Blackman's Houses
- Country
- Australia
- Year
- 1992
- Director
- Steve Thomas
- Producer
- John Moore
Steve Thomas - Finance
- Australian Film Commission
- Length
- 55 minutes
Synopsis
This film is a re-examination of Tasmanian history. In particular it explored the reasons for the deep divide, at the time, between the contemporary Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities on Flinders Island in Bass Strait. A symbol of this divide was the dispute over land at Wybalenna, where the remaining tribal Aborigines from the Tasmanian mainland were incarcerated in the mid-19th Century and which is the site of over 120 Aboriginal graves. At the time of filming the Aboriginal community had lost a Land Rights claim to the site and were occupying it 'illegally' in protest.
Impact
Communication between the Aboriginal and majority communities of Flinders Island had essentially broken down but by examining the history of the situation and juxtaposing and inter-cutting interviews with individuals from both sides, Black Man's House's managed to construct a debate where no debate was actually happening. The results were both immediate and long term when the film was released.
In the short term, several individuals from the white community made personal apologies to the Aboriginal community and acknowledged the community's point of view and their rights. The film was taken up by the Tasmanian Aboriginal community as a tool in educating others, quickly found its way into the curriculum of relevant history and Australian Studies courses in schools and universities and was screened for politicians in the Tasmanian Parliament.
In the long term, the film acted as a catalyst in the political determination that Wybalenna should be handed back to the Aboriginal community. This was done by the Premier Jim Bacon at a ceremony at Wybalenna in 1999 and has now been formalised under the Aboriginal Lands Amendment Act 2004 (Tas), which declares the land to be held and managed by the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania.
Black Man's Houses also gained a limited cinema release, won awards at both the Sydney and Melbourne Film Festivals and travelled widely to overseas Festivals.
The film was fully funded by the Australian Film Commission after being rejected for a presale by ABC TV. Although the latter eventually acquired the film after completion. Today the AFC is unable to fully fund documentaries and this alternative path is closed off.