Airdate: Audrey Napanangka

Feature-length documentary Audrey Napanangka, which profiles Warlpiri matriarch, artist and actor Audrey and her Sicilian partner Santo, will screen on NITV in November.

Filmed over 10 years, the program illustrates how they navigate through colonial systems to keep the children they care for together in the Central Australian Desert.

Audrey Napanangka, said: “I am happy to share my story so that people can learn about my life. For me family is everything.”

NITV Head of Commissions, Marissa McDowell, said: “We are thrilled to share this powerful documentary with audiences, delving into Audrey’s philosophy that family and love are everything. We learn about Audrey’s cultural obligations and see that life is not always easy for Audrey and those around her, but family and love prevail.”

Director and co-producer, Penelope McDonald of Chili Films, said: “It has been a great privilege to have walked beside Audrey over many years as we created this documentary. This is a story of love, courage, and resilience, of an extraordinary family, recorded over a decade, across generations. I thank Audrey and her family immensely for opening their home and sharing their lives. This story from the centre, the beating heart of Australia, is more important and relevant to us now than ever.”

Screen Territory Director Jennie Hughes, said: “We are proud supporters of Indigenous storytelling. It is vital that we continue to support our Territorian filmmakers and the development of documentaries such as Audrey Napanangka, bringing powerful and diverse Territory stories to Australian audiences.”

Screen Australia Head of Documentary, Alex West, said: “Ten years of dedication and heart have brought us the incredible journey of Audrey Napanangka. This remarkable documentary showcases the enduring power of kinship and family in the face of adversity. Audrey’s story is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the importance of embracing culture, language, and love.”

Audrey was born at a time when the world was changing for people in Central Australia. Colonisation fused two worlds together, modifying Audrey’s life forever. Today, as a grandmother and great grandmother, Audrey raises young people with her partner Santo, to walk in many worlds, by centering culture, language, and Law in their lives alongside mainstream education.

The intimate documentary showcases a heartwarming story about the power of kinship and family and is made on the lands of the Arrernte people of Mparntwe, the Warlpiri people of Mount Theo and Yuendumu, and the lands of the Anmatyerr people.  

Audrey Napanangka is produced by Penelope McDonald (Robbie Hood), Trisha Morton-Thomas (History Bites Back, Occupation: Native) and Rachel Clements (History Bites Back, Occupation: Native, Finke: There and Back).

Audrey Napanangka is a Chili Films/Brindle Films production for NITV. Principal production funding from Screen Australia in association with Screen Territory.

Audrey Napanangka won Best Social Documentary at Beyond Borders International Documentary Festival in Kastellorizo, Greece and was a finalist at Sydney Film Festival and the Australian Directors Guild Awards.  

The documentary has screened at CinefestOZ, Adelaide Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival and Brisbane International Film Festival. It has also screened to sold out audiences in cinemas across Australia.

The documentary will be available to stream for free on SBS On Demand with captions in English and subtitles in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Arabic, Vietnamese and Korean. It will also be available with audio description for blind and low vision audiences.

Sunday 12 November at 8.30pm on NITV.