Babanil

Filmmaker Marlikka Perdrisat has created a dreamlike expression of her intergenerational connection to Country. Intimate moments from the first year of her son’s life bring together family members who are living and deceased, reuniting three sisters in song and smoke.

Marlikka’s family home movies include rare footage of hunting, ceremony and diving for pearl shell that was filmed in the remote 1940s Kimberley. This, interwoven with Australian archive material from the same era, shows how every person across this continent has memories entwined with Country. Stories heard from our parents and grandparents, about when they were young, creating nostalgia and fondness for place.

As the film travels through Lower Nyikina Country, we feel the intention to slow down and observe. Discussions of Country centre the film, including a conversation with Marlikka’s mother Prof, a renowned human and earth rights advocate, and a highly regarded academic who holds two Doctorates of Philosophy. Prof. Poelina explains the intergenerational relationship her family has with this land, and why she chose to invest in her children’s relationship with Country.

This film is about knowing Country, creating memories with Country, and maintaining Country for the next generation.

Find out how to see the film here.