Belonging: rituals of friendship and association in an Australian country town

Australia, 1977

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About social interaction in a small New South Wales country town. Through the lives of four men the film reveals how newcomers to a community create a network of friends and acquaintances which gives them a sense of belonging. Records discussions in various clubs and associations, and suggests that in country towns there are clearly those who “belong” and those who don’t; women, aboriginals, the poor, the unemployed.

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Collection

In ACMI's collection

Credits

director

Philip Robertson

producer

Malcolm Otton

production company

Film Australia

Duration

01:29:00:00

Production places

Australia

Production dates

1977

Collection metadata

ACMI Identifier

320123

Language

English

Subject categories

Aboriginal Australia → Aboriginal Australians - Women

Agriculture, Business, Commerce & Industry → Rural families

Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Rural families

Documentary

Documentary → Documentary films - Australia

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Aboriginal Australians - Social conditions

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Australia - Social conditions

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Australia - Social conditions - 20th Century

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Discrimination - Australia

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Minorities

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Poor - Australia

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Rural families

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Sociology, Rural

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Unemployed - Australia

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Women - Social conditions

Feature films

Feature films → Feature films - Australia

Sound/audio

Sound

Colour

Holdings

16mm film; Limited Access Print (Section 2)

16mm film; Access Print (Section 1)

Please note: this archive is an ongoing body of work. Sometimes the credit information (director, year etc) isn’t available so these fields may be left blank; we are progressively filling these in with further research.

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If you would like to cite this item, please use the following template: {{cite web |url=https://acmi.net.au/works/65344--belonging-rituals-of-friendship-and-association-in-an-australian-country-town/ |title=Belonging: rituals of friendship and association in an Australian country town |author=Australian Centre for the Moving Image |access-date=18 March 2025 |publisher=Australian Centre for the Moving Image}}