Starring: Bill Onus
Distributor: Umbrella Films
Runtime: 81 mins. Reviewed in Jun 2022
Reviewer: Fr Peter Malone msc
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In this significant First Nations documentary, a singer-artist researches his pioneering grandfather, Bill Onus. It features rare film footage shot by Onus hinself, begging the question – was Bill Onus the first Indigenous filmmaker and why don’t we know about him?
This striking and interesting documentary introduces a highly significant First Nations advocate for rights from the 1930s to the 1960s. Bill Onus, a Yorta Yorta and Wiradjuri man from Victoria, passed away soon after the 1967 referendum, however his important legacy lives on. The film is directed by Alec Morgan who, almost 40 years ago, directed Lousy Little Sixpence, a documentary about the stolen generation. His co-director and film narrator is the opera singer, Tiriki Onus, the grandson of Bill Onus (Tiriki sings the role of his grandfather in Deborah Cheetham’s opera, Pecan Summer, an excerpt is included in this film).
Bill Onus was very concerned about social issues, speaking at every opportunity, travelling, and filming. He even tried his hand at drama by filming a play about the first aboriginal strike in 1946 in the Pilbara. Interestingly, the film highlights how Onus may have been the first indigenous cinematographer, working with Charles Chauvel in the 1930s on Uncivilised. British director, Harry Watt, reputedly also sought his advice for the classic, The Overlanders, trying to find ways to publicly exhibit his films. In later years, Onus fronted a television program, telling aboriginal stories to camera.
There are three reasons this documentary is a must see.
Firstly, it features an outstanding representation of indigenous Australians in film footage from the 1930s and 1940s shot by Bill Onus himself on his own camera. The film was discovered in the National Film Archive in Canberra. Onus also took many photos, many of which his grandson uncovered in a suitcase in an attic. As viewers, we are privileged to have the opportunity to see this material. We are also privy to the reactions of others as Tiriki Onus unveils these archival treasures to a range of people for their comment, including archivists, historians, prominent indigenous actor Jack Charles, family members, and neighbours from Fitzroy. His efforts help to identify where some of the material was filmed. A special moment relates to rare images of aboriginal soldiers. Many of these unrecognised heroes spent years in prison on the Burma Railway, and upon their return fell victim to a gross lack of recognition.
The second reason for recommendation is for non-indigenous Australians to learn more about the history of the aboriginal peoples. The film touches upon the invasion/colonialisation of Australia, some appalling examples of white superiority, segregation behaviour, slavery and punishments, and the challenges faced by Bill Onus himself. There is a great deal of material here for contemporary Australians to examine the consciences of the past, confess to these abuses and find ways to make atonement, for the sake of restorative justice.
Finally, the archival work of this documentary is essential. Archives need to be established, to be cared for, to be made available for the kind of research that results in this film. It is exciting for viewers to watch researchers in the documentary make personal contacts, conduct interviews, identify of characters in the archival footage and find the clues that help to re-create the look, the sound, and the realities of this important and almost forgotten past. (This particularly appeals to this reviewer, long involved in research, who particularly enjoyed seeing the vintage movie posters. A particular delight was the poster for The Hard Way in the post-war tram (released in 1943 in the US), and the cinema screening of My Man Godfrey, 1936.)
Tiriki Onus is an engaging and friendly personality. He is earnest in his research, making every effort to show the film to a range of people, seeking their advice to provide a rounded portrait of his grandfather as a tribute to his energy and achievement.
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