Synopsis
On June 3rd 1992, six months after Eddie "Koiki" Mabo's tragic death, the High Court upheld his claim that Murray Islanders held native title to land in the Torres Strait. The legal fiction that Australia was empty when first occupied by white people had been laid to rest. Mabo-Life of an Island Man tells the private and public stories of a man so passionate about family and home that he fought an entire nation and its legal system. Though his greatest victory was won only after his death, it has forever ensured his place - on Murray Island and in Australian history.
Impact
Director's Statement
Trevor Graham
"A devastating act of desecration against the grave of a man I deeply admired, indeed loved, compelled me to make this film. On June 3, 1995 a huge crowd of family, friends and dignitaries – including Anita Keating, wife of the then PM - gathered at Townsville cemetery for Eddie Mabo’s tombstone opening. Three years had passed since the historic High Court judgement which changed Australia’s legal and political landscape and made MABO a household name; a victory Eddie himself was denied. He died of lung cancer five months before the landmark decision. Since then his widow Bonita and their seven children had been planning and saving for the shiny black granite tombstone and traditional ceremony, to honour his life and achievements in true islander fashion. After the ceremonial unveiling, a big feast and traditional dancing continued long into the night. But while we were celebrating Eddie’s life, his grave was being defiled. Right-wing extremists broke into the cemetery and painted bright red Nazi swastikas and the word ‘ABO’ on his tombstone - this great symbol of hope and change had been violated. It was a critical turning point in my life. I had never experienced such virulent race hatred. I was equally shocked and dazed to see the family I’d grown to love, weeping beside the defiled grave as we gathered around it next day. As news of the tombstone desecration made headlines across Australia, I realized it was the beginning of the backlash against the Mabo Case and everything Eddie Mabo had stood for.
By then I had been involved with the Mabo story since 1989, when I’d first traveled to Townsville to meet Eddie and his family. Four months later I began filming Land Bilong Islanders, a 52 minute documentary broadcast on ABC-TV in 1990. It told the story of Eddie’s and his co-plaintiffs claims to land on Murray Island. Five years later, as I too wept over his desecrated grave at Townsville cemetery, I knew I had to make another film. One that would honour Mabo the man: a much loved husband, father and fighter. A passionate, at times obstinate and difficult, human being who championed human rights all his life and devoted himself to preserving the culture of his tiny island home – a dot in the Torres Strait.
I don’t believe art, literature or film-making create social change. People like Eddie Mabo do that. But I like to think that MABO - Life of an Island Man finished in 1997 has made a positive contribution towards the broad debate about indigenous rights, native title and Australian history by personalizing the story. The film was very warmly received at festival screenings in Australia and had extended theatrical seasons in all capital cities. It won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Documentary 1997, the NSW Premier’s Literary Award for Best Screenplay and the NSW Premier’s Audio-Visual History Award. Internationally the film has screened at major documentary festivals. In 1998 I had the pleasure of taking the film on a tour of North American universities with Eddie Mabo Jnr.
The film’s success in Australia and abroad indicates that there is a need and willingness amongst all people to embrace reconciliation and social justice, if stories touch them personally. Now, more than ever, we need documentaries to open their hearts to these untold stories.
In 2000 an encyclopedic CD Rom and website was produced from the two films and their extensive research, Mabo - the Native Title Revolution. The work was nominated for a British Academy Award (BAFTA) in 2001. A study guide for Mabo – Life of an Island Man is located on the film Australia website www.filmaust.com.au."
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