''Protected'' is a 1975

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

, narrated by Don Brady and Sydney-born producer Robert Hughes. The film was directed by Alessandro Cavadini (who also made '' Ningla A-Na'', about the

Aboriginal Tent Embassy The Aboriginal Tent Embassy is a permanent protest occupation site as a focus for representing the political rights of Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander people. Established on 26 January (Australia Day) 1972, and celebrating ...

). It was an exposé of the ill-treatment of Aboriginal workers by white men. The details of what life was like for Aboriginal Australians on Palm Island became more widely known when Alessandro Cavadini and Carolyn Strachan recreated the strike in 1957 by hundreds of the Island's residents even though there was huge resistance from local authorities. Some 22 years later in 2007, Aboriginal activist, and convicted Palm Island rioter Lex Wotton presented a screening of the film to the Film Fanatics Society at Petersham Bowling Club. He recalled watching the film as a schoolboy and seeing his father on film. He said that screening opened his eyes to the way ''"things were different on Palm"''. He also said ''"There are numerous things that people haven't documented but this

ilm Ilm or ILM may refer to: Acronyms * Identity Lifecycle Manager, a Microsoft Server Product * '' I Love Money,'' a TV show on VH1 * Independent Loading Mechanism, a mounting system for CPU sockets * Industrial Light & Magic, an American motion p ...

was one thing that brought what was happening to the indigenous people to the attention of the wider community''.

References

External links

*
Protected
at

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

Australia: Palm Island’s Dark History of Aboriginal Repression
* 1975 films Australian documentary films Australian independent films Documentary films about Aboriginal Australians 1975 documentary films Documentary films about indigenous rights Documentary films about the labor movement 1975 independent films 1970s English-language films 1970s Australian films English-language documentary films English-language independent films {{poli-documentary-film-stub