Dreams from the Outback

Apr 6, 2019

1h 19m

★ 7.0

Overview

The Kimberley in West Australia is home to various Aboriginal communities, where today most is in transition causing limbo and distress. Some have given up; others choose to fight both past and present demons to bring a change for the better to their people. In 'Dreams from the Outback' best friends Gabriel and Peter try to keep the ancient cultural traditions alive, with almost no support from the rest of their community. Felicity struggles to keep her family together after years of drinking and neglect and teenagers Billy and Jordan are brothers who meet for the first time. The boys spend the days getting to know each other, exploring the outback and their culture.

Genres

Documentary

Dreams from the Outback Trailers

Cast

herself

Ali-Mae Johnstone

herself

Ashleigh Johnstone

herself

Ashleigh Akka Johnstone

herself

Olive Johnstone

himself

Billy Long

himself

Jordan Long

himself

Kay Long

himself

Gabriel Nodea

herself

Felicity Smith

himself

Peter J. Thomas

The stories in The Habits of New Norcia are told by former Western Australian Aboriginal child 'inmates' of the New Norcia Benedictine Mission who were separated from their families in the 1940s, 50s and 60s and confined in this "orphanage without orphans". In recent decades the New Norcia Monastery has been packaged as one of the State's leading cultural tourist attractions. "A unique blend of Spanish architecture, European art treasures and pioneer history," "Monks, Music & Mystery," "New Norcia, Australia's only monastic town," the brochures announce. Aboriginal testimony in the film challenges this revised and sanitised history. The documentary provides damming evidence of the continuing violence of the Mission against its victims by deliberate omission of their experience in the New Norcia museum, guided tours, art gallery and promotions — an omission that represents a cruel and wounding cover-up.

0.0

Saving Warru

Jul 20, 2019

Warru, or black-footed rock-wallaby, is one of South Australia's most endangered mammals. In 2007, when numbers dropped below 200 in the APY Lands in the remote north-west of the State, the Warru Recovery Team was formed to help save the precious species from extinction. Bringing together contemporary science, practical on-ground threat management and traditional Anangu ecological knowledge, this unique decade-long program has celebrated the release of dozens of warru to the wild for the first time.

0.0

In My Own Words

Jun 9, 2017

The raw, heartfelt and often funny journey of adult Aboriginal students and their teachers as they discover the transformative power of reading and writing for the first time.

7.1

The Cat: A Cuddly Killer

Jun 3, 2019

Cats are cuddly felines and lovely pets, but also highly evolved predators that hunt huge amounts of small mammals, birds and reptiles; perfect killing machines that threaten delicate ecosystems around the world.

No Image Available

0.0

Walkatjurra: Our Actions Will Never Stop

Invalid Date

WORLD PREMIERE: It is the 70th anniversary of the first nuclear test in indigenous Australian territory and the aboriginal communities call on activists from all over the world to carry out a 200 km anti-nuclear walk through the desert. Among them, the directors of this documentary join to record this walk, which seeks to end the extraction of uranium, the mineral with which atomic bombs are produced. What attitude will we take as humanity in the face of the possibility of creation and destruction

No Image Available

0.0

Collum Calling Canberra

Nov 1, 1981

Gordon Smith, head of the Collum Collum Aboriginal Co-operative which operates a cattle station in northern New South Wales, and Sunny Bancroft, the station manager, are negotiating with the Aboriginal Development Corporation in Canberra for a loan. Finance is needed to stock the property with breeding cattle so that the station can become financially independent.

8.0

Audrey Napanangka

May 23, 2023

The story of a Warlpiri woman, Audrey, and her Sicilian partner Santo as they navigate through colonial systems to keep the children they care for together. Audrey Napanangka was born at a time when the world was changing for the people in the Central Australian Desert. Settler colonisation was permeating the desert and forced changes and the fusion of two worlds shifted Audrey’s life forever. Today, Audrey raises young people to walk in many worlds, by centering culture, language, and Law in their lives alongside mainstream education. The intimate footage filmed over 10 years in Mparntwe (Alice Springs), Yuendumu and Audrey’s Warlpiri country Mount Theo, showcases a heartwarming story about the power of kinship and family in what is known as Australia.

No Image Available

0.0

Rodeo Road

Jan 1, 1999

RODEO ROAD explores the unique cowboy culture of Australia's remote north west in the pursuit of the rodeo dream - eight seconds of bull riding glory. Each year cowboys from across the Kimberley load up their saddles, chaps and wranglers and go rough-riding. Some are born and bred in the saddle, while others are young ringers from over east who come to muster through the dry season. Come rodeo time they are chasing the dream, gripped by the rodeo fever of the wild north west.

No Image Available

0.0

The Last Sanctuary: Cane Toads In The Kimberley

Feb 1, 2014

Saving endangered species in Australia's Kimberley region.

0.0

Too Many Captain Cooks

Jan 1, 1989

For both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians, Captain James Cook is a figure of great historical significance.

8.0

The Bowraville Murders

Sep 2, 2021

The epic David vs Goliath battle for justice waged by the families of three Aboriginal children murdered in a small rural town 30 years ago, the system that failed them, and what it reveals about racism in Australia today.

0.0

Running Wild: Australia's Camels

Dec 12, 2016

Robyn Davidson, famous for her solo expedition across the west Australian deserts by camel in the 1970s, presents this documentary telling the story of Australia's camels and the people who brought them here.

0.0

Sweet Oblivion

Jul 13, 2025

A celebration of the Y HQ all ages gig space, the people who make it and what we risk if we lose it.

5.3

Facing Down Under: A Backpackers Documentary

Aug 11, 2022

A 19-year-old high school graduate travels through Australia as a backpacker and accompanies his adventure with a camera.

7.8

Australia: The Wild Top End

Aug 8, 2019

Narrated by Indigenous elder Balang T E Lewis, this inspiring documentary will take you on an adventure to explore the culture and wildlife of Australia’s remote wild north. Far Northern Australia is a land of extremes, from bushfires to torrential floods. Explore the wildlife and meet the people in Australia’s wild top end, from the Kimberley coast through the mysterious Arnhem Land, and deep into the world’s oldest rainforest in Cape York.

0.0

Yirrkala: Conversations with Dundiwuy Wanambi

Jan 1, 1995

Yirrkala is an Aboriginal township on the Gove Peninsula in Northeast Arnhem Land. It was established as a Methodist mission in 1935 and over the years Yolngu from many different clans moved there. Conversations With Dundiwuy Wanambi is a personal film which reveals something of the struggles and thoughts of one elder in the face of enormous change. In the early years Dundiwuy was a heavy drinker. In a disturbing interview in a pub, Dundiwuy explains his reasons for drinking. Then, through a dream, Dundiwuy realizes he must begin to protect his family and clan. He establishes his Marrakulu clan homeland center at Gurka'wuy, south of Yirrkala. He will hold a great ceremony there. Years later Dundiwuy returns to Yirrkala. His clan is small and he did not receive the necessary support from his sons. But Dundiwuy endures, continues his struggle, and we learn in the post-script of how he has become a successful and sought-after artist.

0.0

My Survival as an Aboriginal

Jul 10, 1979

Essie Coffey gives the children lessons on Aboriginal culture. She speaks of the importance of teaching these kids about their traditions. Aboriginal kids are forgetting about their Aboriginal heritage because they are being taught white culture instead.

0.0

WINHANGANHA

Nov 10, 2023

WINHANGANHA (Wiradjuri language: Remember, know, think) - is a lyrical journey of archival footage and sound, poetry and original composition. It is an examination of how archives and the legacies of collection affect First Nations people and wider Australia, told through the lens of acclaimed Wiradjuri artist, Jazz Money.

0.0

The Ripple Effect

Jun 5, 2021

The Ripple Effect is a powerful documentary primarily centred around St Kilda legend and proud Noongar Nicky Winmar's generation-defining stand against racism at Victoria Park in 1993.