18 Powerful Indigenous Movies And TV Shows You Can Watch To Celebrate NAIDOC Week

    I know what I'll be binge-watching this week!

    Isha Bassi
    by Isha Bassi

    Entertainment Producer

    In case you didn't know, it's NAIDOC Week, which is held each year in Australia to celebrate and highlight the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

    The Aboriginal Flag is seen flying during a NAIDOC march.
    Darrian Traynor / Getty Images

    This year's theme — "For Our Elders" — is focused on paying tribute to those in the past and present who have guided First Nations peoples in areas like advocacy, activism and everyday life.

    Bobbi Lockyer / Via naidoc.org.au

    To help spread this message and learn more about First Nations peoples, here are some informative Indigenous movies and TV shows to watch.

    1. The Sapphires

    Four women singing in front of microphones while on a stage
    Hopscotch Films

    The Sapphires shines a light on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history by highlighting the true story of four incredible Yorta Yorta women from regional Australia. Set in 1968, the film follows their journey from singers to girl group, travelling to Vietnam to sing for US troops during the Vietnam War. It was directed by Wayne Blair and features the likes of Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Shari Sebbens and Miranda Tapsell.

    2. Goldstone

    Two men in the Australian outback holding guns
    Transmission Films

    Directed by Ivan Sen — who is an internationally acclaimed Indigenous filmmaker — Goldstone is a crime thriller that serves as the sequel to Mystery Road — so make sure to watch that one first if you can. It follows detective Jay Swan investigating a missing persons inquiry in the town of Goldstone that quickly unravels into a web of crime and corruption.

    3. Our Law

    Two police officers and a woman standing in front of a police car in the Australian bush
    Cornel Ozies

    Our Law is a fantastic short film that takes a closer look into Western Australia's first Indigenous run police station, as well as the two officers who work there and the community where it's based. It raises important questions about the nature of police work, especially in light of the high number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths in custody.

    4. Toomelah

    A young boy standing in front of a mural, holding a rugby ball
    Bunya Productions

    Toomelah illuminates the bleak reality of living in a disadvantaged community through the eyes of Daniel, a 10-year-old boy who comes from a broken home in a remote Aboriginal community. Like the other male role models in his life, Daniel aspires to be a "gangster" and decides to join a gang of drug dealers after being suspended from school. The story was inspired by director Ivan Sen's experiences and memories of visiting Toomelah, which is where his mother grew up.

    5. Top End Wedding

    A woman smiling in the distance, while her three friends look at her in the background
    Universal Pictures

    Top End Wedding is a hilarious and beautiful Australian rom-com that follows Lauren — played by Miranda Tapsell, who also co-wrote the film and served as executive producer — attempting to reunite her newly separated parents so she can pull off her dream wedding in her hometown.

    6. Mad Bastards

    A man with a stern expression looking off into the distance
    IFC Films

    Mad Bastards is notable for casting people with no acting experience to play the lead roles. In collaboration with director Brendan Fletcher, the actors play characters based on their own lives, which results in a refreshingly authentic story of a father trying to stop the cycle of violence and alcoholism with his estranged son.

    7. Satellite Boy

    A young boy and his grandfather holding spears while walking in the Australian bush
    Satellite Films

    Satellite Boy follows Pete, a young Aboriginal boy who travels to the city with his best friend to try and save his home from a mining company. The film celebrates the importance of both tradition and progress, as well as family and friendship in a heartwarming story.

    8. Sweet Country

    An Aboriginal man and woman looking off into the distance while standing in the Australian bush
    Bunya Productions

    Sweet Country has been described as a brutal Western that "uncovers ugly truths about [Australia's] colonial past that the establishment has sought to sweep under the carpet." Set in 1929, it delves into the extreme racism that existed between European settlers and Indigenous Australians through the story of an Aboriginal stockman who kills a white station owner in self-defence.

    Fair warning: This is a tough movie to watch, but for those who have little knowledge of the injustices that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have faced, it's a telling reminder about Australia's dark history.

    9. Wrong Kind Of Black

    An Aboriginal man standing in front of a DJ turntable
    Princess Pictures

    Set in 1970s Melbourne, Wrong Kind Of Black delves into the life of Boori Monty Pryor — a Birri-gubbah-Kunggandji-Kukuimudji man who becomes known as "The Black Superman" thanks to his reputation as Australia's hottest DJ. During the four-part series, it blends the fun, frill and flare of the era alongside the waging racial tensions and Aboriginal rights issues that existed at the time.

    10. Going Places With Ernie Dingo

    Ernie Dingo standing in front of a lake
    SBS

    The legendary Ernie Dingo — who is honestly a national treasure — takes you to every corner of Australia in this travel show. You'll see stunning landscapes, hidden gems and some in-depth chats with locals along the way.

    11. Rabbit-Proof Fence

    Three young children huddled together
    Becker Entertainment

    When it was first released, Rabbit-Proof Fence was considered controversial — and for good reason. It introduced many to a darker side of Australia's history, namely the Stolen Generation, which was a government policy where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were forcibly removed from their families and sent to live at state institutions or with white families.

    Set in 1931, the film follows three Aboriginal girls — Daisy, Molly and Gracie — attempting to escape from Moore River Native Settlement to return their family in Jigalong. Over the course of their nine-week journey, they walk along the Australian rabbit-proof fence as they're being chased by law enforcement authorities.

    12. Gurrumul

    Gurrumul sitting down on a stool and holding his guitar
    Madman Films

    This critically-acclaimed documentary, which was filmed over the course of 10 years — provides a rare insight into the life and legacy of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, one of Australia's greatest musicians.

    13. Black Comedy

    The cast of Black Comedy
    ABC

    Featuring a stellar cast, Black Comedy explores what it means to be Bla(c)k in contemporary Australia through comedic and, at times, unapologetically honest sketches.

    14. Dark Place

    A woman in a dimly-lit room, holding up a lighter
    ABC

    Dark Place is a gripping collection of five horror anthology stories that were shot by emerging Indigenous filmmakers. Featuring everything from housing commission witches to bloody bush ghouls, each 15-minute film is bound to keep you on the edge of your seat.

    15. Freeman

    Cathy Freeman at the 2000 Sydney Olympics
    General Strike / Matchbox Pictures

    Twenty years on from Cathy Freeman's history-making win at the Sydney Olympics, Freeman takes viewers back to that 49.11 second race that captured the hearts and minds of not only Australians, but the entire world. It also builds on what happened after, including Freeman's rise to the top and her story symbolising a much larger struggle for equality.

    16. KGB

    The cast of KGB
    Ardiol Media / ABC

    In Perth’s notorious KGB area — Koondoola, Girrawheen, Balga — two rookie detectives attempt to solve a major case, while juggling with the fact that their family members may be the culprits.

    17. Total Control

    Rachel Griffiths and Deborah Mailman as their characters in "Total Control"; they're standing on the lawn of Parliament House, in Canberra
    Blackfella Films

    Described as a must-watch, Total Control is a political drama starring Rachel Griffiths and Deborah Mailman. Playing out in the halls of Parliament House, it delves into the story of an Indigenous senator (Mailmain) who wants to get back at the prime minister of Australia (Griffiths) after being betrayed.

    If you would like to learn more about the importance of NAIDOC Week, you can read up about it on this website.

    Plus, here's a bunch of other Indigenous movies and TV shows to binge-watch, too!