2002 | 4K DCP | AUS | D: Phillip Noyce
Walmajarri, English
Warning: this page contains names, images or voices of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
BOOK CLUB AT THE NFSA IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CANBERRA WRITERS FESTIVAL
Based on Doris Pilkington’s book, in turn based on her mother Molly’s experiences, the film follows Molly (Everlyn Sampi), Gracie (Laura Monaghan) and Daisy (Tianna Sansbury) as they escape from a government boarding house after being stolen from their family. They use the rabbit-proof fence to guide them home. David Gulpilil plays a tracker sent by the white authority (Kenneth Branagh) to chase them.
The screening will be followed by a discussion of the film and book with special guest Cheryl Leavy, in conversation with Craig Ritchie.
ABOUT CHERYL LEAVY
Cheryl Leavy is from the Kooma and Nguri Nations in western and central Queensland.
She received the Oodgeroo Noonuccal Poetry Prize in 2022 and is regularly invited to read at writers’ festivals across Australia. Known for her ekphrastic poetry, she has been commissioned by Queensland's Chamber Orchestra, the Institute of Modern Art, the Queensland Art Gallery, and the Kanazawa 21st Century Museum in Japan.
Cheryl’s first children’s book, Yanga – Mother, written in her Kooma/Guwamu language and translated into English, was recently shortlisted for an Australian Book Industry Award. It is the first work of creative fiction to be published in Kooma/Guwamu, a critically endangered language. Her second picture book, For You, Country, will be published by UQP later this year.
Cheryl has served on several arts boards, including the Institute of Modern Art and the Brisbane Writers Festival, where she established and chaired First Nations Advisory Councils.
ABOUT CRAIG RITCHIE
Craig Ritchie is an Aboriginal man from the Dhunghutti and Biripi nations and a prominent independent advisor and researcher. He served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) until August 2023, after joining as Deputy CEO in 2016. Previously, Craig held senior roles within the Department of Education and Training from 2011 to 2016, focusing on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander higher education and health initiatives. He was also the CEO of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO).
As one of the few Indigenous leaders in Commonwealth Government agencies, Craig was a founding member of the APS Indigenous Senior Executive Service Network. He is an Honorary Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne and is completing his PhD at the Australian National University, focusing on "Culture and Policymaking: Towards Better Aboriginal Policy." His research explores the cultural foundations of policymaking in Australia.
Catch more outstanding performances by David Gulpilil with our retrospective program - available as a 6-film pass.
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