“Ablaze”, a film about the life of the first Aboriginal filmmaker Bill Onus, will hit select Australian cinemas on May 26, ahead of National Reconciliation Week, which kicks off the following day.
“Ablaze” will tell the story of Onus, a Yorta Yorta and Wiradjuri man, who revived his people’s culture in the 1940s and ignited a civil rights movement. It will track how Onus and his supporters orchestrated their campaign for equality through performance, entertainment, film and sheer audacity, and outsmarted the powerful forces seeking to destroy Indigenous cultures, languages and communities.
“Ablaze” will share rare archival footage mixed with state-of-the-art animation, digital motion graphics and eye-witness accounts.
It is co-written and directed by Tiriki Onus, the grandson of Bill, and Alex Morgan (“Lousy Little Sixpence”).
The inspiration to make the film came from a chance discovery inside a vault of an untitled 75-year-old silence film which had compelling links to Tiriki’s Indigenous grandfather Bill. Tiriki was then compelled to uncover the mystery of the lost film’s origins and learn more about Bill’s extraordinary life.
The 11-minute lost film is described as a culturally significant time capsule, which was captured in an era when Indigenous people were living under harsh segregation laws, without citizenship in their own country.
The filmmakers said “Ablaze” mixes styes and stories to capture and story of Bill Onus.
“In telling the past, there is always the real and the myth. Our stylistic approach innovatively incorporates these two elements in an exciting way. We use archival film, photographs, personal letters and eyewitness accounts to provide concrete evidence. These are interwoven with animated sequences to creatively represent memories that have been orally passed down,” they said.
“Our vision is to share this inspiring story with viewers everywhere. It is our dreams that “Ablaze” leads to a better understanding of Australia’s past and the courageous actions taken by Bill Onus and others who gave their lives to the fight for equality and freedom.”
It has already won the 2021 Victorian Premier’s History Award, and the Best Documentary – Social and Political Issues and Best Indigenous Video or Website at the Atom Awards.