Loosely based on the filmmaker’s personal experience, “Terra Nullius” is an impressionistic account of an eight year old Koori girl, Alice, growing up in a white adoptive family which denies her Aboriginality. The film examines how unacknowledged shame and fear passes from one generation to the next, from one culture to another. The last scene depicts a silent meeting between the young Alice and the adult Alice. In order to reclaim her life, Alice decides she must confront the pain and confusion of her childhood.
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How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
303351
Language
English
Audience classification
PG
Subject categories
Aboriginal Australia → Aboriginal Australians - Adoption
Aboriginal Australia → Aboriginal Australians - Children
Aboriginal Australia → Aboriginal Australians - Ethnic identity
Aboriginal Australia → Aboriginal Australians - Removal
Family, Gender Identity, Relationships & Sexuality → Child abuse
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)