We acknowledge Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and give respect to their Elders, past and present.

Read our Statement of Reflection
Skip to main content
National Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive

Namatjira Project

2017

Namatjira Project

2017

  • NFSA ID9315PCAS
  • TypeFilm
  • MediumMoving Image
  • FormDocumentary
  • GenresIndigenous-produced, Indigenous themes or stories, Indigenous as subject
  • Year2017
  • WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that the following program may contain images and/or audio of deceased persons

Albert Namatjira was one of those rare artists who actually changed the course of history. The founder of the Indigenous art movement, he became an international icon and was the first Indigenous person to be granted Australian citizenship.

But Namatjira was never fully accepted by white Australia and soon after being wrongfully imprisoned in 1959, he died despondent and broken.

Then, in 1983, the Australian Government sold the rights to his work to an art dealer – despite Namatjira having left his art to his wife and children. Now, almost 60 years after Namatjira’s death, his family want it back.

Working with the Namatjira family, filmmaker Sera Davies takes us on a journey from the sun-blasted deserts of their Aranda (Arrernte) homeland to the lavish opulence of Buckingham Palace, as they fight to have Namatjira’s legacy returned to its rightful home.

A captivating story of Australian race relations lensed through the bitterly contested history of one of our most venerated figures, Namatjira Project is a powerful, important addition to the canon of modern Indigenous culture.

  • WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that the following program may contain images and/or audio of deceased persons

Albert Namatjira was one of those rare artists who actually changed the course of history. The founder of the Indigenous art movement, he became an international icon and was the first Indigenous person to be granted Australian citizenship.

But Namatjira was never fully accepted by white Australia and soon after being wrongfully imprisoned in 1959, he died despondent and broken.

Then, in 1983, the Australian Government sold the rights to his work to an art dealer – despite Namatjira having left his art to his wife and children. Now, almost 60 years after Namatjira’s death, his family want it back.

Working with the Namatjira family, filmmaker Sera Davies takes us on a journey from the sun-blasted deserts of their Aranda (Arrernte) homeland to the lavish opulence of Buckingham Palace, as they fight to have Namatjira’s legacy returned to its rightful home.

A captivating story of Australian race relations lensed through the bitterly contested history of one of our most venerated figures, Namatjira Project is a powerful, important addition to the canon of modern Indigenous culture.

  • Associate Producer
    Scott Rankin
    Cast
    Scott Rankin, Trevor Jamieson
    Cinematographer
    Sera Davies
    Composer
    Genevieve Lacey
    Director
    Sera Davies
    Distributor
    Umbrella Entertainment
    Editors
    Ray Thomas, Rosie Jones, Adrian Warburton
    Executive Producer
    Julia Overton
    Producer
    Sophia Marinos
    Production Company
    BIG hART Productions Pty Ltd
Industry professional? Go Pro

Need to license this item? A/V professionals and researchers can shortlist licensing enquiries via our NFSA Pro catalogue search and membership.

Get started with PRO

Collections to explore

More in Stories+

Personalized your experience

Save, create and share

With NFSA Your Stuff