ACMI presents
Forgotten People and the legacy of Uncle Bill Onus
with special guest Tiriki Onus
When
Tues 3 Aug 2021
6pm (AEST)
For the August instalment of our First Nations Film Club, we look at a documentary produced by the Aborigines Advancement League in 1967 – the year Aboriginal Peoples were finally recognised by Australian federal law.
Forgotten People features two South-Eastern Aboriginal rights stalwarts – Yorta Yorta & Wiradjuri man Bill Onus and Yorta Yorta man Sir Pastor Doug Nicholls. The short, nine-minute film gives us a glimpse into the past work of Uncle Bill and Uncle Doug, and the disadvantaged and distressing conditions of Aboriginal Peoples in Melbourne, at Rumbalara (near Shepparton, Victoria), Robinvale (northwest Victoria) and Dareton (southwest NSW) in the late 1960s.
After our screening, we'll yarn to Uncle Bill's grandson Yorta Yorta man Tiriki Onus to glean his thoughts on Forgotten People and other such historic representations of our mob, to get an insight into how he's reclaimed these antiquated, and often problematic, representations in his new documentary Ablaze which he co-wrote and co-directed with Alec Morgan.
We thank and acknowledge both the Onus and Nicholls Family for their support with the screening of Forgotten People.
About our host
Bryan Andy
Bryan Andy is a Yorta Yorta man from Cummeragunja, NSW. He is a freelance writer, arts advocate and the current convenor of OutBlack – Victoria's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and Queer mob.
Join the club
You will need to be a member of the First Nations Film Club to attend this session. By becoming a member of the Club, you'll also get a range of ACMI member benefits.
First Nations Film Club
Watch films from ACMI's collection and beyond, looking back on the trailblazing storytellers and seminal works that have paved the way for First Peoples stories on screen.
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Everyone participating in an ACMI First Nations Film Club event — including, but not limited to the meets, clubs and talks — is required to agree to the following code of conduct. This includes all attendees, speakers, performers, patrons, and volunteers.
ACMI First Nations Film Club will enforce this code during its events and throughout the year. We expect cooperation from everyone to ensure a safe, diverse, and welcoming environment.
The condensed version
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The less condensed version
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With thanks