Motherhood in the Colony
A love letter to mothers and the vital role they play in the resilience of Indigenous cultures.
Motherhood is the transmission of wisdom across time and generations.
In post-referendum Australia, shaped by colonial violence and policies of erasure, 'Motherhood in the Colony' breaks barriers by facilitating an intimate cross-cultural exchange between First Nations and Palestinian women, unravelling stories of colonial trauma and emancipatory care and resistance while inviting audiences to listen, learn, and envision a future beyond the oppressive structures of the ongoing frontier.
Worimi filmmaker Genevieve Grieves and cultural activist, Aseel Tayah (Jerusalem born, Qalansawa and Taybe, Palestine) bring Palestinian and First Nations women — Sara Al Azhari (Qabatiya, Palestine and Romania), Paola Balla (Wemba Wemba and Gunditjmara), Lilly Brown (Gumbaynggirr), Mais Hijazi (Hebron, Palestine), Justice Nelson (Djaara, Wurrundjeri and Yorta Yorta), Stacie Piper (Wurundjeri, Dja Dja Wurrung and Ngurai Illum-Wurrung) and Wejdan Shamala (Gaza and Qalqiya, Palestine) — together to explore their connections and shared struggles.
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Credits
Palestinian Storytellers: Sara Al Azhari, Mais Hijazi, Wejdan Shamala and Aseel Tayah (Bukjeh)
First Nations Storytellers: Paola Balla (Wemba Wemba and Gunditjmara), Dr Lilly Brown (Gumbaynggirr), Justice Nelson (Djaara, Wurrundjeri and Yorta Yorta) and Stacie Piper (Wurundjeri, Dja Dja Wurrung and Ngurai Illum-Wurrung)
Featuring: Thara Brown (Yorta Yorta)
Concept by Aseel Tayah
Co-Directors: Genevieve Grieves (Worimi) and Aseel Tayah
Writers: Maya Ghattas, Genevieve Grieves
Producers: Jamie Lee Bolger (Noonuccal), Libby Collins, Maya Ghattas, Genevieve Grieves, Simone Mugavin and Ramona Telecican
Impact Producers: Maya Ghattas and Monique Duggan
Impact Consultants: Alex Kelly and Hollie Fifer
Director of Photography and Editor: Rah Dakota
1st AC: Shannon Maddon
Production Designer: Weniki Hensch
Production Assistants: Merryn Trescott (Wiradjuri) and Cynthia Samayoa
Makeup Artist: Kahealea Wilson (Ngarrindjeri, Kokatha and Nukunu)
Sound Recordist: Jamie Connor
Portrait Photographer: Jody Haines (Palawa)
Communications: Gemma Pol (Wiradyuri, Ngemba and Paakantji) and Simone Mugavin
Graphics: Rah Dakota and Simone Mugavin
Created by Bukjeh Arts and GARUWA
Supported by Common Ground, Diversity Arts Australia, Footscray Community Arts, Next Wave, RMIT School of Contemporary Art and Social Transformation, Shifting Ground, The Australian Centre, The University of Melbourne and Unquiet Collective
Thank you to the generous donors and members of our communities who supported the Motherhood in the Colony fundraising campaign.
Special thanks to Thara Brown, Marnie Badham, Thara Brown, Meg Callanan, Kate Daglas, Andrea Distefano, Farida Fleming, Rona Glynn-McDonald, Huda’s Kitchen, Dr Julia Hurst, Alex Kelly, Belinda Locke, Ayse Ozdemir, Veronica Pardo, Tara Prowse, Sahar, Kieran Satour, Fatima Sharif, Ruth De Souza, Mark Edgoose, Kelly Hussey-Smith, Grace McQuilten, Fleur Summers (the nurses and midwives art exchange teaching team at RMIT University), and the teams at Shifting Ground, Next Wave, Bukjeh Arts and GARUWA
Filmed on the Traditional Country of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation in Victoria. From the river to the sea. Always was, always will be.