Airdate: First Contact
Six individuals will be challenged on their views of Indigenous Australia in a major TV event on SBS.
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under Programming, Top Stories
Next month SBS will premiere a 3 part documentary it describes as a major television event.
In First Contact Ray Martin takes a group of six non-Indigenous Australians with strong opinions about Indigenous people and immerses them into Aboriginal Australia for the first time.
The six – Jasmine, Bo-dene, Trent, Alice, Sandy and Marcus – are tested and confronted while the series profiles Aboriginal Australia – ‘its beauty, culture, history and tradition, its problems and its hope.’
Produced by Blackfella Films (Redfern Now, Mabo) this will air simultaneously on SBS ONE and NITV over three consecutive nights.
SBS Managing Director Michael Ebeid said: “SBS is incredibly proud of First Contact. It is the sort of series you simply wouldn’t see made by any other Australian television network and goes to the heart of our Charter in exploring the diversity of our nation and delving deeper into the issues that shape who we are.”
SBS Director of Television Tony Iffland said: “Following on from the great successes we’ve had with First Australians, Go Back To Where You Came From, and Once Upon A Time In Cabramatta, First Contact is the latest provocative program in SBS’s history of bringing Australian audiences programs which contribute meaningfully to the conversation about what it means to be Australian today.
“The six participants are hosted by Indigenous families right across Australia and will have their preconceptions and views challenged. The journey is at times testing, but also incredibly heart-warming. Underneath it all lies an exploration of the divide that still exists between Aboriginal Australians and the rest of the nation.”
Both SBS ONE and NITV have commissioned complementary specials hosted by Stan Grant: A Live Insight episode follows the final episode at 9.30pm on Thursday 20 November, reuniting the six participants. NITV will broadcast two Awaken specials on November 18 and 19 at 9.30pm, offering a deeper understanding of the issues.
SBS has already announced a third season of Go Back To Where You Came From, expected to air in 2015.
Tuesday 18 November – Thursday 20 November 8.30pm on SBS ONE & NITV
5 Responses
With ABC simulcasting Nowhere Boys on ABC and ABC3 next month, it’s official that all networks have done it.
Talk about flogging a point.
although this appear to be yet another leftie inspired prog, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want to see a better future for indigenous folk on either side of the political divide.
This type of confrontational life changing (hopefully) series is so old school 1990s-early2000s I don’t see the point.
Saw an ad for this last night during The Sixties but it didn’t reveal much. Was hoping you’d have some info David. Looks interesting.
Me thinks this is a copy of Go Back To Where You Came From but with a more politically correct production company..just sayin