Sweet As

Friday 24 March 6.45pm | LIDO Hawthorn | Unclassified - No age restrictions
Full $22 | Concession $17 | Blak Tix $13 | 3 Pass $45 | 5 Pass $75

With problems on the home front, 15-year-old Murra is on the verge of lashing out. That is, until her policeman uncle thwarts her self-destructive behaviour with a lifeline: a “photo-safari for at-risk kids”. Murra isn’t entirely convinced, but she soon joins cantankerous Kylie, uptight Sean, happy-go-lucky Elvis, and camp counsellors Fernando and Michelle on a transformative bus trip to the Pilbara. On the trail, the teens learn about fun, friendship and first crushes, as well as the forces of ‘reality’ that puncture the bubble of youth.

Director: Jub Clerc (Nyulnyul and Yawuru)
Writers: Jub Clerc (Nyulnyul and Yawuru), Steve Rodgers
Producer: Liz Kearney
Language: English 
Australia | 2022 | 90 mins

PREVIEW SHORT FILM: 

The Water Walker
Director: James Burns

Canada | 2022 | 13 mins  
The Water Walker is the first project from Seeing Red 6Nations, an Indigenous-owned media company based on Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. It stars teenaged climate activist Autumn Peltier, who is Anishinaabe-kwe, from Wikwemikoong First Nation (Manitoulin Island, Ontario). The film is narrated by Academy Award-nominated actor Graham Greene (Oneida, Six Nations of the Grand River Territory (Ontario).

The Water Walker is a short documentary, tracing the roots, passion and perseverance of young Autumn. We follow her story as she prepares to speak at the United Nations. Autumn is an influential figure in the Indigenous and global youth-led environmental movement. In 2019, 14-year-old Autumn was named the chief water commissioner by the Anishinabek Nation, a position previously held by her late Great Aunt Josephine Mandamin, an elder and founding member of the water protectors movement.

Adding to the richness of the storytelling, the filmmakers incorporate Michif (Métis) artist Christi Belcourt’s renowned paintings, brought to life with stunning animated sequences that capture the sacred qualities of water.

NOTE: This film is available in the BIRRARANGGA Film Festival 3-pass and 5-pass ticket packages.