THE STORIES
UNcle widdy welsh
KEY THEME
Stolen Generations
Wongaibon
THE TESTIMONIAL
“Never did like that word home.
It wasn't a home. It was a very cruel place.”
Uncle Michael 'Widdy' Welsh was eight years old when he was forcibly removed from his family in Coonamble, NSW. He was taken to Kinchela Aboriginal Boys Training Home — a place of physical, emotional and cultural abuse.
In this film Uncle Widdy shares some painful memories from his time in the home, including how the boys were forced to fight each other. Instead of showing these acts of physical violence, the film leans on deep red tones and close-ups to tell these stories.
The strength in Uncle Widdy’s story is felt in his reconnection to culture, Country and family. Today Uncle Widdy is the chair of Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation — a survivor-led organisation dedicated to healing and strengthening identity for survivors and their families.
MARK MASON SNR
Gomeroi
KEY THEME
Death in Custody
THE TESTIMONIAL
“We don’t tell stories about the boogeyman any more. We tell ghost stories about the policeman taking us Blackfullas away. The anger I’ve got to live with every day — I can’t see him, hold him, speak to him. Justice mate? We don’t know what it is. We never got it.”
Since 2010 the police have denied the Mason family truth, justice and healing. An important part of this film is that viewers never get to see Mark’s face as his children tell the story. This is a creative decision to reflect the police’s erasure of the moments that led to Mark’s death — forever distorting the memory of their father.
Mark Mason Snr was a deeply loved and respected Gomeroi man. In 2010, the police shot Mark twice at close range in a small home in Collarenebri, NSW.
Mark Mason Snr’s story is told by his children to reflect the police’s erasure of the moments leading to the fatal shooting.
GEOFFREY JOHNSON
Wiradjuri
KEY THEME
Police Brutality
THE TESTIMONIAL
“I'm the lucky one that's walked away. There's others that haven't. Police will look at anything they can to try and nab Koories.”
Geoffrey Johnson was 13 years old when he visited Redfern for the first time. And he was 13 years old when the police threatened him with violence and racial slurs. Geoffrey was 16 years old when he moved to Wagga Wagga. And he was 16 years old when the police dropped their knees on the back of his neck and hit him.
This film starts with a young boy looking up at the city skyline with youthful curiosity and wonder. Later we see the police holding the same child on the ground. The intention is to create a “before” and “after” of Geoffrey’s childhood innocence being taken and destroyed.
Geoffrey’s story is also one of determination and strength – finding ways to protect his sons and other young people from police brutality.
KYLIE HAMPTON
Gurindji
KEY THEME
Death in Custody
THE TESTIMONIAL
“The next day when my mother and I went to look at the accident scene the fire brigade had already washed the roads down. So we weren’t able to see the chalk lining of my brother where he laid deceased, and any of that stuff because it was already washed away. They decided to run with it and do their own investigation.”
Kylie Hampton has had two immediate family members die in custody – her father and her younger brother.
In this film, Kylie recalls how these tragic (and avoidable) events have shaped her life. Visually, the film will lean into a narrative of loss and emptiness by showing her father and brother disappear from family portraits hanging on the wall of their home.
Matthew coe
Wiradjuri
KEY THEME
Police Brutality
THE TESTIMONIAL
“Some people become coppers to take the law into their own hands and be a bit more than what they are, and Redfern was pretty bad for it.”
Matthew Coe is a Wiradjuri man who grew up around Waterloo and Redfern. In this film, Matthew remembers the time he walked past the police station after a blue light disco — a night that would change his life forever.
Matthew never used to walk home past the police station, but this night he did. He was only 17 years old when the police stopped and searched him. One of the senior constables held a gun in Matthew’s mouth and threatened his life.
This harrowing account of police brutality reveals how abuse of power can impact a person’s life trajectory. Visually, the film will express Matthew’s story and memories through contemporary dance (choreographed by award-winning Wiradjuri choreographer, Beau Dean Riley Smith).