A CELEBRATION OF
CULTURE & COMMUNITY FIRST NATIONS VOICES REGIONAL STORIES NEW VOICES, TIMELESS TALES

Friday Oct 10th | 7pm | A.S. Cinema

To lose a language is to lose a culture. This intimate documentary follows musician Marlon Williams on a four-year journey to record his first album in te reo Māori, blending music, culture and personal reflection in a portrait of Aotearoa at a pivotal moment.
Opening Night Feature.

Saturday Oct 11th | 2pm | A.S. Cinema

What begins as a minor accident sets in motion a series of escalating consequences in this Iranian thriller and winner of the 2025 Palme d'Or.

Saturday Oct 11th | 5pm | Araluen Art Centre

An immersive embodied experience of connection and Country — guided by Warlpiri teacher Wanta Jampijinpa, Elder & Songman Jerry Jangala Patrick OAM, and producer Marc “Monkey” Peckham. With a post-screening Q&A with the artists.

Saturday Oct 11th | 7:30pm | Araluen Art Centre

Ziggy, a thirty-something Kanien’ kehá:ka (Mohawk) woman, lands her first influencer gig with a fertiliser company. Called back to the rez by her cousin, she’s pulled into a funny but deadly fight to protect her family’s seeds and her people’s legacy.

Sunday Oct 12th | 3pm | Araluen Art Centre

A Russian high-school teacher becomes an unlikely undercover activist in this brave documentary, exposing the poisonous spread of Putin's pro-war propaganda.

Sunday Oct 12th | 5pm | Araluen Art Centre

A Zambian family of women grieve a dead relative while confronting the legacy of abuse he leaves in his wake.

Wednesday Oct 15th | 7pm | Araluen Art Centre

Cactus Pears is a subdued, sensitive tale of bereavement and the quietly radical act of being queer in a rural, lower-class Indian community.

Thursday Oct 16th | 6pm | Araluen Art Centre

Following the sold-out success of last year’s Screen Territory SPARK Short Film Initiative, we return with our own curated program of Central Australian short films.

Friday Oct 17th | 7pm | Araluen Art Centre

March is mourning his wife Nat, discovers that her spirit has returned in the form of… a vacuum cleaner. Can their love be re-born?

Saturday Oct 18th | 2pm | A.S. Cinema

Two young herders battle Mongolia’s deadliest winter to protect 2,000 horses and revive a sacred rite of passage in a breathtaking story of survival, friendship and cultural resilience.

Saturday Oct 18th | 4.30pm | Desert Park

A tender coming-of-age story about a 15-year-old boy in a remote North Macedonian village who discovers solace and rebellion in electronic dance music, while navigating first love, family pressures, and the conservative traditions of his Yuruk community.

Saturday Oct 18th | 7.30pm | Desert Park

This rave-at-the-end-of-the-world opus follows a father searching for his missing daughter through the desert raves of Morocco. With a techno soundtrack, Sirât explores existence, loss and grief through a raw, emotionally powerful lens.

Sunday Oct 19th | 4pm | A.S. Cinema

A shoe salesman struggles to save his small business and pass on his values to his son in this quintessentially Melbourne tale of life in a migrant community. With a post-screening Q&A with the Director.

Sunday Oct 19th | 7pm | A.S. Cinema

When Australia’s most renowned Indigenous actor David Gulpilil passes away, his family face immense challenges to fulfil his final wish — to be buried on his Homeland, over 4,500 kilometres away.

This Closing Night Tribute includes David’s 1973 documentary Showing Melbourne to Maningrida and a Q&A with the filmmakers.