Homeland: Films by Australian First Nations directors

A rare chance to delve into the very best movies by Indigenous Australian filmmakers from the last three decades.

Fantastic films by Indigenous Australian directors are made every year, but very few are released in the UK. Some works by filmmakers such as Warwick Thornton, Rachel Perkins and Wayne Blair have received great reviews and won large audiences – but many stories by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are hard to see outside of Australia.

This new season at The Barbican, London showcases these great filmmakers through a series of cinema screenings (some showing in the UK for the first time), whose works embrace a variety of genres, including westerns, film noirs, horror movies and dance films. Themes of displacement and marginalisation, as well as resilience and humour, surface in many of the films, which showcase Australian First Nations rich cultural heritage through films starring many of Australia’s greatest actors.

Listings

Wed 2 Feb 2022, 19:00
The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson + ScreenTalk
Leah Purcell adapts her own play of the 19th century short story to create a fierce, feminist Australian revenge western.

Thu 3 Feb 2022, 18:10
Spear + ScreenTalk
First Nations stories, past and present, are evoked through movement and dance in an extraordinary Indigenous dance film from choreographer Stephen Page.

Sat 5 Feb 2022, 18:00
Firestarter – The Story of Bangarra + virtual ScreenTalk
This documentary tells the history of the iconic Indigenous Australian dance company, The Bangarra Dance Theatre, which revolutionised the Australian dance scene over 30 years ago.

Sun 6 Feb 2022, 17:30
Radiance + ScreenTalk
Sparks fly when three sisters reunite after the death of their mother in this beautifully acted directorial debut from Rachel Perkins, newly restored.

Tue 8 Feb 2022, 18:30
After the Apology + Introduction
Four Indigenous Australian women fight to win custody of their grand kids in Larissa Behrendt’s doc, made after the official apology to the ‘stolen generations’.

Tue 22 Feb 2022, 18:30
We Don’t Need a Map
Warwick Thornton considers the spiritual meaning of the Southern Cross constellation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in this provocative documentary.

Wed 23 Feb 2022, 18:10
Three Films by Tracey Moffatt
In her marvellous feature debut artist Tracey Moffatt tells three unique tales of the supernatural, screening alongside two of her best short films.

Buy your tickets here. 

Homeland: Films by Australian First Nations directors is supported by the Australian Government as part of the UK/Australia Season 2021-22.