'Namatjira's Project' at Revelation Perth International Film Festival 2017

'Namatjira's Project' at Revelation Perth International Film Festival 2017

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Posted 2017-11-06 by finyfollow

Mon 27 Nov 2017

Revelation Perth International Film Festival in association with Breaking Banter proudly presents a celebration of Australian film - past present and future - through a programme of monthly screenings.

In November 2017, Australian Revelations presents the Perth premiere of the fascinating story of the Namatjira Project, which traces the life of acclaimed Indigenous artist Albert Namatjira and his family's quest for justice.


Albert Namatjira was the first Indigenous person to be made a citizen by the Australian Government. He was born as Elea, but once his parents had him baptised as a Christian, they changed his name to Albert. He was born in 1902 in the Northern Territory, the son of Namatjira and his wife, Ljukuta. He belonged to the western group of the Arrernte people.



This was a time when Aboriginal people were still considered to be "flora and fauna" - some 170 years after white people arrived in Australia. He was an extraordinary man;

  • He was founder of the Indigenous art movement in Australia
  • He exhibited globally
  • He was introduced to Queen Elizabeth

  • Albert was taught to paint Rex Battarbee when they met in the 1930's at Hermannsburg Mission, in the Central Australian desert.



    Their close friendship was to have an incredible impact on Australian art and by the 1950's, Namatjira had become the most famous Aboriginal person of his time.



    However, Albert was caught between cultures - paraded as a great Australian while he was simultaneously treated with contempt and eventually, he was wrongfully imprisoned. Albert passed away in 1959, a broken man, at just 57 years of age. In 1983 the copyright to his entire catalogue of artworks was sold by the Government to an art dealer.

    Despite his work being so iconic - it was reproduced commercially on prints, tea towels and hanging on living room walls around the world – his family today still fight for [i]"survival, justice and crucially, have only weeks ago regained the copyright to their grandfather's work"[/i].



    This programme, Namatjira's Project, traces this family's quest.



    They team up with art and social justice organisation, Big hART, to tour a theatre production about Albert's life outlining the following:

  • Raising awareness
  • Calling for support
  • Calling for a return of the copyright

  • Big hART was invited to stage the show in London and they used this opportunity to generate international pressure. Queen Elizabeth also invited the Namatjiras to Buckingham Palace and UK media picked up the story of this famous family's struggle.



    However, in Australia, despite valiant efforts, the silence is deafening and the Namatjiras returned home powerless. The Namatjira family continue to deal with issues faced by many remote Indigenous Australians and these issues include:

  • Poor health
  • Low life expectancy
  • Overrepresentation in prisons
  • Unemployment
  • Limited education

  • The copyright was a deeply symbolic issue and despite recent developments, speaks of the unresolved relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and is a "prism to examine this issue in a global context".

    The Director is Sera Davies, it plays for 87 minutes, and has an "M" rating.



    You can see more about the Namatjira family in this video.

    [b]WHEN**
    Monday 27th November 2017

    [b]WHERE**
    The Backlot Perth
    21 Simpson Street
    West Perth

    TIME
    Drinks and nibbles from 6.30 pm
    Film to start at 7.00 pm

    [b]BOOKINGS**
    Get your tickets at this site.

    [b]MORE INFORMATION**
    You can get more information on this story here.

    Make sure you book for this movie, as there are limited seats and it is well worth watching.

    #art
    #cinema
    #community_events
    #festivals
    #film_festivals
    #history
    #west_perth
    #november
    !date 27/11/2017 -- 27/11/2017
    %wnperth
    142369 - 2023-06-13 18:54:34

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