Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra (2020)
AUSTRALiAN | INDIGENOUS | DANCE
SUNDAY 25 APRIL | 4:15PM
ACMI CINEMA 1
FEATURING A SHORT FILM BY GRID SERIES
AND LIVE PERFORMANCE BY KULULU WARIA
Directors: Wayne Blair, Nel Minchin
Country: Australia
Year: 2020
Duration: 96 minutes
Language: English
Genre: Documentary
Awards: Winner, Best Documentary - Adelaide Film Festival 2020 / Winner, Best Documentary - Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards 2020
Screening Location: ACMI Cinema 1, Federation Square, Melbourne | Plan your visit to ACMI
Festival Selection
Synopsis
“Bangarra has, time and time again, stepped up to the challenge of sharing stories through dance to create moments of access for all Australians who hold a relationship with this land’s First Nations’ peoples, its living colonial history and Country itself.” - Brooke Collins-Gearing, The Conversation
Marking Bangarra Dance Theatre’s 30th anniversary, The Story of Bangarra is a captivating documentary that tells the story of Stephen, David and Russell Page – three young Aboriginal brothers who turned a newly born dance group into one of Australia’s leading performing arts companies.
Firestarter explores the loss and reclaiming of culture, the burden of intergenerational trauma and crucially, the extraordinary power of art as a messenger for social change and healing. Directed by Wayne Blair (The Sapphires, Top End Wedding) and Nel Minchin (Matilda & Me), this poignant documentary has already won multiple awards, including the AACTA-Award for Best Documentary.
**Content warning: This film contains scenes or themes of suicide that some audience members may find disturbing. Viewer discretion advised.**
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Mature themes and course language.
Grid Series Short FILM Featuring Kululu Waria
"My Music is Genuinely Me, Proud Woppaburra Torres Strait Island Woman, Badu, I Do It For The Love Of It” - Kululu Waria
Kululu is a singer songwriter from South West Brisbane, celebrating the release of her new single “Alive” alongside her debut release “Love Isn't”. She is a proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island woman who is a descendant of the Woppaburra peoples of the Great Keppel Islands and Argun peoples of Badu Island.
pre-film performance by KULULU WARIA
Kululu Waria is a singer/songwriter whose pop sound can be attributed to the eclectic range of music she heard growing up. She bares her soul with her honest and relatable lyricism but delivers it through catchy hooks and upbeat production.
Kululu has the ability to draw you in with her warm and inviting presence but it’s her raw yet sincere performances that’ll keep you around. Currently she resides in Brisbane where she is working on new music to be released this year.
Community Impact Partner
Deadly Story is a resource that aims to support Aboriginal children and young people to grow in their knowledge of; Who you are, who you belong to, where you belong, where you come from, what you do, what you believe, what symbolises your Aboriginal culture.