Australian Story: June 11

Australian Story tonight features Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, who appeared last week in London at the Queen Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Gurrumul Yunupingu’s haunting voice has captivated global audiences.

Yet despite the accolades and awards, Gurrumul’s continued preference is to refuse media interviews.

In 2010 he was delighted when Australian Story approached him to access footage shot by filmmaker Naina Sen, who had travelled with Gurrumul over an extended period of time.

The result was an intimate profile that ended with the musician at a turning point in relation to his health and musical future.

In this update to our original program, his producer and friend Michael Hohnen reveals that Gurrumul nearly died from a complex set of medical ailments in 2011 but that after receiving treatment he’s now a “changed person.”

8pm tonight on ABC1.