Shot over a period of three years in Mparntwe (Alice Springs), Sandy Bore Homeland and Borroloola Community, Northern Territory, Maya Newell’s latest film, In My Blood It Runs, follows Dujuan Hossan, a young Arrernte boy, as he navigates life between two worlds: the Australian education system and his culture.
As someone who moved to Australia from France four years ago, I had only some understanding of Australia’s treatment of First Nations people. Seeing Dujuan’s everyday life was eye opening. From his perspective, I grasped the contradictions of the Australian education system and was made aware of the unbearable conditions and the ruthlessness of youth detention centres.
I was immediately drawn to Dujuan’s clever personality, his search for belonging and his sweet naiveté, and I was fascinated by the languages spoken in the film, beautiful and smooth to the ear, as well as the love and care of his family and the beauty of their country.
One of the many positive outcomes of this film is a project run by the community’s elders to create a model for First Nations education: schools for Indigenous kids, run by Indigenous people. Soon after the film wrapped up, Dujuan went to the United Nations Human Rights Council to appeal for better living conditions for Indigenous kids. As Dujuan has shown, the right education gives you knowledge, choice and power.
In My Blood It Runs had a great impact on me; it gave me hope and it made me want to help. If you are looking for a way to help Indigenous communities dismantle structural racism, there are several suggestions on the film's website.
– Pauline Tranchant, Visitor Experience Supervisor
You can watch In My Blood It Runs on ABC iView on Sunday 5 July at 9.30pm. For other ways to view the film, please see the film's official website.
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