This is a personal film about Dundiwuy Wanambi over the years that Ian Dunlop knew and worked with him. It is made up mainly of interviews filmed with Dundiwuy at Yirrkala and at his Marrakulu clan centre at Gurka'wuy between 1970 and 1982. This film reveals something of the struggles, and the thoughts, of one man in the face of the huge changes brought about by the coming of the Nabalco bauxite mine and the mining town of Nhulunbuy to the Gove Peninsula.....

Father Gonzalo settles into his new life at the meditation centre and attends a performance of the Tibetan Gyuto Monks, the personal choir to the Dalai Lama. He invites them home to dinner and develops a growing interest in Buddhism. Back at the pub, the men of St Francis have a heated discussion about the role of the Catholic Church in the world today. Despite their differences, they come together to witness Boris’s spectacular ordination.. A Film...

When Ted King, captain of a pearling lugger discovers a body floating in the Torres Strait, he becomes unwittingly embroiled in a people smuggling plot. Determined to get to the bottom of the mystery he is joined by his first mate, Jack Janiero and the recently arrived owner of the pearling company, city playboy Peter Merriman. Merriman has to prove himself worthy, not only to the crew but also to win the affections of Ted’s daughter, Rusty.. Produced...

An early Australian silent film depicting historical events on the Young district goldfields, then known as Lambing Flat. During the gold rush of 1861, tensions between Australian miners and immigrant Chinese led to rioting, with Chinese miners attacked and driven from the diggings. The film portrays these events as being the genesis – or birth – of the White Australia policy, a significant political issue of the day.. The film is a narrative...

Brother Bernard dies on his 102nd birthday and a mass is held for him at St Francis Church. Meanwhile, Father Donald Cave travels to Rome to finish his book, where he suffers a worrying bout of fever. After years of hard work, he finally presents the book to his superiors.. A Film Australian National Interest Program in association with Abracadabra Films. Produced in association with SBS Independent. Developed with the assistance of Cinemedia’s...

1974 was a troubled time for the Yirrkala community. The Gove bauxite mine, on its doorstep, had been operating for four years. The effects of alcohol, from the newly built mining town of Nhulunbuy, were causing grave concern to the Yirrkala leaders. There was, we are told, a breakdown in social values among young people. This film shows the Yolngu's attempts to come to terms with, and solve, these problems. Despite the gathering storm clouds, Yolngu...

One-hundred million years ago Australia, as part of the great southern continent known as Gondwana, was inhabited by a unique species of dinosaur - the Muttaburrasaurus. Evidence of this dinosaur has not been found anywhere else in the world.. This program uses highly detailed and accurate models and an imaginative combination of animation and documentary footage to trace the existence of Muttaburrasaurus, revealing its habitat and behavioural patterns...

“Woman like she refuses to divulge the name of him who wronged her.”. This 1918 Australian feature is one of the most significant surviving treasures of a silent film heritage which is now largely extinct. Comprising three interconnecting storylines, it finally resolves into a dramatic saga of love, honour, betrayal, seduction and revenge.. The story takes the concept of primitive justice – an eye for an eye – and extends it to ‘a sister...

Enter the fun and mayhem of the Puckeridge family - mum, dad and five very active children aged two to ten.. Life in this household is a constant juggling act, as Sally and Dave negotiate with their kids over food, haircuts, baths and bed, and with each other over school and religion. These are familiar scenes of bills, endless washing, weekend sports, the frenetic noise of games, the strange quiet of sleep.. Dave leaves for work at six in the morning,...

For several months in 1971 Dundiwuy Wanambi and his wife, Gunapa, were living in a temporary shade at Yirrkala. They were awaiting the ritual cleansing and opening of their house. They had had to leave their house after the death of Gunapa's father, who had been living with them when he died. Now Dundiwuy has asked for his house to be ritually opened so he can move back into it.. This film is a record of the first part of the opening ceremony. It...