REDEMPTION Arts, Community, Disability, Education, Health & Wellbeing, History, Human Rights, Indigenous, Refugees, Social Justice, Welfare, Youth “If you don't accept people can change ~ no one has an incentive to change..." Myuran Sukumaran (17 April 1981 – 29 April 2015) was an Australian who was convicted in Indonesia of drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine. In 2005, Sukumaran was arrested in a room at the Melasti Hotel in Kuta with three others. Police found 334 g (11.8 oz) of heroin in a suitcase in the room. According to court testimonies of convicted drug mules, Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan were the co-ringleaders of the heroin-smuggling operation from Indonesia to Australia. After a criminal trial, Sukumaran was sentenced on 14 February 2006 by the Denpasar District Court to execution by firing squad. Australian death-row prisoner Myuran Sukumaran made a personal appeal for mercy to Joko Widodo, painting a portrait of the Indonesian president and signing it with the words 'People Can Change'. After lodging an appeal against his sentence, this was initially dismissed by the Bali High Court. A judicial review conducted by the Indonesian Supreme Court on 6 July 2011 affirmed the death sentence. Sukumaran’s plea for clemency was rejected by the President of Indonesia on 30 December 2014, and Sukumaran was expected to face execution, together with Chan. The execution was carried out on 29 April 2015. Myuran Sukumaran led an art studio for his fellow prisoners during his time in Kerobokan prison, where he was mentored. Myuran taught English, computer, graphic design and philosophy classes to prisoners. The portrait of Mr Joko Widodo signed 'People Can Change' is his most recent work. He painted the oil on canvas artwork in Kerobokan prison in late January 2015, in his final weeks there before being transferred to Nusakambangan Island. Myu painted multiple self-portraits while on Nusakambangan. His final painting resembles a bleeding Indonesian flag. He was recently awarded an associate degree in fine arts by Curtin University. Myuran Sukumaran had his first major Australian exhibition at the Campbelltown Arts Centre in January 2017, curated by noted Australian artist, Ben Quilty. ‘Alone from night to night you'll find me  Too weak to break these chains that bind me I need no shackles to remind me I'm just a prisoner, don't let me be a prisoner From one command I stand and wait now From one who's master of my fate now I can't escape for it's too late now I'm just a prisoner, don't let me be a prisoner.’

REVEL Arts, Education, History, Human Rights, Indigenous, Social Justice Aboriginal artist Revel Cooper: a story of resilience, art and social justiceShort Summary:Surviving the death of his mother at six, the harsh conditions of a 1940s government settlement, an unjust murder trial and years of incarceration, Revel Cooper became a self-determined man who spoke for the rights of Aboriginal people. He played a large part in developing one of Australia's first Indigenous art movements that still thrives today. Long Summary:Revel is a feature length documentary about Aboriginal art, social justice, and the criminal justice system, as well as the search for, and the reuniting of family that have been fragmented for generations. The film explores themes such as resilience, connection and cultural pride in the past, present and future. During the 1940s, Revel Cooper, and other Aboriginal child artists of the Carrolup Native Settlement, gained international acclaim for their stunning art. We explore the kinship the boys had as they inspired each other to perfection, the encouragement of teachers Noel and Lily White, and the influence of the 'mother of Carrolup', Bella Kelly. In 1952, 18-year old Revel was tried for murder. He stood little chance of getting a fair trial in Western Australia's predjuced criminal justice system. He was sentenced to four years prison for manslaughter for a crime that many people believed he didn't commit. Our film explores the events of the murder and Revel’s trial. A life in and out of prison didn't stop Revel from creating art; in fact, prison helped further shape his creative abilities and allowed him to teach other inmates. He inspired at least two generations of artists.As we uncover more of Revel’s art in private collections across Australia and abroad, we follow his niece Cathy Coomer, on a mission to track down family members, some of whom are struggling to know ‘who they are’ and ‘where they belong’. As Cathy connects family, she is helping more Aboriginal people share in the pride of Revel’s achievements.Revel was highly respected by a wide range of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Among those alive today, many are many willing to share stories about his life.Revel stood up for Aboriginal peoples and spoke out about injustices in white-led Australian society. At the same time, he was well aware of the shortcomings of some of his people. Revel’s life ended tragically when he was murdered in 1983 in Victoria. He is buried thousands of kilometres from his homeland and family.A migration from mission to prison to alcoholism and homelessness did not stop Revel from leaving a major artistic legacy. His prodigious artworks remain as a significant and continuing sign of resilience and hope for Aboriginal people today.

HOMELANDS Arts, Community, Education, Environment, History, Human Rights, Indigenous, Social Justice, Youth BRIEF SYNOPSIS: In Australia today over 250 remote indigenous homeland communities face forced closure. Djakapurra Munyarryun, a celebrated indigenous artist often called upon to travel the world and share his traditional knowledge wants to know why people want his culture but not his homeland lifestyle? It’s a simple question without a simple answer. EXTENDED SYNOPSIS: HOMELANDS is an authored documentary that looks to define what has to be done by the next generation of Yolngu leaders to create the future they want and not the one other’s tell them they have to have. Structured around the journey of Djakapurra Munyarryun, a 42 year-old Yolngu man and celebrated performing artist from NE Arnhem Land, as he wrestles with his quest for a better and more equitable future for his family and community. But the forces against achieving that, laden as they are with assimilationist views, conveniently forget that the Homeland’s Movement is an active implementation of the Rights to Culture recognised in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It’s also what Djakapurra and other Yolngu leaders want for their children. In the Northern Territory 32% of the population is indigenous and over 60% of these live in remote homelands, with around 7,500 Yolngu amongst them. But many of these homelands are small, like Dhalinybuy where Djakapurra’s family lives, housing 50-100 people at most. Across the country, WA and SA state governments are set to close 250 homeland communities because they’re ‘unsustainable’. This doesn’t bode well for NT homeland’s future. In September 2007 the Commonwealth and the Northern Territory Governments signed an MOU that saw the transfer of responsibility for Indigenous housing and infrastructure handed to the Northern Territory Government and marked the cessation of Commonwealth funding for the 500 plus communities classed as homelands. Eight years on we see the NT Homeland movement starting to break under the strain as services remain under funded and programs are cut back to the bone. However, with the ambition of NT statehood in play for 2018 and the quest for Constitutional recognition of Australia’s first nation’s people, the question of Homeland’s future in Australia’s north is sure to be a major topic of debate as this film prepares the groundwork for a renewed call of self-determination. Conceived as a feature documentary HOMELANDS employs an immersive atmosphere that will lead its audience on a powerful human journey into the heart of Yolngu culture, backgrounded by an historic injustice and a contemporary social crisis. For Djakapurra, a man who has spent his life presenting his culture on the world’s stages, this means taking his 12-year old son Russell on the journey to manhood. First through his dhapi initiation and then onto the stage, as Djakapurra builds the dream of running his own remote homeland-based Production Company from Dhalinybuy with the development of a new work.