Joanne Pellew Discusses the Potential Powerful Relationship Between the Australian Film Industry and Indigenous Culture

The Australian film industry has always played an important role in shaping how society ultimately comes to view the country, including as it relates to elements of its past, present, and future. When it comes to matters of history and culture, films have a unique opportunity to either educate or mislead, and there are ample examples illustrating both the former and the latter.

The film Rabbit Proof Fence serves as a particularly potent example of how Australian writers possesses the ability to entertain an audience while simultaneously encouraging a deeper look into the history surrounding its subject matter. While the film certainly took some artistic license in its portrayal of the events surrounding theStolen Generation, it also represented an opportunity for the film industry to showcase the acting talents of indigenous Australians in roles more firmly rooted in an accurate historical context, as Broome girl, Evelyn Sampi most certainly did. Evelyn became an overnight star as a result of her outstanding performance in the movie

Of course, part of the reason films like Rabbit Proof Fence stand out when compared to other historical depictions of Australian history is the tendency to cast Indigenous people in the strictly restrictive roles of outlaws or antagonists. Those earlier and, in many cases, unfortunate portrayals shaped the way many Australian’s came to understand the history and culture of indigenous people. It is for this reason that so many have lauded films featuring accurate portrayals of multi-dimensional characters representing the indigenous culture.

Joanne Pellew, the founder of an indigenous jobs site in Australia, sees a number of parallels in the lengthy arc of Australia’s history with indigenous culture in her own work. Through Ochre Workforce Solutions and iWork, Pellew, a Noongar woman, has dedicated her professional life to creating opportunities for Australia’s indigenous communities. According to Pellew, it is often just a matter of providing an opportunity that enables people to thrive and ultimately achieve their full potential, much in the same way that many Indigenous Australian actors simply needed an opportunity in order to do the same.

While the relationship between the film industry and indigenous cultures from all over the world features a complicated and sometimes unfortunate history, Pellew made a point to acknowledge and praise all the progress that has been made over the years. The indigenous serial entrepreneur also emphasized the need to avoid complacency when it comes to advocating for creating new opportunities for people of indigenous cultural backgrounds to thrive.