MELVILLE is playing host to a series of free film screenings focused on “joy” as “an act of resistance” for First Nations people over May and June.
Hosted by community cultural group Blak Dingo Club, the screenings include “iconic” Australian films like The Sapphires, Top End Wedding, and Bran Nue Dae to showcase Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander talent, stories, and history.
Blak Dingo Club founder Ilona McGuire says film screenings were an “easy way to showcase” work from ATSI peoples which directly shares “original and creative” storytelling.
• IlonaMcguire from Blak Dingo Club. Photo by Luke Riley
“Everybody loves a good movie, I grew up watching so many of the movies I chose to be a part of this, because I see myself and my family in these on-screen stories,” Ms McGuire said.
“I am always pleasantly surprised at the powerful impact these films have on the audience who may have never seen them before.
“They learn something new, they come away feeling enlightened in some way, often feeling a deeper sense of understanding for the story that involves us all in this country.”
The idea for Blak Dingo Club was borne from a need for “joy” following the Voice to Parliament referendum, according to Ms McGuire, which she describes as an “act of resistance” for First Nations people who have suffered so greatly since colonisation.
“When I looked at the lives of my family and friends working in health, education, welfare, or community, I realised we were all trying to fix the mess of a country that has continued to fail us since first contact,” Ms McGuire said.
“I was tired of letting my identity as a proud Whadjuk, Ballardong, Yued, and Kungarakan woman be attached to the sadness of the past… whilst continuing to seek justice and spread awareness of historical truth to anyone wanting to listen.
“I want Blak Dingo Club to be an amplifier for the growing joyful stories that make you realise we are all just people too, who laugh, cry, and want better for our loved ones… it goes against the grain of what people understand of us and our people, because yes, there is a lot to be angry about, but sometimes we all just need a break.”
Hope
Ms McGuire says she feels “a sense of hope” for First Nations’ justice and healing, despite moving at a “glacial pace”, and that attitudes towards Indigenous people and culture are slowly but surely changing.
“I believe this is mainly to do with the level of education in the general population about shared histories,” Ms McGuire said.
“I notice a change in mindsets when people understand the true stories that have shaped this country… I see how powerful education is and that schools are playing a huge role in this now too.
“I faced a lot of ostracisation and bullying in school as a girl because of my heritage, that I was nonetheless always proud of… but now there are primary school children learning about Midgegooroo, Yagan, and Fanny Balbuk, which blows my mind and fills me with so much hope for the future.”
The films will screen at the City of Melville’s Main Hall every Thursday, culminating in a community quiz night on June 14, and bookings are essential.
More information is available at the City of Melville’s website, or the Blak Dingo Club Instagram at @blakdingoclub.
by KATHERINE KRAAYVANGER