Blackfella Films is a Sydney-based documentary and

narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional ( memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional ( fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller, novel, etc ...

production company, founded in 1992 by Rachel Perkins. The company produces distinctive Australian short and feature-length content for film and television with a particular focus on

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait I ...

stories. Its productions have included the documentary series '' First Australians'', the documentary '' The Tall Man'', the television film '' Mabo'', and the TV series ''

Redfern Now ''Redfern Now'' is an Australian drama television series, that first aired on ABC1 in 2012. The program follows the lives of 6 Aboriginal Australian families living in the urban hub of Redfern, Sydney. The series provides insight into contempo ...

''.

History

Blackfella Films was founded in 1992 by

Arrernte Arrernte (also spelt Aranda, etc.) is a descriptor related to a group of Aboriginal Australian peoples from Central Australia. It may refer to: * Arrernte (area), land controlled by the Arrernte Council (?) * Arrernte people, Aboriginal Australi ...

writer, producer, and director Rachel Perkins. Producer Darren Dale joined the company in 2002, while former Head of Drama at the ABC, Miranda Dear, joined in 2010 with a focus on producing the company's dramatic content. The company's most successful production has been the multi-award-winning seven-part 2008 documentary series '' First Australians''. This series experienced both national and international success, including screening to over 2.3 million viewers in Australia on SBS, and has since become the best selling educational DVD in Australia. The 2011 documentary, '' The Tall Man'', won the inaugural

Walkley Award The annual Walkley Awards are presented in Australia to recognise and reward excellence in journalism. They cover all media including print, television, documentary, radio, photographic and online media. The Gold Walkley is the highest prize and ...

for "Long-form Journalism: Documentary". In 2012 they released the

docudrama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television and film, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of documentary and drama and "a fact-based representation of real event". Docudramas typic ...

''Mabo'', a telemovie, and produced the six-part television drama series ''

''. In late 2012 a second series of ''Redfern Now'' was awarded funding from

Screen Australia Screen Australia is the Australian Federal Government's key funding body for the Australian screen production industry, created under the ''Screen Australia Act 2008''. From 1 July 2008 Screen Australia took over the functions of its predecess ...

, and went into production in May 2013. From 2002 to 2011 Blackfella Films curated the

Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival Message Sticks Festival, also known for some time as Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival, was an arts festival celebrating the culture of Aboriginal Australians, based at the Sydney Opera House, between 1999 and 2013. It focused on film for ...

, showcasing indigenous cinema from around the world. The festival was held at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

before touring the country. In October 2021 the series ''Addicted Australia'', by Jacob Hickey and Darren Dale of Blackfella Films and

SBS Television The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from the Australian Government. SBS operates six TV channels ( SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS Wor ...

, was one of three documentaries shortlisted for the

Walkley Documentary Award The Walkley Documentary Award is an Australian award presented annually since 2011 as part of the Walkley Awards The annual Walkley Awards are presented in Australia to recognise and reward excellence in journalism. They cover all media includ ...

Selected filmography

* ''From Sand to Celluloid – Payback'' (1996) (short film) * ''Flat'' (2002) (short film) * ''Mimi'' (2002) (short film) * '' First Australians'' (2008) (documentary series) * ''The Party Shoes'' (2009) (short film) * ''Jacob'' (2009) (short film) * ''Lani's Story'' (2010) (documentary) * '' The Tall Man'' (2011) (documentary) * '' Mabo'' (2012) (TV docudrama film) * ''

'' (2012–2013) (TV series) * '' First Contact'' (2014) (documentary series) * ''DNA Nation'' (2016) (3-part documentary series) * '' Total Control'' (2019, 2021) (TV series)

References

External links

Blackfella Films Official Website
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{{Authority control Aboriginal cinema in Australia Film production companies of Australia Television production companies of Australia Companies based in Sydney Entertainment companies established in 1992 Mass media companies established in 1992 Indigenous Australian mass media Australian companies established in 1992