Plays June 12 - 26
Directed by Maya Newell
2019, Australia, 84 min
English, Aboriginal English, and Arrernte with subtitles
Ten-year-old Dujuan is a child-healer, a good hunter and speaks three languages. As he shares his wisdom of history and the complex world around him we see his spark and intelligence. Yet Dujuan is ‘failing’ in school and facing increasing scrutiny from welfare and the police. As he travels perilously close to incarceration, his family fight to give him a strong Arrernte education alongside his western education lest he becomes another statistic. We walk with him as he grapples with these pressures, shares his truths and somewhere in-between finds space to dream, imagine and hope for his future self.
Presented in partnership with Urban Shaman, and Yukon Film Society.
Cinematheque at Home – curated by the Cinematheque – will offer new theatrical releases every week which our audiences can pay to stream through our website (by clicking the ‘buy tickets’ button). This is not only an opportunity for our patrons to see new cinema, but is an important way that they can continue to support independent film during this pandemic.
Reviews
The director Maya Newell gains access to both worlds that Dujuan traverses — home and school — and the trust that she seems to have built with all participants is vital to the success of this film.
- Teo Bugbee, New York Times
Sensitively gives a voice to the Indigenous Australian communities whilst engaging with the socioeconomic issues that affect their livelihoods. It's remarkable.
- Musanna Ahmed, Film Inquiry
Shows us that colonialism is not just a painful legacy to grapple with, but an ongoing process necessitating resistance.
- Brett Pardy, Seventh Row
