“We Are Still Here” will be released in cinemas across Australia on Feb. 16.
The First Nations anthology film interweaves eight stories by 10 directors from Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and the South Pacific.
It opened the 2022 Sydney Film Festival and then had its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Filmmakers and cast will participate in Q&A screenings in Sydney (Dendy Newtown), Melbourne (Classic Elsternwick) and Brisbane (Dendy Corparoo) on Feb. 16, and then Perth (Luna Leederville) on Feb. 22. The film will also hit Adelaide, Hobart, Canberra and numerous regional locations.
“We Are Still Here” traverses 1,000 years from across the past, present and future, exploring stories of kinship, loss, grief and resilience.
“But ultimately, it shows the strength of love and hope to overcome shared traumas that Indigenous people from Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific have continued to face,” publicity for the film said.
It added: “In spite of colonialism, racism, imperialism and the attempted erasure of Indigenous lives, We Are Still Here.”
The film also showcases the unique landscapes of the Central Australian desert and the rainforests of New Zealand.
Beck Cole acted as supervising director, and worked closely with editor Roland Gallois to weave the stories together. Toni Stowers, Mia Henry-Tierney and Mitchell Stanley.
In Australia, the film will be distributed by Dark Matter. It was an official co-production between No Coincidence Media and Mārama Productions, with production investment and development support from Screen Australia’s Indigenous department, New Zealand Film Commission, in association with Screen Queensland, Film Victoria, Screen Territory and Te Māngai Pāho.
