Poet responds to The Colony

Mike Riddle sent us his poetry half way through our exhibition in Goolwa - it blew us away. He gave us permission to publish his responses to ‘The Colony - dare to stop us’ online and so we added a few images to clarify what his poems are referring to. And we invited Mike to participate in next years collaboration for ‘_this breath is not mine to keep’.

Please contact us for the original PDF of Mike Riddle’s anthology.

Dusty Feet Mob - This Story's True

Advice: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that this website and videos links contains images and voices of people who have died.

From the sand hills of Port Augusta to the bustling streets of Adelaide, Dusty Feet Mob’s young Aboriginal performers dance their way into the hearts and minds of their enraptured audiences, using the power of song and dance to tell stories of the Stolen Generation and help heal the pain of the past. As they prepare to perform their signature song, Archie Roach’s iconic ‘Took the Children Away,’ the dancers and their dedicated supporters offer creative, intergenerational and deeply emotional insights into the story of the Stolen Generation, determined to carry on Uncle Archie’s legacy – the past will not be forgotten.

Dusty Feet Mob – This Story’s True was created by Aboriginal community members in Port Augusta, in collaboration with award-winning production company Change Media, through an initiative of the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC), Country Arts SA and the City of Port Augusta.

For Archie Roach, it’s the children carrying on the legacy of healing that makes him especially proud and grateful. Archie said: “In our First People’s culture we have story, song and dance. The story of the Stolen Generations is the story we hear and take in with our minds and the song enters our spirit. But dance helps us to move and weave that story and song through our body.  Dusty Feet Mob help us heal holistically; through our mind -  the story; through our spirit - the song and through our body – the dance.”

Dusty Feet Mob – This Story’s True is one of two documentaries, alongside The Mulka Man, created through the Port Augusta Emerging Film Development Program, a series of development and production workshops for emerging Aboriginal screen creatives held from July to October in 2019, funded and presented by the SAFC through its Aboriginal Screen Strategy, along with Country Arts SA with support from the City of Port Augusta, delivered by Change Media with additional support from the Australia Council for the Arts.

We are presenting the finished documentary to broadcasters and festivals in 2020. Find the full Media Release here.

The film has won Best Documentary at the 2020 SASA Awards. Congratulations to all involved!

The film also won Best Documentary at the 2020 International My Hero Film Festival in Los Angeles. Congratulations all around!

Dusty Feet Mob are more than just an Aboriginal dance group. They are a community that nurtures strength, confidence and dignity. They are a community that builds connection to culture, community and country. They know that storytelling through dance and song is their culture, it’s a powerful way of entering into past hurts and injustices experienced by Aboriginal families in a way that allows both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people to grow in acceptance, understanding and empathy together. 

An essential make-up of the group is the strong support provided by parents, grandparents and the Port Augusta Community, who take seriously the role of passing knowledge and stories down to the younger generations. Dusty Feet Mob is a powerful expression of the old and the new: Young people are not just "the leaders of tomorrow", they are leaders of today. Dusty Feet Mob provides opportunities for young people to learn about themselves and develop leadership skills for life. 

SAFC Associate Executive, Production and Development Nara Wilson, who facilitated the program, said: “Through the SAFC’s regular workshops and initiatives over the last few years, Port Augusta has become a real hub of activity in SA for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander filmmakers, with practitioners coming from all over the state to learn new skills and develop their craft. We are proud to highlight Indigenous voices, and facilitate Indigenous storytelling through these programs.”

SAFC CEO Kate Croser said: “These documentaries not only show what incredible emerging screen talent there is in South Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, but they highlight the importance of the SAFC’s Aboriginal Screen Strategy in developing and supporting Indigenous screen practitioners, and bringing their stories and voices to the fore. I congratulate the filmmakers on their success.”

Samantha Yates, Country Arts SA’s Cultural Programming Manager, Aboriginal and Reconciliation Programs said: “Opportunities for professional Aboriginal film development in regional areas are essential. Having a platform to share and broaden awareness gives  voice to many untold stories. Dusty Feet Mob – This Story’s True is an incredible example of how a short film can educate the general public and create deeper compassion for the stolen generations.”

Change Media acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land in Australia on which this program was filmed.

Credits:

Production Company: Tallstoreez Productionz Pty Ltd t/as Change Media

Writers: Paul Tanner, Piri Eddy, Johanis Lyons-Reid, Carl Kuddell, Steven Fatt-Lang, Marika Davies, Lyall Campbell-Ware, Bonita Leahy, Bessy-May Taylor-Haseldine, Denise Champion, Donny McKenzie, Roxanne Lawrie

Directors: Johanis Lyons-Reid and Paul Tanner

Producers/ mentor: Carl Kuddell and Jen Lyons-Reid

Associate Producer: Paul Tanner

Director of Photography/ mentor: Johanis Lyons-Reid

Camera Operators: Steven Fatt-Lang, Marika Davies, Lyall Campbell-Ware, Paul Tanner

Sound Recordist/ mentor: Piri Eddy

Sound operators: Steven Fatt-Lang, Marika Davies, Lyall Campbell-Ware

Editor: Johanis Lyons-Reid

Composer and Sound Mix: Justin Pounsett

Original song: Archie Roach ‘Took The Children Away’

BTS Stills Photographer: Carl Kuddell

Archival Stills: Paul Tanner

Dusty Feet Mob interviews:

Wanita Calyun – Artistic Director/ Choreographer, Dusty Feet Mob

Paul Tanner – Manager, Dusty Feet Mob

Maria Anderson  – Chairperson Dusty Feet Mob, Wanita’s mother

Justin Mogridge – Wanita’s father

Archie Roach – Singer, ‘Took The Children Away’

Sarcha Taylor - Dusty Feet Mob member

Tyeisha Taylor  - Dusty Feet Mob member

Micah Buckskin  - Dusty Feet Mob member

Marika Garlett  - Dusty Feet Mob member

Josh Saunders  - Dusty Feet Mob member

Dusty Feet Mob dancers:

Wanita Calyun, Tyrone Taylor, Sarcha Taylor, Tyeisha Taylor, Josh Saunders, Shalana Cox, Jakeem Cox , Tyree Cox, Tia Buckskin, Laila Buckskin, Micah Buckskin, Mareeka Garlett, Twyla Stuart, Rikki-Lee Bodger

Thanks to:

Archie Roach and Jill Shelton

Dusty Feet Mob crew and supporters

Mii Pudanthi festival - Angelena Harradine

Mushroom Music – Lisa Businovski

Warner Music Australia – Rose Sejean

Port Augusta Car Club - Mark Taylor

City of Port Augusta – Maria Anderson

Country Arts SA – Sam Yates and Josh Barbo

South Australian Film Corporation – Lee-Ann Tjunypa Buckskin and Nara Wilson

DEVELOPED AND FINANCED WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN FILM CORPORATION

and

Country Arts SA

The City of Port Augusta

Australia Council for the Arts

©2019 Change Media, Dusty Feet Mob and the City of Port Augusta

The Mulka Man

Advice: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that this website and videos links contains images and voices of people who have died.

Adnyamathanha Elder Roy Coulthard is The Mulka Man, the last wood carver of the Flinders Ranges. With time against him, Uncle Roy is determined to see his tradition live on. From the rich ochre sands outside Port Augusta in search of the perfect Mulka tree to a firelit camp back-dropped by the stunning Flinders Ranges, Uncle Roy passes his expert carving knowledge to the next generation. But to do so, he must bravely cross traditional conventions and gender lines, teaching women the art of Mulka wood carving in order to keep Adnyamathanha culture alive.

Change Media partnered with the City of Port Augusta to deliver a series of media literacy workshops with First Peoples participants from a wide range of communities in and around Port Augusta.

The first production resulting from the workshops is ‘The Mulka Man’, a short documentary following Adnyamathanha Elder Roy Coulthard, the last wood carver of the Flinders Ranger, as he passes on his skills to a new generation of Mulka carvers, crossing traditional conventions and gender lines in the process.

We worked with Wangkangurru woman Marika Davies as the co-director/ co-producer and mentored participants across all stages of production.

Festival updates: The Mulka Man has been invited to screen at The Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival in Queensland, Oct 2021. In 2021 The Mulka Man was selected to screen at Koori Mail’s/ First Nations Media’s Blak Cinema Festival in Lismore, NSW. And in 2020 the Nunga Screen film festival toured the film throughout regional locations in South Australia.

The project has been funded by the Port Augusta City through the Regional Arts Fund and Country Arts SA and the South Australian Film Corporation grants for an Aboriginal screen initiative, with additional support from the Australia Council for the Arts through Change Media’s What Privilege initiative 2019.

Change Media acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land in Australia on which this program was filmed.

Credits:

Writers: Marika Davies, Piri Eddy, Johanis Lyons-Reid, Carl Kuddell, Steven Fatt-Lang, Paul Tanner, Lyall Campbell-Ware, Bonita Leahy, Bessy-May Taylor-Haseldine, Denise Champion, Donny McKenzie, Roxanne Lawrie

Directors: Johanis Lyons-Reid and Marika Davies

Producers / mentor: Carl Kuddell and Jen Lyons-Reid

Associate Producer: Marika Davies

Director of Photography / mentor: Johanis Lyons-Reid

Camera Operators: Steven Fatt-Lang, Marika Davies, Paul Tanner

Sound Recordist / mentor: Piri Eddy

Sound operators: Steven Fatt-Lang, Marika Davies

Editor: Johanis Lyons-Reid

Composer and Sound Mix: Justin Pounsett

BTS Stills Photographer: Carl Kuddell

Mulka Arts interviews:

Uncle Roy Coulthard – Adnyamathanha Elder

Marika Davies – Wangkangurru woman

Mulka Arts participants:

Roy Coulthard, Marika Davies, Matthew Davies, John Davies, Phillip Naylor

Colleen Naylor, Anisha Davies, Flynn Spencer, Lahni Von Senden, Kellie Von Senden, Tweedy Martinot, Maya Fettke, Jakai Page, Georgia Keenan, Shayleigh Cooper, Casey Green

Thanks to:

Mulka Arts crew and their supporters

Stirling North Primary School

City of Port Augusta – Maria Anderson

Country Arts SA – Sam Yates and Josh Barbo

South Australian Film Corporation – Lee-Ann Tjunypa Buckskin and Nara Wilson

DEVELOPED AND FINANCED WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF:

THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN FILM CORPORATION

Country Arts SA

The City of Port Augusta

Australia Council for the Arts

©2019 Change Media, Mulka Arts and the City of Port Augusta

Deadly Family Portraits - ABC

South Australia, 2018-2019

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that the following program may contain images and voices of deceased persons.

Change Media supported three emerging Aboriginal producer and director teams to create a three part mini series for ABC iView. Carl Kuddell worked with the teams as a consultant producer across the series, and Change Media offered its services as a post production house.

Electric Mimili. Screenshot from the documentary. ©2019 Sequioa Productions

Deadly Family Portraits, a new production initiative to celebrate and showcase the depth of artistic talent among Aboriginal families and emerging Aboriginal filmmakers was launched today by the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC), ABC Arts iView and Arts South Australia.

The Deadly Family Portraits series presents the compelling stories of three outstanding Aboriginal families, the Sansburys, the Crombies and the Fieldings, where artistic talent continues across the generations. Each episode have been produced by an Aboriginal filmmaking team to create an intriguing conversation between artist and filmmaker; as they reflect upon identity, culture, life, art, country and family. Each film premiered on ABC iView Arts in 2019.

Crombie Crew. Screenshot from the documentary. ©2019 Gina Rings

Credits

Directors - Pearl Berry, Isaac Wilson, Edoardo Crismani

Producers - Lilla Berry, Sierra Schrader, Gina Rings

Consultant Series Producer - Carl Kuddell

Editors - Emma McGavisk and Johanis Lyons-Reid

Colorist - David Tang

DOPs - Johanis Lyons-Reid, Allan Collins, David Roberts

Sound mix - Carlos Manrique Clavijo

SAFC - Nara Wilson and Amanda Duthie

ABC Executive Producers - Lin Jie Kong and Sally Chesher

Partners:

Deadly Family Portraits is an initiative of South Australian Film Corporation, Arts South Australia and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Supported by TARNANTHI Art Gallery of South Australia, Mimili Maku Arts, Tandanya Arts Centre, Electric Fields