Kanopy Kanopy i(A151760 works by) (Organisation) assertion
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

Works By

Preview all
1 form y separately published work icon Yellow Fella Tom E. Lewis , Fleur Parry , ( dir. Ivan Sen ) Subiaco : Kanopy , 2012 Z1922397 2004 single work film/TV Yellow Fella is a portrait of Tom E. Lewis who as a young man in 1978 was chosen by director Fred Schepisi to star in The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith. The life of the character he played was hauntingly close to his own, a restless young man of mixed heritage, struggling between two cultures to find his own identity.

Tom's mother is an Indigenous woman from southern Arnhem Land who was working as a station hand and cook when she met Tom's father, a Welsh stockman named Hurtle Lewis. Tom's mother refused to marry Hurtle and raised Tom with little knowledge of his real father.

In this beautifully shot and moving film, Tom E. Lewis embarks with his mother on a journey into the outback of the Northern Territory to try to find his father's grave. The journey into his past brings painful memories to Tom and challenges his sense of his own identity, ultimately finding strength in his love for both his white father and his Aboriginal step-father.'
Source : Ronin Films website www.roninfilms.com.au
1 1 form y separately published work icon When the Snake Bites the Sun John Lind , Les McLaren , ( dir. Michael Edols ) Subiaco : Kanopy , 2012 Z1921359 1986 single work film/TV 'A compelling account of the return by a group of dispossessed Aboriginal people to their ancient tribal grounds in the Northern outreaches of this continent. This highly provocative cinema verité work shows the rebuilding of relationships through a shared pilgrimage to ancestral lands and a traditional Aboriginal ceremony, despite occasional failures of cross-cultural communication. It reflects a community in transition through the journey of a family, especially the sole remaining custodian of that spirit country Amy Peters, and also Shirley the daughter of Sam Woolagoodja. Shirley sixteen years previously had taken her baby daughter to be purified ceremonially in a traditional ritual in the film LALAI DREAMTIME. This event on film created a unique bond between daughter, grand-daughter, grandfather and aunts right in the middle of their spirit country.' (Source: Ronin Films website www.roninfilms.com.au)
1 form y separately published work icon Benny and the Dreamers Fionna Douglas , Ivo Burum (director), ( dir. Philip Batty et. al. )agent Subiaco : Kanopy , 2012 Z1919641 1992 single work film/TV 'A small group of Pintupi living in west Central Australia today can remember their first meeting with a white man, their first impressions of the white man's world and their expectations of what the white world had to offer.

Benny and The Dreamers reveals for the first time on film the Australian Aboriginal peoples' version of their first contact with white culture which was to change their traditional way of life forever. For some it was a terrifying experience, for others a fascinating view of a world which made little sense. But for all Aboriginal people, white contact brought the end of a nomadic way of life which had lasted for at least 40,000 years.

In Benny and The Dreamers , Benny Tjapaljarri and other Pintupi elders tell their stories of life before and after "whitefellas". Through the use of rare archival footage, their journey is recreated from the central western deserts to their transformation from traditional nomad in a hunter gatherer society to sedentary consumer of white flour and sugar.

Through dramatic retelling of the stories, this film weaves its way into the nightmare of assimilation that became Papunya, the killing fields of alcohol, to the eventual rejection of European life and the return of Aboriginal land at Kintore.' (Source: Ronin Films website www.roninfilms.com.au)
1 22 form y separately published work icon BeDevil Mr Chuck; Choo Choo Choo Choo; Lovin' the Spin I'm In Tracey Moffatt , ( dir. Tracey Moffatt ) Subiaco : Kanopy , 2012 Z24742 1993 single work film/TV (taught in 1 units)

A trilogy of short stories in which characters are haunted by memories, spirits and ghosts, and bewitched by the past. 'BeDevil captures the allusive quality of parochial, local, familial ghost stories, the sort of stories that are passed down through generations, that are repeated and embroidered upon so that eventually they are woven into quotidian discourse and a passing reference can evoke a complex texture of ghostliness' (Lesley Stern, Photofile).

The three stories are: 'Mr Chuck.' 'Choo Choo Choo Choo,' and 'Lovin' the Spin I'm In.'
1 form y separately published work icon Agnes Abbott - Hard Worker Judy Lovett , Agnes Abbott , ( dir. Robyn Nardoo ) Subiaco : Kanopy , 2012 Z1584322 2006 single work film/TV life story Indigenous story

'This film takes us back to Agnes country. Where using her stories, arts and culture Agnes endeavours to teach us about parts of her extraordinary homeland, her complex connections to it which have sustained her through the challenges of recent European colonisation, and her choices for survival.

Agnes made this film as a way to sharing her knowledge with younger generations and to people from outside her culture. The preservation and maintenance of Eastern Arrernte culture is undergoing changes too, and with the contemporary option of using multimedia, film, painting, audio and photography Agnes is always transforming her ancient knowledge into contemporary formats so that it will not all be lost.' Sourced: Publishers note (Sighted 04/05/2009)

1 form y separately published work icon Tnorala : Baby Falling Herman Malbunka , Mavis Malbunka , ( dir. Warwick Thornton ) Subiaco : Kanopy , 2012 Z1584315 2007 single work film/TV

'Tnorala is the Aboriginal name for Gosse's Bluff, a dramatic meteorite impact crater set in a vast plain 175km west of Alice Springs. This significant dreaming site for Western Arrernte people is steeped in mystery and tragedy. The story of its creation and the events that occurred there are narrated to the camera by Aunty Mavis Malbunka, one of the traditional story-tellers for the place. Legend says that while stars danced in the Milky Way, a child fell to earth and was lost to its parents, the morning and evening stars, who still search for their baby to this day. Today, ancestors of Tnorala's traditional owners are remembered and honoured by their descendants and visitors that are drawn to this stunning and eerie landscape.' (Source: Ronin Films website www.roninfilms.com.au)

1 7 form y separately published work icon River of No Return Darlene Johnson , ( dir. Darlene Johnson ) Subiaco : Kanopy , 2012 Z1517708 2008 single work film/TV

'Frances Djulibing is a 42 year old mother of three who comes from the remote community of Ramingining in North East Arnhem land. Like many young girls, Frances always dreamed of being a movie star. Her journey from traditional tribal life to red carpets and awards ceremonies is unlike any other. It's a fascinating and unique story as Frances fights to overcome huge personal and cultural challenges. Yappa's Story is a story of change and transformation as Frances learns to move between the ancient life of the Yolgnu and modern world of the balanda.' Source:www.nfsa.gov.au (Sighted 28/07/2008)

1 4 form y separately published work icon Green Bush Warwick Thornton , ( dir. Warwick Thornton ) Subiaco : Kanopy , 2012 Z1262751 2005 single work film/TV (taught in 1 units) Over one heartbreaking night, radio DJ Kenny discovers that his job at an Aboriginal radio station is about more than just playing music. He jokes that his programme is broadcast to a captive audience, namely the local prison.
X