kura Tungar: Songs from the River. Ruby was born on the banks of the Murray, home to the Ngarrindjeri people for thousands of years. As a child, she was forcibly taken from her family under the government's assimilation policy. Years later she met Archie, another member of the Stolen Generation, at a Salvation Army drop-in centre. The story of their lives, as told through their music and lively yarns, celebrates country and culture, resilience, and family. Philippa Bateman's lovingly crafted film threads together footage of rehearsals and opening night with stunning images of the Murray. A fittingly cinematic and spiritual tribute to two much-loved Australian performers, executive produced by Indigenous singer-songwriter Emma Donovan.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'I’M WANITA is the story of a renegade country music singer and her odyssey to live out her childhood dreams to be a country and western star. Twenty-five years ago Wanita arrived in Tamworth, Australia’s country music mecca, with stars in her eyes. Today, the self-crowned "Australia's Queen Of Honky Tonk”, is still waiting for the recognition she knows she deserves. Rough-talking, hard-drinking and committed to the sound and stars of country music from a by-gone era, Wanita feels shut out by the mainstream country scene. Deciding to record an album in Nashville, Wanita assembles an unlikely team: fellow musicians Gleny Rae and Archer. As she follows in the footsteps of her Honky Tonk idols, the trio discover Wanita’s demons have travelled with them – it might be harder than they thought ensuring Wanita turns up for her date with destiny.'

Source: Screen Australia.

'From shy country kid to two-time Brownlow medallist and Australian of the Year, Goodes is an inspiration to many. The footy field was where he thrived; the only place where the colour of his skin was irrelevant. Goodes’ world fell apart when he became the target of racial abuse during a game, which spiralled into public backlash against him. He spoke out about racism when Australia was not ready to hear the ugly truth, retiring quietly from AFL heartbroken.

'Using the stunning athleticism of Goodes at the peak of his powers as well as the game itself as the film’s backdrop, THE AUSTRALIAN DREAM prompts questions about Australia’s relationship with racism and its ability to confront its own past. This compelling, provocative and cinematic film uses interviews from both sides of the debate to ask probing and fundamental questions about what it means to be Australian and what it takes for any individual to stand up for what they truly believe in. Featuring Goodes and all the key players from his story, including Grant, Michael O’Loughlin, Brett Goodes, Natalie Goodes, Tracey Holmes, Nova Peris, Nicky Winmar, Gilbert McAdam, Linda Burney, Paul Roos, John Longmire, Nathan Buckley, Eddie McGuire and Andrew Bolt, THE AUSTRALIAN DREAM is also a deeply personal and comprehensive exploration of Goodes’ own journey which saw him retreat from everyday life only to return determined to rise above the ugliness he had been forced to confront.

'The Australian Dream is something people reach for and many people obtain, but there’s an emptiness at the heart of it because Australia has not resolved the questions of its history. If the Australian Dream is rooted in racism, what can be done to redefine it for the next generation?' (Production summary)