Aborigines and Aussie film awards.

Firstly, as a white Australian let me just stress this whole entry is intended merely as impartial commentary.

The Australian Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards have awarded the Best Film prize, since 2002 when they were the Australian Film Institute Awards, to five movies about Indigenous Australians: Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002), Ten Canoes (2006), Samson and Delilah (2009), The Sapphires (2012) and Sweet Country (2018, going on its domestic release date). In addition, twelve other such films have been nominated: Beneath Clouds and The Tracker (both 2002), Jindabyne (2006), Bran Nue Dae (2010), Mad Bastards (2011), Mystery Road and Satellite Boy (both 2013), Charlie's Country (2014), Goldstone and Tanna (both 2016), Jasper Jones (2017, which lost to Lion, an Indian boy's tale) and Cargo (2018).

I haven't actually seen all those movies, and some of those I have I disliked for artistic reasons. But in any case, this century the AFIs/AACTAs have honoured more Aboriginal-centric and/or Aboriginal-produced films than in the preceding 31 years in which they had been awarding films. Indigenous Australians are also far away the most honoured minority group on screen in the Awards' history.

Furthermore, in the television categories two Indigenous-based dramas have been recognised: Redfern Now in 2014 and Mystery Road this year. Also winning this year was the cinema documentary of late Indigenous musician Gurrumul.

All I can think of left to say is that I said in an earlier post that unless another Aussie filmmaker could turn water into wine, Sweet Country would win this year's AACTA Best Film prize by the length of the Bass Strait. Of course we'll never know by how much it won, but I was happy on Wednesday night to be vindicated.