Roebourne
Overview
In the far northwestern Australian town of Roebourne lies an abandoned gaol. Previously used as a tool of colonisation, containing hundreds of Aboriginal people from around the Pilbara, the authorities now plan to re-open it as a heritage asset. This film explores how local people feel about their awful history being packaged for predominantly white tourists passing through; and asks, if not tourism, what can be done to help the people of Roebourne? Dramatic scenery and blistering heat forms the background for local debates under shady trees, outside the Pilbara Aboriginal Church, and inside the Old Gaol. Elders discuss what lies ahead for their children and grandchildren, and how their culture (and their land) can be preserved in the shadow of thundering land-trains filled with mineral ore transporting the wealth outside of traditional owner’s lands.
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Director Biography - Paul Aidan Cooke
Born to parents from the west of Ireland, and growing up in Reading, Paul Cooke is a participatory filmmaker who has worked with young people in Germany, South Africa, Cambodia and Lebanon. Paul trains young people make films about the legacy of the past and its impact on their lives today. This has involved helping young people to make films about the Stasi past in Germany, the legacy of apartheid in South Africa or the legacy of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. He has also worked on a series of films with Professor Barry Godfrey about the legacy of colonialism in Australia and is currently working on a participatory programme with schools and media groups in Western Australia to amplify the voices of young indigenous filmmakers. |
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