Community Doco Named as Award Finalist

A community anti-racist documentary produced on a $5000 grant has been named as a finalist in the Deadlies, the national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and community awards, alongside acclaimed ABC drama “Mabo” and documentary, “The Tall Man”.

The film, entitled “Freedom Ride: 40 Years On”, follows a group of Aboriginal and non-Indigenous young people as they retrace the journey of the historic 1965 Freedom Ride through regional NSW. It features extensive interviews with Aboriginal community members reflecting on the face of racism today, and the future for reconciliation.

Finalising the film relied primarily on volunteers and the support of reconciliation groups such as ANTaR.

“It is an unexpected honour to be a finalist for this prestigious award, especially alongside such esteemed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, activists and sportspeople,” Sylvie Ellsmore, one of the film’s producers said.

“The Freedom Ride 2005 project was an amazing experience. We visited 12 communities across regional NSW and we heard some incredible stories. There were stories of inspiration like the re-opening of old racially segregated places like the Bowraville Theatre as a reconciliation centre, but also very personal accounts of racism that is still being experienced, which reminded us that we still have a long way to go.

“It took our members and volunteers more than five years to complete the film, and for a while it looked like we wouldn’t get there. But I think all of those involved felt a strong obligation to share the Aboriginal stories we had collected, and keep our promise to the communities we visited as part of the project,” Ellsmore said.

“We used the small grants we received to print around 1000 copies of the film, most of which were distributed for free back to local communities and schools to use as an anti-racism resource.”

“This nomination is a testament to the many strong, local voices standing up against racism and working to build bridges for reconciliation – across NSW.”

ANTaR spokesperson Sally Fitzpatrick said, “ANTaR is pleased to have been able to support such an important film and congratulates the filmmakers on its nomination, along with all the Deadlies finalists.”

Community groups can apply for a free copy; but groups are also encouraged to purchase a copy from ANTaR for $25, to assist with its ongoing campaigns and reconciliation work by clicking here.