Bran Nue Dae

Bran Nue Dae is part of The Sundance Film Festival in the Uk
A portion of write up in The New York Times

SPOTLIGHT

New for 2010, the Spotlight section is a tribute to the cinema we love. Regardless of where these

impressive films have played throughout the world, the Sundance Film Festival is thrilled to light a

marquee for them.


Narrative films screening in the Festival’s Spotlight are:


Bran Nue Dae/Australia (Director: Rachel Perkins; Screenwriters: Reg Cribb, Rachel Perkins and Jimmy Chi)—In the summer of 1965, a young man is filled with the life of the idyllic old pearling port Broome – fishing,

hanging out with his mates and his girl. Cast: Rocky McKenzie, Jessica Mauboy, Geoffrey Rush, Ernie Dingo. U.S. Premiere

http://theenvelope.latimes.com/env-circuit-sundance-lineup2-dec3-link,0,7365631.storylink&ct=ga&cd=5ykGXW7AX1E&usg=AFQjCNFo_PDAikbVj_fcQC7k6DHKrm46fg

A trailer for Bran Nue Dae ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtLbLBi5Jyk

Premier in W.A. tomorrow
By Wendy Caccetta in Broome

December 07, 2009 07:10am
STARS have gathered in Broome ahead of tomorrow's Australian premier of Bran Nue Dae, the film adaptation of the Aboriginal musical.

Missy Higgins, Ernie Dingo and Jessica Mauboy, who star in the film, are among those who have returned to the north west town where most of the movie was made.

They will walk the "red dirt" carpet tomorrow, along with other cast members Dan Sultan, Ningali Lawford-Wolf, Stephen Baamba and Albert and Rocky McKenzie.

Producers Robyn Kershaw (Kath and Kim, Looking for Alibrandi) and Graeme Isaac and director Rachel Perkins (Radiance, One Night the Moon) will also attend the festivities.

Award-winning actor Geoffrey Rush, who was being seen as a big draw-card in the film was unable to attend due to commitments in London.

Other cast members Deborah Mailman, Magda Szubanski and Tom Budge are also not expected.

Although Bran Due Dae made its Australian debut at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August, and its international debut at the Toronto Film Festival in September, the screening is being billed as its Australian premiere.

Mauboy, Sultan, Higgins and Dingo will put on a public performance with the Kukles band in Chinatown before the screening at the historic Sun Pictures.

Bran Nue Dae is set in 1967 and follows the adventures of Willie, an escapee from the Clontarf boarding school who tries to make his way back to Broome.

The story was inspired by the teenage experiences of writer and musician Jimmy Chi and the members of his Kuckles band.

When it premiered nearly two decades ago, Chi's stage musical on which the film was based, became the first Aboriginal musical.



http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,26450883-5005380,00.html&ct=ga&cd=6zjtW2LKQkM&usg=AFQjCNFbR5T6YoIsS8hWFNZ4wbyyl2Upcg

Thanks Gazza. I don't know if I'll go see it. I've never been a fan of musicals.

I might see because Jess is in it, not sure

Art imitates life for Mauboy film role 00:07 AEST Wed Dec 9 Jessica Mauboy didn't walk away from the ARIA Awards with the haul of trophies some expected, but it's onwards or upwards for the rising star who is getting rave reviews on her film debut.

Mauboy stars alongside Geoffrey Rush, Ernie Dingo, Missy Higgins, Deborah Mailman, Magda Szubanski, Dan Sultan and Rocky McKenzie in Bran Nue Dae, a coming-of-age musical comedy is set in 1969 about the adventure of finding home and following your heart.

The 20-year-old singer was approached by director Rachel Perkins and producer Robyn Kershaw after she impressed them with her Australian Idol audition in 2006.

Mauboy said she was initially unsure about taking on her first film role.

"I was like, 'Ahhh, you know I've done no acting in my life'," she told AAP.

"I was very nervous, especially with a couple of scenes I didn't know I was going to do, like the kissing scene.

"But it was like I was telling my own story. I felt really honoured to be able to play Rosie. There were lots of people who auditioned for it, especially locals, and I was lucky to get the part."

Mauboy grew up in Darwin in the Northern Territory, while her character Rosie calls Broome, WA, home, but both dreamed of being singing stars, starting out in church before taking to the stage.

She said it is also a story about Aboriginal culture.

"Bran Nue Dae really took us to another place," Mauboy said.

"It really brought back the culture. That's how we grew up, we jammed in the back yard, and we were with family and having a laugh, being who we are."

The story was written by Broome local Jimmy Chi about his own teenage experiences, and started life as a stage musical in 1990.

The film was shot in and around the pearling town, where many of the locals were involved in the production.

On Tuesday night the stars of Bran Nue Dae walked a red dirt "carpet" in Broome, including Mauboy, Dingo, Higgins, Sultan and McKenzie.

Mauboy is not the only singer to make her acting debut in the movie - Higgins and Sultan both impress in their first big screen roles.

Sultan, who plays a handsome bad boy who is after Mauboy, said he hoped Australians embraced a very different kind of indigenous story.

"A lot of indigenous stories that get told, and rightfully so, are about the hurt and the pain and the issues, but that's not all we are," he said.

"I think that's what a lot of people are going to find out with this film, we're just people.

"People either think nothing of us, or they think we're superhuman and we can see in the dark and we can run 80km an hour and overtake cars. We're just human."

Higgins agreed the film is unlike any other Australian film: "You really haven't seen anything like this. I haven't."

Bran Nue Dae opens nationally on January 14.

Another artcle on Bran nue dae

Our Jess the star at film premiere

DANIEL BOURCHIER

December 9th, 2009


Jessica Mauboy with Smokey Robinson
TERRITORY sweetheart Jessica Mauboy was the darling at the red dirt premiere of Bran Nue Dae at Broome last night.

The polished songstress was all smiles as she gracefully posed for photos with locals who had gathered several hours earlier, flirted with ConfideNTial and then took to the stage for a concert performance.

The ARIA winner said she was surprised by the Outback treatment.

"This is the first time I've walked on a red dirt ... carpet," she laughed.


Mauboy said it was very important to hold the premiere in the town that was at the centre of the film.

"It's very, very special," she said.

"Bran Nue Dae has always been a big part of Broome, and to be able to have the premiere here is very special.

"Look how excited everyone is - they can't wait to see it," she said, gesticulating wildly in the direction of the crowd.

Mauboy, pictured left with Motown legend Smokey Robinson on Monday, is now preparing to perform at Wyndham Estate in NSW's Hunter Valley on Saturday.

Mauboy stars alongside Ernie Dingo, Missy Higgins, Dan Sultan and Rocky McKenzie - all of whom joined her at Bran Nue Dae's premiere - in a coming-of-age musical comedy set in 1969 about the adventure of finding home and following your heart.

Mauboy was reportedly a favourite on set, with several cast members singing her praises at the premiere.

Dan Sultan said it was an honour to work with the young star. "She has become a little sister to me," he said.

Mauboy's performance in her first film outing has already received acclaimed reviews - most notably from ABC's Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton.

Mauboy said it was confronting to watch herself for the first time.

"Every time I watch it I get more comfortable with it," she said.

Mauboy shone in a fitted chiffon and lace frock, complete with sky-high patent leather black pumps and massive drop pearl earrings.

Mauboy was approached by director Rachel Perkins and producer Robyn Kershaw after she impressed them with her Australian Idol audition in 2006.

Mauboy said she was initially unsure about taking on her first film role.

"I was like, 'Ahhh, you know I've done no acting in my life'," she said.

"I was very nervous, especially with a couple of scenes I didn't know I was going to do, like the kissing scene.

"But it was like I was telling my own story. I felt really honoured to be able to play Rosie. There were lots of people who auditioned for it, especially locals, and I was lucky to get the part."

Mauboy grew up in Darwin in the Northern Territory, while her character Rosie calls Broome, WA, home, but both dreamed of being singing stars, starting out in church before taking to the stage.

She said it is also a story about Aboriginal culture. "Bran Nue Dae really took us to another place," Mauboy said.

"It really brought back the culture. That's how we grew up, we jammed in the back yard, and we were with family and having a laugh, being who we are."


http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2009/12/09/107741_entertainment.html&ct=ga&cd=nxoFwp1pxmU&usg=AFQjCNGbyKW7JfbIulrVXPen0DUYcK4d5g

nice pic

Mauboy confesses first kiss nerves
By Alyssa Braithwaite From: The Daily Telegraph December 09, 2009 11:20AM


SINGER Jessica Mauboy didn't walk away from the ARIA Awards with the haul of trophies some expected, but it's onwards or upwards for the rising star who is getting rave reviews on her film debut.

Mauboy stars alongside Geoffrey Rush, Ernie Dingo, Missy Higgins, Deborah Mailman, Magda Szubanski, Dan Sultan and Rocky McKenzie in Bran Nue Dae, a coming-of-age musical comedy is set in 1969 about the adventure of finding home and following your heart.


The 20-year-old singer was approached by director Rachel Perkins and producer Robyn Kershaw after she impressed them with her Australian Idol audition in 2006.

Mauboy said she was initially unsure about taking on her first film role.

"I was like, 'Ahhh, you know I've done no acting in my life'," she said.

"I was very nervous, especially with a couple of scenes I didn't know I was going to do, like the kissing scene.

"But it was like I was telling my own story. I felt really honoured to be able to play Rosie. There were lots of people who auditioned for it, especially locals, and I was lucky to get the part."

Mauboy grew up in Darwin in the Northern Territory, while her character Rosie calls Broome, WA, home, but both dreamed of being singing stars, starting out in church before taking to the stage.

She said it is also a story about Aboriginal culture.

"Bran Nue Dae really took us to another place," Mauboy said.

"It really brought back the culture. That's how we grew up, we jammed in the back yard, and we were with family and having a laugh, being who we are."

The story was written by Broome local Jimmy Chi about his own teenage experiences, and started life as a stage musical in 1990.

The film was shot in and around the pearling town, where many of the locals were involved in the production.

On Tuesday night the stars of Bran Nue Dae walked a red dirt "carpet" in Broome, including Mauboy, Dingo, Higgins, Sultan and McKenzie.

Mauboy is not the only singer to make her acting debut in the movie - Higgins and Sultan both impress in their first big screen roles.

Sultan, who plays a handsome bad boy who is after Mauboy, said he hoped Australians embraced a very different kind of indigenous story.

"A lot of indigenous stories that get told, and rightfully so, are about the hurt and the pain and the issues, but that's not all we are," he said.

"I think that's what a lot of people are going to find out with this film, we're just people.

"People either think nothing of us, or they think we're superhuman and we can see in the dark and we can run 80km an hour and overtake cars. We're just human."

Higgins agreed the film is unlike any other Australian film: "You really haven't seen anything like this. I haven't."

Bran Nue Dae opens nationally on January

yeah i read something about bran nue dae in todays newspaper

Broome premiere unique December 16th 2009

THE international film premiere of Bran Nue Dae last week was a glittering affair with a difference.
Red carpet was replaced by a red dirt walk for the stars to strut, and the audience of hundreds - who gathered in front of Sun Pictures on Carnarvon St in Broome - were treated to a concert by some of the stars.
Territory songbird Jessica Mauboy can now add acclaimed film star to her impressive list of credentials after receiving rave reviews for her performance as Rosie in the film adaptation of the Jimmy Chi stage musical.
"I am so not one to watch myself - I hate watching myself by the way," she said when asked how she responded to watching the film for the first time.
Bran Nue Dae will hit Territory screens on January 14.
GALLERY: Bran Nue Dae Premiere

BUT it wasn't all smooth sailing on the unconventional version of a red carpet for the former Australian Idol alumni Mauboy.
She had to walk very slowly in her towering black patent leather stiletto heels to stay upright.
But when asked who she was wearing, Mauboy burst out into laughter and said "I forgot, can you have a look?" she asked ConfideNTial. She was wearing a lace and chiffon cocktail frock by Sydney designer Ruby Smallbone.
And Mauboy said on-screen kisses - like the one she shared with co-star Rocky McKenzie - would not be a part of any potential films in the future now she was in a serious relationship with Darwin soccer star Themeli "Magoo" Magriplis.
NINGALI Lawford - who played the lead's religious mum in the film - said there were often make-up slips during filming.
"Eyelashes falling off here and there," she said. "Very minor."
"I'm not going to do a Paris Hilton on you," she said with a laugh for not letting out all the juicy gossip.
BRAN Nue Dae star Rocky McKenzie said the long hours to make the film paid off.
The 16-year-old high school student said the film's message was "home will always be home".
AS COUNTRY music crooner Dan Sultan was spruiking the film to gathered media, he was interrupted by a Qantas plane coming in to land - almost in touching range.
AUSTRALIA star and Broome local Brandon Walters made an impromptu guest appearance at the screening.
The 13-year-old was a hit with the screaming crowd.
TERRITORY royalty Marilynne Paspaley also walked the carpet.
JESSICA Mauboy's dad Ferdi Mauboy made a cameo in the film.
WESTERN Australia's Arts and Culture Minister John Day must be taking pages out of the Paul Henderson media guide.
As he spoke at the premiere, some lost count of how many times he said how "positive and uplifting" the film was.
A more arty version of "fresh ideas and real results".
FILM producer Robyn Kershaw made an embarrassing slip when she forgot to welcome star Dan Sultan to the spotlight along with all his castmates during speeches before the screening.
She screamed his name from afar until he graciously joined the team.
http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2009/12/16/109831_entertainment.html&ct=ga&cd=_5ZGOw63tUg&usg=AFQjCNEIBXCH_WCeq-c-kfRXeQF2odYBTA

There are some nice pictures of Jess in the gallery

yeah there are

another article on bran Nue Dae, quite interesting
http://www.perthnow.com.au/entertainment/perth-confidential/missy-higgins-and-jessica-mauboy-star-in-bran-nue-dae/story-e6frg30l-1225816333358&ct=ga&cd=WyI6OMXvHdU&usg=AFQjCNGDYD4OFqVTXRffKrgbTq075qTGQg

another review

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/storytemplate/jessica-mauboy-missy-higgins-dan-sultan-join-premiere-of-bran-nue-dae-in-broome/story-e6frf9h6-1225817020214&ct=ga&cd=_lkaL8n6lRo&usg=AFQjCNE_fSFmzuaCkKu-zHF6ygXI6j1z6g

the soundtrack is available now on ITunes but only 3 tracks are Jess, so i just got those 3 hahaha

Jessica along with other cast members will be on 7.00pm project tonight at guess what 7.00pm haha

http://www.3aw.com.au/blogs/3aw-generic-blog/jessica-mauboy-with-donna-demaio/20100108-lymc.html&ct=ga&cd=7_1uq2m3EsE&usg=AFQjCNGtRw7bfTmq73jsw5OGdXaFTehNBA

http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.moviehole.net/201022740-bran-nue-dae-cast&ct=ga&cd=yLBHQUVtT5I&usg=AFQjCNFSPRxZnGhvzUk9yTDGuObquJlBtQ

Jess and other cast members talk about their movie on Sunrise
http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/sunrise/video/entertainment/?autoplay_id=17568488#embedded-video-top

as you could emagine there has been a number of reviews on bran nue dae as the release to public, this is just one
http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2010/01/14/87405_entertainment.html&ct=ga&cd=DymeBfSC1CI&usg=AFQjCNF5aGYM5orwAWgicmzfk1xzNXB4EA

lots more write ups on Bran nue day have come out these 2 seem to be quite good
http://www.abc.net.au/local/reviews/2010/01/15/2793073.htm&ct=ga&cd=n1jq9bZMilc&usg=AFQjCNGm1gxZHEe9cYOlqT5iaupmLek-nQ
http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2010/01/15/116041_entertainment.html&ct=ga&cd=GfAjMJzZP6Q&usg=AFQjCNGppbNVclQcrduoAtK4hBeJjYphfw

I am hopeing to see it later today

saw Bran neu dae today, and i enjoyed it the story line has been written about already so no need to go through that, there are a few twists and turns and surprises overall I think it is worth seeing Melissa [missey] Higgins makes a good hippie and "holy joes" aren't always what they seem.

i'm glad that you enjoyed it.

t.y.

Last paragraph for the Australian newspaper

Encouragingly, this week the indigenous musical Bran Nue Dae, starring Geoffrey Rush, Jessica Mauboy and Dan Sultan, earned $1.6m in its opening weekend

Thats a good sign
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/films-take-box-office-to-new-dimension/story-e6frg6nf-1225821811596&ct=ga&cd=JCFMjkFQk7Q&usg=AFQjCNHljg6K5bVmcu_e5k7HYDsYc0H_uw

Wow Bran Nue Day takes $2.6M in is first week

WEST Australian-made feature film Bran Nue Dae has taken $2.6 million at the box office in its first week.
ScreenWest Chief Executive Ian Booth said Bran Nue Dae’s opening was outstanding and places it as one of the most successful Australian films of recent times.

“Bran Nue Dae is connecting with audiences all over Australia,” Mr Booth said.

“It’s a gem of a film, one to see on the big screen.

“The songs performed by Jessica Mauboy, Missy Higgins and Dan Sultan are also proving a hit with the film’s soundtrack rating well on iTunes.

“Distributed by Sony Music, it’s currently iTunes number one soundtrack and in the top 20 albums.

“There’s also some great interview clips with the film’s stars on YouTube.”

Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
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Mr Booth said the Broome community had once again got behind the film.

“Broome’s Sun Pictures and Sun Cinemas have screened to packed cinemas, and on opening, it was the number one location in Australia.”

“With the story and songs originating from Broome, much of the filming taking place in Broome, and the film starring Broome teenager Rocky McKenzie, it is not surprising that Broome locals are flocking to see it.”

Bran Nue Dae is directed by Rachel Perkins, produced by Robyn Kershaw and Graeme Isaac, with cinematography by Andrew Lesnie, and a screenplay by Reg Cribb, Rachel Perkins and Jimmy Chi.

The film stars Ernie Dingo, Geoffrey Rush, Magda Szubanski, Deborah Mailman and Ningali Lawford-Wolf, with newcomers to the screen Jessica Mauboy, Rocky McKenzie, Missy Higgins and Dan Sultan.

Bran Nue Dae is distributed by Roadshow Films and Omnilab Media, with it currently showing on 231 screens around Australia.

To see a preview of the movie go to http://www.brannuedaemovie.com/
Bran Nue Dae is supported by ScreenWest and Lotterywest
http://www.perthnow.com.au/entertainment/bran-nue-dae-takes-26m-a-its-first-week/story-e6frg30c-1225822274426&ct=ga&cd=wwIWCc--Dm0&usg=AFQjCNFgKT4_dLLeurKuSSrkeKE38LTnEw

Bran Nue Dae, Red Hill Lead Aussie Charge at Berlin AAP Created: Feb 7, 2010 Last Updated: Feb 7, 2010 .
SYDNEY—Two strikingly different films will lead the Aussie contingent at the Berlin Film Festival this month.

The Aboriginal musical comedy Bran Nue Dae and the modern revenge western Red Hill will screen in the German capital when the festival starts on February 11.

Neither are in official competition but both will be hoping to attract the attention of some of the 19,000 international film professionals, including about 4,000 journalists, who attend the festival.

Red Hill is yet to receive much publicity in Australia, where the release date is listed as mid 2010, but with True Blood rising star Ryan Kwanten in the lead role that should change.

Shot in Gippsland in Victoria, it tells the story of a young policeman who relocates to a country town with his pregnant wife to start a family.

His first day on duty turns into a nightmare when news spreads that a convicted murderer has broken out of prison.

Written and directed by Patrick Hughes in his debut feature, the film has bloody credentials thanks to executive producer Greg McLean, who made Wolf Creek.

Red Hill will feature in the Panorama section, which gives an overview of trends in art-house world cinema, and industry mag Variety says it is a highlight.

"To have Red Hill officially programmed at such a festival is a true honour," Hughes said.

"I was inspired by film-makers such as George Miller, Robert Rodriguez and the Coen Brothers, all directors who made their first films outside the system and risked everything in the process.

"Now that our world premiere is set to screen in a 1,000-seat cinema in the heart of Berlin on the opening weekend of the festival, it is not only a dream come true but a wonderful validation for everyone involved."

Bran Nue Dae will continue its impressive festival run in Berlin.

The film by Rachel Perkins, which stars Jessica Mauboy, Ernie Dingo, Geoffrey Rush and Missy Higgins, will be shown in the festival's Generation 14Plus section - a showcase of films for young people aged 14 years and over.

It had its world premiere at the Melbourne Film Festival last year and has already played to acclaim at the Toronto Film Festival and Sundance.

Since Bran Nue Dae opened nationally three weeks ago it has taken $5.5 million at the box office, making it one of the most successful local films of the past year.

Two other Australian productions will be included at the Berlin Festival.

Franswa Sharl, a short film directed by Hannah Hilliard, has been selected for the Generation KPlus section - a program targeting the youngest cinema-goers aged four years and over.

Set in Fiji in 1980, it is based on a true story.

And First Contact, an eight-minute short by film-maker Rima Tamou and producer Pauline Clague shot in far north Queensland in the Girrimae language will have its European premiere at Berlin

This is the best write up I have seen of what the storyline of Bran Nue Dae

An Australian film to be proud of
Published: 14 February 2010


On the road: Uncle Tadpole (Ernie Dingo) hitches a ride with Annie (Missy Higgins) and, below, a lively musical scene from Bran Nue Dae
BRAN NUE DAE

Starring: Rocky McKenzie, Jessica Mauboy, Geoffrey Rush, Ernie Dingo, Missy Higgins, Tom Budge, Dan Sultan, Magda Szubanski, Deborah Mailman, Ningali Lawford-Wolf.

Directed: Rachel Perkins.

Rated PG (medium level coarse language). 85 minutes.


Reviewed by Jan Epstein

BRAN Nue Dae has been a long time coming.

What began life as songs written by Aboriginal musicians about growing up black in White Australia during the 1960s, morphed later into a popular stage musical that toured Australia in the 1990s, delighting audiences with its boisterous energy and humour.

Now Bran Nue Dae has been adapted for the screen by director Rachel Perkins (Radiance, One Night the Moon), Reg Cribb, Johnny Chi and other original members of the band Kuckles (comprising Patrick Duttoo Bin Amat, Gary Gower, Michael Manolis Mavromatis and Stephen Pigram), whose early experiences in Broome in the far north of Western Australia, inspired the songs.

As a consequence, those who missed the stage show will be surprised and delighted at the deft way Bran Nue Dae mixes political irony and satire with a love story and zany optimism.

Bran Nue Day is set in Broome in 1969, where young Willie (Rocky McKenzie), who attends a Catholic mission school in Perth, is back home briefly, doing his best to fit in and enjoy life with his friends and other members of his generally carefree community.

Willy is in love with Rosie (Jessica Mauboy), with whom he grew up, but Rosie has caught the eye of the local Lothario Lester (Dan Sultan), who by his good looks and standing in the community which gathers at the Roebuck Bay Hotel, has turned Rosie's head.

To complicate Willie's sense of abandonment by Rosie, his mother Theresa (Ningali Lawford-Wolf) wants Willie to become a priest, and to this end she sends him back to the mission school, where to his chagrin, Willie, by virtue of his compliant behaviour, is singled out by the school principal Fr Benedictus (Geoffrey Rush), as the Aborigine most likely to succeed (ie enter the priesthood after graduation).

When Willie, along with others, raids the tuckshop at night, Benedictus is enraged, and becomes more so when his tactic of forcing a confession from the culprits through moral blackmail, results in Willie confessing that he is one of them.

Willie avoids punishment by running away. But too ashamed to return to Broome, he spends the night under a Perth bridge with a group of Aboriginal vagrants, one of whom (Ernie Dingo), identifies himself as Willie's uncle "Tadpole".

Although penniless, Uncle Tadpole immediately announces his (ulterior) intention of accompanying Willie back to his mother in Broome and, chased unknowingly by Fr Benedictus in his yellow car.

Uncle Tadpole and Willie inveigle a ride to Broome with two hippies, Annie (Missy Higgins) and Slippery (Tom Budge), in their (originally Point Hedland bound) flower-painted van.

From hereon Bran Nue Dae becomes (mostly) a rollicking fast-paced, at times slap-stick musical comedy, more in the mould of Chaplin and the Keystone Cops than conventional road movies.

Yet despite the surface jollity of Aboriginal music Broome-style, if one listens closely, ironically defiant lyrics are embedded in the vibrancy of the music that relate starkly to the demeaning treatment endured by most Aborigines during "200-odd years" of white settlement.

And there is one scene, all the more powerful because it seems to creep by stealth from beneath the film's at times banal surface, which is heart-stopping in its tragic visual beauty: that when Willie, asleep in jail in Uncle Tadpole's arms, is visited by the past, and dreams that he is being hanged.

Just as layered and meaningful are the portraits of some of the characters whose behaviour, if not for the three-dimensionality of their depiction (Deborah Mailman as Roxanne, Ernie Dingo as Tadpole) and the placing of these characters in a context that makes sense of their actions, could be interpreted as simply stereotypical.

This applies too to the stereotyping of the Catholic clergy as represented by the pompous and preposterous Fr Benedictus (as played by Rush), which is offset by the film's cathartic final scene, which pricks the balloon of prejudice and exclusivity by showing that as human beings we are all related, irrespective of class, nationality or race. In several ways, Bran Nue Dae stands at the opposite end of the spectrum to Samson and Delilah.

But seen as twin portraits of where Aboriginal cinema is heading and where it has come from, Bran Nue Dae is a film to be proud of and to enjoy.

Jan Epstein is an associate of the Australian Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting.

http://www.catholicleader.com.au/news.php/reviews/an-australian-film-to-be-proud-of_54881&ct=ga&cd=BOWRmknRGY8&usg=AFQjCNHBtzH5eqdnLLeh-8GaR6rris4Abw