From the Heart of Our Nation, Australia’s best First Nations musicians celebrate NITV anniversary at Uluṟu
King Stingray, Christine Anu, Casey Donovan, Troy and Jem Cassar-Daley, Electric Fields, JK-47 and more, light up the night sky in special live concert.
The sun setting on Uluru was the backdrop to an evening of powerful performances from Australia’s leading First Nations artists on Monday night. They came together to celebrate 10 years of National Indigenous Television (NITV) being available to all Australians as a free-to-air channel, and part of the SBS network.
The special outdoor concert event – From the Heart of Our Nation, A Celebration – simulcast live on NITV and SBS, got underway with ARIA Award-winning King Stingray singing Land Down Under combining English and Yolŋu Matha. Among the performances that followed into the night - delivered on the closest stage ever to Uluru - included father and daughter duo Troy and Jem Cassar-Daley together for a rendition of Brisbane Blacks, Electric Fields singing From Little Things Big Things Grow, Casey Donovan and Zipporah with Dyagula joining forces for a musical medley, and all artists together singing Solid Rock for the concert finale.
Tanya Denning-Orman, a proud Birri and Guugu Yimidhirr woman and Director of Indigenous Content at SBS, said, “On Monday night, we celebrated an incredible decade of NITV – a vital place in our national media landscape dedicated to First Nations stories, cultures and perspectives – being available to every Australian.
“It was a night to remember as we marked this milestone moment. There was no better way to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of switching on free-to-air as part of SBS, than with a party bringing these chart-topping and iconic Blak voices together on the beautiful lands of the Anangu.
“We thank the Anangu for welcoming us to their Country, permitting us to share it with all Australians through this concert, and to the Mutitjulu community for being a part of our special celebration.”
From the Heart of Our Nation, A Celebration, was hosted by Whadjuk Noongar woman Narelda Jacobs (The Point, Studio 10) and Wuthathi and Meriam man John Paul Janke (The Point), with Yamatji man and television icon Ernie Dingo (Going Places with Ernie Dingo).
On 12.12.12, NITV first broadcast to all Australians as a free-to-air channel, as part of the SBS network, live from Uluru. Ten years later, NITV returned to celebrate the achievements, strength and resilience of First Nations media and communities through this special broadcast.
Some caps from last night.
The Dead Lands
Thursday 9 February 9:30 PM
Set in pre-colonial Aotearoa, The Dead Lands tells the story of Hongi (James Rolleston), a Māori chieftain’s son who seeks to bring peace and honour to the souls of his loved ones after his tribe is killed through an act of treachery.
Hongi’s only hope is to pass through the feared and forbidden Dead Lands and forge an uneasy alliance with the mysterious Warrior, a ruthless fighter who has ruled the area for many years.
The film showcases stunning landscapes, the brutal traditional armed combat Mau rākau, and an extraordinary local cast including Te Kohe Tuhaka, Lawrence Makoare, and Raukura Turei.
** Part of NITV’s Waitangi Day collection.*
Karla Grant Presents: On Australian Shores - Survivor Stories
Monday 20 February 08:30 PM
In the 1970s and 1980s, Kimberley Aboriginal workers were involved in weed spraying campaigns organised by the Agriculture Protection Board of Western Australia. They received no training or protection equipment. They were told the chemicals they were mixing and spraying by hand were safe to use. Unbeknownst to them, they were spraying Agent Orange - a mixture of 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D herbicides.
Many healthy young Aboriginal men died in their thirties and forties, leaving behind heartbroken parents, partners, siblings, children, and communities. But the impact was not limited to them. The toxins they were spraying affected their wives, who suffered miscarriages and could not have children, and their own children, who were in contact with their clothes. This important documentary gives voice to 42 people, survivors, family and community members, so that their stories are not forgotten.
Deadly Heart
Monday 20 February 09:30 PM
Deadly Heart tells the story of how remote Aboriginal communities across the Top End of Australia are adopting innovative strategies to eliminate Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD).
RHD is a preventable disease of children. All children exposed to Strep infections through skin sores and sore throats need treatment to keep them safe from RHD. If this treatment is not provided in a timely manner, children can develop RHD, which is a life-long chronic condition that can lead to stroke, heart failure and premature death.
RHD was once widespread across all of Australia, but today it is almost exclusively found in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities. RHD has the biggest negative impact on the life-expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. While it is a disease that is completely preventable, health system failures, low health literacy, overcrowding and environmental factors are contributing to growing rates of RHD in Australia.
Deadly Heart tells the inspiring story of the journey towards an RHD-free future. It is a powerful film that celebrates Indigenous culture and demonstrates how community-led programs can put RHD in the history books once and for all. The film incorporates themes of truth-telling, Indigenous leadership, language, culture, identity, reconciliation, education, health, and self-determination.
There Are No Fakes
Wednesday 22 February 9:30 PM
From award-winning director Jamie Kastner and executive producer Mark Anthony Jacobson comes There Are No Fakes, a journey into the largest art fraud scam in Canadian history.
Musician Kevin Hearn of the Barenaked Ladies buys a painting, ‘Spirit Energy of Mother Earth,‘ attributed to Norval Morrisseau, the Ojibway founder of the Woodland School. Acclaimed by Picasso and Chagall, Morrisseau is widely recognised to be the world’s first Indigenous art star. But Hearn begins to have doubts about the painting’s authenticity, and winds up suing the gallery that sold it to him. In short order, he finds himself in the middle of a feud between two warring factions of white people, each claiming to be the true defenders of Morrisseau’s legacy.
Questioning the authenticity of Hearn’s painting throws into doubt some 3000 Morrisseau attributed works worth $30,000,000. Epithets are slung, suits and countersuits pile up, and rocks are thrown through gallery windows. The film follows leads to Thunder Bay, Morrisseau’s birthplace, known for its shameful history of Indigenous-white relations. Then, as Hearn’s court case proceeds, an almost-unbelievable new tale emerges about the origin of the paintings, and the story turns several shades darker.
Over the Black Dot and Yokayi Footy return for 2023
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has footy fans covered with the return of ground-breaking weekly sports programs Yokayi Footy and Over the Black Dot in March.
First up, Over the Black Dot returns on Tuesday 7 March at 8.30pm. Legendary National Rugby League (NRL) player and proud Anaiwan man Dean Widders will lead a new-look Over the Black Dot program alongside Dual International Timana Tahu, and Bo de la Cruz, a proud descendant of the Gudjula and Erubian people and a multi-award-winning Touch, Rugby Union and Rugby League player.
This season will be full of surprises and with plenty to talk about as a new Queensland team joins the NRL. With off-the-cuff conversations and community yarns covering the top level of rugby league, and all levels of the code including community sport, the series will feature an array of talent and guests, focusing on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Widders and Tahu will review and preview matches, with recurring guest de la Cruz, sharing opinions and tackling hot topics. From grassroots games to the bright lights of the NRL, this program is for fans that live and breathe rugby league as well as those that want to learn more about the game.
In partnership with AFL Studios and Typecast Entertainment, Yokayi Footy returns at 8.30pm on Wednesday 15 March. Hosted by former Richmond and Collingwood player and proud Mineng and Yinggarda man Andrew Krakouer, and proud Warumungu/Yawuru woman and fitness professional Megan Waters, Yokayi Footy continues to cover everything Australians love about AFL through bold yarns, powerful monologues, compelling community stories and exclusive interviews with Indigenous AFL players.
Yokayi Footy is excited to welcome Tony Briggs, a proud Yorta Yorta / Wurundjeri man, as its new Executive Producer. Tony’s career spans over thirty years in the film and television industry. Best known for creating the hit film The Sapphires, he brings a wealth of experience and knowledge and will be a great asset to the Yokayi Footy show.
Head of Entertainment, Events and Sport, NITV and Gooreng Gooreng man, Adam Manovic, said: “We’re eager to start the season strong for both AFL and NRL fans with Yokayi Footy and Over the Black Dot. The end of last year’s AFL season left much to talk about and we’re looking forward to bringing viewers another year of insights, analysis and banter through a First Nations lens.
“We’re proud to produce another season of Over the Black Dot, particularly off the back of the Indigenous All-Stars match in Rotorua recently. Support and momentum for our talented mob is high and we are gearing up for what will be a huge year, with the introduction of the Dolphins to shake things up. Our hosts are rearing and ready to go.”
Over the Black Dot airs weekly from Tuesday 7 March at 8.30pm on NITV and SBS On Demand.
Yokayi Footy airs weekly from Wednesday 15 March at 8.30pm on NITV, SBS On Demand, AFL.com.au and the AFL Live app.
Biraban and Threlkeld: Finding the Third Space
Monday 6 March 9:15 PM
Almost 200 years ago in Newcastle, Australia’s most brutal colonial outpost, two men became this nation’s first civil rights activists. Biraban, a bilingual Aboriginal man and leader of Newcastle/Lake Macquarie’s First Nations peoples, and the Reverend Lancelot Threlkeld, a British missionary sent to convert these people to the word of God, became mates.
They documented songs, poems, ceremonies and dreaming stories, and represented Aboriginal people in court, whose testimony could not be accepted because they could not swear an oath on the Bible. Together, they undertook the first systematic study of an Aboriginal language anywhere in the country and created the first ever translation of the Bible into an Aboriginal language. It’s also the first time an Aboriginal language was printed. Their work was so thorough that it is still being used to this day to reconstruct language. This truly amazing story is being told for the first time.
Biraban And Threlkeld: Finding The Third Space took two years to make. It uses decades of research and is told using both First Nations and European historians, academics and linguists. If these two men could find the Third Space between the Aboriginal and European worlds 200 years ago, surely this should be a shining example for what could be achieved today.
Yokayi Footy
From Wednesday 15 March 8.30pm
In partnership with the AFL, Yokayi Footy returns in 2023.
Hosted by former Richmond and Collingwood player and proud Mineng and Yinggarda man Andrew Krakouer and proud Warumungu/Yawuru woman and fitness professional Megan Waters , Yokayi Footy continues to cover everything Australians love about AFL through bold yarns, powerful monologues, compelling community stories and exclusive interviews with Indigenous AFL players.
Yokayi Footy airs weekly from Wednesday 15 March 8.30pm on NITV, SBS On Demand, AFL.com.au and the AFL Live app.
Karla Grant Presents: Long Time Ago In Bloomfield
Monday 3 April 8:30 PM
“Nganjin kaykay yaluy kuku-kudjida ngali nganjin Kuku bula kari binalmaka.”
“Our children here, when we speak our language, they can’t understand.”
In Wujal Wujal the Elders’ greatest fear is that their Kuku-Yalanji language and culture will be lost. Their hope is that by showing the young people how they lived, and sharing their stories and language, they can change the tide of time.
Natalie Ahmat announced as Head of Indigenous News and Current Affairs at NITV
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has announced the appointment of Mudburra and Wagadagam woman, Natalie Ahmat, as its Head of Indigenous News and Current Affairs.
In the role, the award-winning journalist, producer and presenter leads the editorial direction and oversees the output of NITV’s distinctive daily news, its current affairs line-up including weekly show The Point and the long-running Living Black, and news coverage of special events.
Natalie joined NITV in 2008 as a member of its inaugural news team and has been at the forefront of reporting news and events from a First Nations perspective in the Australian media. As the long-time anchor of NITV News, Australia’s only dedicated First Nations national news bulletin, and weekly news review program show Nula, Natalie has reported and broadcast from communities across the continent over more than 15 years. She has also presented live coverage of a range of significant national events, including NITV’s rolling coverage on January 26 each year, and from on the ground in northeast Arnhem Land for the annual Garma Festival, in addition to her extensive work behind the camera as a producer and senior member of NITV’s news and current affairs team.
General Manager of NITV, Peter Noble, a Girramay and Bandjin man, said: “Nat is one of Australia’s most experienced Indigenous affairs journalists, trusted by communities to tell their stories. She’s passionate about exploring issues through a First Nations lens and embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into the stories that matter for all Australians. Her determination and dedication to the work she does is underpinned by a wonderful warmth that sees her connect with people in a unique way, whether on Country, on screen, or in the newsroom. We’re thrilled to have Nat leading the team, and at such an important time in the national conversation.”
On her appointment, Natalie added: “NITV’s news and current affairs play a vital role in providing a platform for First Nations voices to be heard. There are so many wonderful stories of the people and places of this country that we have unique access to and are privileged to share, along with the trust of communities to shine a light on issues and explore them with nuance and understanding unlike any other broadcaster. I’m proud to have the opportunity to work with the incredibly talented news and current affairs team at NITV, as we continue to amplify and elevate these stories, at a time when we know the importance of ensuring Australians are listening.”
Natalie will continue to maintain an on-air presence on Nula and across special events coverage.
Duckrockers
From Friday 12 May 7:30 PM
Duckrockers is the coming-of-age story of five young Pasifika teenagers living in inner-city Auckland during the mid-1980s. The cast includes Augustino Nansen Ieremia-Seulu, Duane Evans Jr., Levi Nansen Ieremia-Seulu, Dallas Latogia Malo Halavaka, and Lilo Vaigafa.
Duckrockers is the prequel to the smash-hit movie Sione’s Wedding, which will be available on SBS On Demand from May 5.
NITV to broadcast Australia Council’s First Nations Arts and Culture Awards on Saturday 27 May
The awards celebrate established and emerging First Nations artists and recognise their significant contribution to Australian art and culture
National Indigenous Television (NITV) and Australia Council are proud to announce the broadcast of the 2023 First Nations Arts and Culture Awards, airing Saturday 27 May at 7.30pm and available to stream on SBS On Demand. The awards celebrate established and emerging First Nations artists and recognise their significant contribution to Australian art and culture.
The broadcast will mark the beginning of Reconciliation Week on the anniversary of the 1967 referendum, with NITV to air a variety of relevant Reconciliation Week programming from 27 May to 3 June 2023.
The annual First Nations Arts and Culture Awards will feature the following categories:
- The Red Ochre Award, which pays tribute to a senior Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person for their outstanding lifetime achievement in the arts and their contribution to the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts culture and community, both nationally and internationally.
- The Dreaming Award, which supports inspirational young First Nations artists aged 18-30 years to create a major body of work through mentoring and partnerships.
- The First Nations Emerging Career Development Award, which is available to artists and arts workers in all disciplines including dance, cross arts, literature, poetry, visual arts, theatre, music and community arts.
- The First Nations Fellowship, which supports an outstanding, established artist and arts workers’ activity and professional development for a period of up to two years.
- Three First Nations recipients of Australia Council Fellowships, which also supports professional development for a period of two years.
The awards will be hosted by Wuthathi and Meriam man John Paul Janke (The Point, Sunset Ceremony) and Jerrinja and Wandi Wandiaan woman Shahni Wellington (Big Mob Brekky).
Head of Entertainment, Events and Sport, NITV and proud Gooreng Gooreng man, Adam Manovic, said: “We are thrilled to be working with Australia Council again this year, to celebrate black excellence in the arts. Art is such a pivotal element of our First Nations cultures. We encourage audiences to tune in and engage with this celebratory and important event.”
Franchesca Cubillo, Executive Director, First Nations Arts and Culture, Australia Council for the Arts, said: “The First Nations Arts and Culture Awards recognise and celebrate the outstanding work and achievements of First Nations artists, and in this, the 50th year of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board, we deeply appreciate the support of NITV in once again elevating the work of First Nations creatives at a national level.”
The First Nations Arts and Culture Awards 2023 airs on NITV on Saturday 27 May at 7.30pm and will be available to stream free on SBS On Demand, live and on catch up.
The Furnace
Saturday 27 May 9:30 PM
1897 Western Australia. To escape a harsh existence and return home, a young Afghan cameleer partners with a mysterious bushman on the run with two 400oz Crown-marked gold bars.
Together the unlikely pair must outwit a zealous police sergeant and his troopers in a race to reach a secret furnace - the one place where they can safely reset the bars to remove the mark of the Crown.
The Furnace is an unlikely hero’s tale, navigating greed and the search for identity in a new land. The film illuminates the forgotten history of Australia’s ‘Ghan’ cameleers, predominantly Muslim and Sikh men from India, Afghanistan, and Persia, who opened up the Nation’s desert interior, thereby forming unique bonds with local Aboriginal people.
Servant or Slave
Sunday 28 May 7:30 PM
Servant Or Slave is an emotional and confronting insight into the history and legacy of the domestic servitude enforced upon Aboriginal girls in Australia, told through the stories of five women.
Many thousands of girls were stolen as young children from their parents and placed in institutions, to be trained as servants who could be assimilated into mainstream Australian society.
Rita Wright, Violet West, and the Wenberg sisters Adelaide, Valerie (Linow) and Rita, are captivating when sharing their life stories. Their firsthand accounts of officially sanctioned enslavement reveal the true intent of the government policy of ‘protection’ prevalent throughout the 20th century.
Rita, Violet, and the Wenberg sisters endured estrangement from their families and immense hardship and were coerced into remaining silent or even punished for reporting mistreatment to the local police or institutional authorities. With the government exercising complete control over their wages, many young First Nations people were effectively condemned to a treadmill of abuse, from which there was little hope of escape.
The First Inventors premieres on NITV and Network 10, Thursday 15 June at 8.30pm
The four-part series uncovers ancient traditional knowledge and insights, which could help navigate some of the biggest challenges of our time.
(Wavemaker) is spread the message with a media campaign that includes a 20% budget allocation to SBS-owned NITV free-to-air channel, which broadcasts programming produced and presented largely by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Through a long-form content series with NITV, Palmolive is sharing the stories of three First Nations growers – Dominic Smith, Auntie Pat Torres and Dan Newchurch – shining a light on their native Australian ingredients, traditional agricultural practices and connection to land.
The Palmolive Skin Food 3-minute spots will air during Yokayi Footy programming across NAIDOC Week 2-9 July.
NITV and Yothu Yindi Foundation sign three-year Garma Festival deal
The Yothu Yindi Foundation (YYF) and National Indigenous Television (NITV) are delighted to announce the signing of a three-year partnership that will see the broadcaster extend its support of the Garma Festival through until the end of 2025.
Welcoming the agreement, YYF CEO and Garma Festival Director Denise Bowden said NITV had played an important role in sharing the Garma experience with its audiences over many years.
“NITV have been long-standing Media Supporters of the Festival for a decade, and this three-year deal strengthens the foundations of that partnership for the future,” she said.
“Throughout that time, NITV and SBS have really grown and built on their Garma coverage, and that’s reflected in the depth of their programming this year.
“We’re excited to continue working together to reach even wider and more diverse audiences.”
Tanya Denning-Orman, proud Birri and Guugu Yimidhirr woman and SBS Director of Indigenous Content, said: “We’re proud to be expanding our commitment to Garma through this new three-year partnership with the Yothu Yindi Foundation, that will see us deliver more coverage across NITV, and also the wider SBS network.
“It extends a long-standing relationship with NITV ensuring mob right around the country have access to the culture, ceremony and critical conversations, while also building on SBS’s unique multilingual coverage, bringing all the news and action from the event to multicultural communities across Australia.
“We cannot wait to get back to Gulkula in August to deliver our most comprehensive coverage of the festival yet.
“We’ll not only have NITV and SBS News teams reporting and broadcasting live, we’ll be reporting on the key moments and giving Australians unique insights through multilingual coverage, including from representatives of SBS’s Hindi and Mandarin teams on the ground.
“We’ll also broadcast a special episode of The Point from Garma as the current affairs show continues on its Referendum Road Trip to elevate community voices and perspectives across the continent.”
The 23rd annual Garma Festival will take place at Gulkula in northeast Arnhem Land between 4-7 August.
For more information on NITV and SBS’s coverage and broadcast schedule from Garma, keep an eye out on the NITV website, as well as on Instagram and Facebook, check out SBS News or listen via SBS Audio.
From 10 and NITV
