More than a decade in the making, documentary 'Audrey Napanangka' is ready to hit cinemas

Rhiannon Clarke Published May 3, 2023 at 2.34pm (AWST)

arts

Dylan Rivers

After filming for more than a decade documentary Audrey Napanangka is ready to hit cinemas on May 23.

The film explores the story of Warlpiri woman Ms Napanangka and her Sicilian partner Santo as they navigated through colonial systems to keep the children they care for together.

Ms Napanangka was born at a time when the world was changing for the people in the Central Australian Desert. Settler colonisation was permeating the desert and forced changes and the fusion of two worlds shifted Ms her life forever.

Mostly known as an artist and storyteller, who has been painting visual arts since the mid 1980s and has been mentored by Netta Williams Napanangka (a well-known Warlpiri artist), Ms Napanangka has been surrounded by painters her whole life and often paints bush tucker (food) dreaming, water dreaming and ceremonial body painting images.

The footage that was filmed in Mparntwe (Alice Springs), Yuendumu and Ms Napanangka's Warlpiri Country, specifically Mount Theo, follows a more personal story of kinship and family.

Audrey Napanangka and Santo. Image: Dylan Rivers

Audrey Napanangka and Santo in the 1980s.

Ms Napanangka, along with Santo, uses her deep cultural knowledge to enrich the lives of others, and particularly her foster children, as she also gives them the skills for navigating the complex modern world.

For more than 30 years the couple have been together providing a safe home for many Warlpiri children who have needed one.

Now in her 70s Ms Napanangka is a much-respected and loved Elder in her extended Warlpiri family which expands between Alice Springs to communities hundreds of kilometres away.

She still looks after her family and has many obligations to fulfill, as she is one of the few family members with a house in Alice Springs.

She and Santo are usually called upon for support when family needs a home to stay while in town for shopping, hospitals or court.

Today, Ms Napanangka and Santo are grandparents and great-grandparents and still have teenagers in their care.

Their journey of raising children hasn't been easy, with plenty of encounters of highs and lows throughout the years.

Yet to Ms Napanangka it is important that the children can walk in many worlds, by centering culture, language, and Law in their lives alongside mainstream education.

Audrey Napangka and family - credited Dylan River

Director Penelope McDonald worked closely with Ms Napanangka to bring the intimate story to life.

"It has been a great privilege to have walked beside Audrey over many years as we created this documentary," she said.

"This is a story of love, courage, and resilience, of an extraordinary family, recorded over a decade, across generations.

"I thank Audrey and her family immensely for opening their home and sharing their lives... This story from the centre, the beating heart of Australia, is more important and relevant to us now than ever."

Alice Springs will have its premiere for the documentary on May 23, followed by a Q&A tour.

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Trailer: https://au.demand.film/audrey-napanangka/

Confirmed cinemas that will be showcasing documentary Audrey Napanangka:

WA

Palace Raine Square – Thursday 22nd June at 6.30pm

Event Cinemas Innaloo – Friday 23rd June at 6.30pm

VIC

Lido Cinemas Hawthorn – Monday 29th May at 6.30pm

Classic Cinemas Elsternwick – Tuesday 30th May at 6.30pm

NSW

Ritz Cinema – Monday 5th June at 6.30pm