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Charlie's Country

Charlie's Country is a 2013 Australian drama film co-written and directed by Rolf de Heer, with David Gulpilil portraying the lead role of Charlie, an aging Yolngu Aboriginal man in Arnhem Land who defies government regulations to pursue a traditional bush lifestyle amid enforced modernization and welfare dependency.^[1]^[2] The narrative, inspired by Gulpilil's personal encounters with incarceration and cultural displacement, depicts Charlie's failed spear hunt, subsequent marijuana bust, and spiral into illness and jail, highlighting the clash between indigenous autonomy and state paternalism that erodes self-reliance and kinship ties.^[3]^[4] Premiering in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, the film earned Gulpilil the Best Actor award for his authentic, semi-autobiographical performance, underscoring the actor's real-life struggles with alcohol, drugs, and legal troubles that mirrored his character's arc.^[5] In Australia, it secured multiple accolades, including Best Film at the Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards, recognizing its unflinching portrayal of policy failures in remote Aboriginal communities.^[6] Critically acclaimed with a 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Charlie's Country has been lauded for its visual poetry and critique of interventionist measures that prioritize control over empowerment, though some reviews romanticize the pre-contact idyll without addressing intra-community dysfunctions like substance abuse.^[7]^[8] The film's reception reflects broader debates on indigenous self-determination, privileging empirical observations of lived hardship over idealized narratives.^[9]

Production

Development and writing

Rolf de Heer and David Gulpilil's prior collaborations on The Tracker (2002) and Ten Canoes (2006) built a rapport that facilitated their third project together, Charlie's Country, initiated in late 2011 after de Heer learned of Gulpilil's imprisonment.^[10] De Heer began visiting Gulpilil in jail in January 2012, using these meetings—along with subsequent ones in rehabilitation—to outline the story.^[10] ^[11] The script was co-written by de Heer and Gulpilil, employing index cards to record Gulpilil's input on key ideas derived from his real-life experiences of cultural disconnection and personal hardships in the Yolngu community of Ramingining, Arnhem Land, though de Heer emphasized that the narrative remained fictionalized rather than strictly autobiographical.^[10] ^[12] Gulpilil shaped the protagonist's motivations around individual resilience against imposed modern constraints, with the writing process yielding a "scriptment"—a hybrid treatment-script—by February 21, 2012.^[10] To prioritize authenticity, the script integrated Yolngu language and customs without subtitles, allowing for improvised dialogue in either Yolngu or English based on Gulpilil's preferences during development and filming.^[10] ^[11] This approach reflected Gulpilil's heritage and aimed to convey unfiltered perspectives on traditional lifeways amid contemporary pressures.^[10]

Casting and principal contributors

David Gulpilil, a renowned Yolngu actor known for prior collaborations with director Rolf de Heer in films like Ten Canoes (2006), was cast in the lead role of Charlie, drawing on his own life experiences for authenticity.^[13] The character, semi-autobiographical in nature, reflected Gulpilil's background as an Indigenous Australian facing tensions between traditional Yolngu culture and modern impositions, enhanced by his co-writing contributions with de Heer.^[14] Supporting roles were predominantly filled by members of the local Yolngu community to prioritize cultural genuineness over polished performances, including Peter Minygululu as Old Lulu and Peter Djigirr in a key role.^[15] Non-Indigenous actor Luke Ford portrayed the sympathetic police officer Luke, providing contrast while maintaining the film's grounded depiction of interpersonal dynamics in remote communities.^[1] Rolf de Heer served as director and co-writer, marking his third project with Gulpilil and emphasizing community involvement through Indigenous input to capture authentic Yolngu perspectives.^[16] This approach, informed by de Heer's prior work with Yolngu collaborators, ensured the casting aligned with the film's low-key production style focused on realism rather than commercial appeal.^[17]

Filming and authenticity

Filming for Charlie's Country primarily occurred on location in Ramingining, a remote Yolngu community in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia, throughout 2013.^[18] ^[19] This choice emphasized direct immersion in the environment depicted, capturing the unvarnished realities of daily life amid sparse infrastructure and isolation, roughly 80 kilometers from the nearest town.^[20] To prioritize empirical authenticity over contrived narrative, director Rolf de Heer assembled a minimal crew to minimize disruption to the community and employed non-professional local Yolngu residents as actors, many lacking prior experience.^[20] Scenes incorporated unscripted elements, such as hunting sequences and interpersonal exchanges, with much dialogue improvised in Yolngu Matha alongside English, drawing on performers' lived insights to reflect spontaneous cultural practices and tensions.^[14] ^[15] Cinematographer Ian Jones utilized natural lighting and straightforward camera techniques for rapid setup and capture, avoiding artificial enhancements to convey the causal dynamics of traditional lifeways clashing with imposed modernity without Western aesthetic filters.^[20] Production faced logistical hurdles inherent to the remote setting, including limited resources, variable weather, and the demands of coordinating with inexperienced cast members requiring minimal rehearsal.^[20] David Gulpilil's recent recovery from alcoholism and incarceration—undertaken prior to principal photography but still influencing his physical state—further shaped improvisations, embedding authentic portrayals of personal and communal adversity into the footage.^[21] ^[22] De Heer's method thus favored observational realism, documenting observable cause-and-effect in Indigenous experiences over scripted idealization.^[20]

Synopsis

Plot summary

Charlie, a Yolngu Aboriginal man in his sixties residing in a remote community on Arnhem Land in Australia's Northern Territory, collects his government allowance and shares it with kin while adhering to daily routines amid post-2007 Northern Territory Intervention regulations enforced by police.^[23] He voices frustrations about colonial impositions near the police station and receives a health warning from a doctor regarding his smoking-damaged lungs, while caring for a kinsperson with kidney failure who requires airlift to Darwin for treatment.^[23] Police seize his firearms, hunted buffalo, and handmade spear for violating community weapon bans, escalating tensions.^[23] In response, Charlie steals a police vehicle with friend Pete and drives into the bush to resume traditional self-sufficiency through spearfishing and foraging, but the pair exhausts fuel and separates.^[23] Living alone, Charlie weakens from inadequate sustenance and monsoon rains, collapsing near death until Pete locates him.^[23] Hospitalized in Darwin for recovery, Charlie withdraws accumulated welfare funds—nearly $4,000—to purchase alcohol for a restricted associate, joining urban homeless Aboriginal groups in a park before kin intervene to rebuke his conduct.^[23] Conflicts intensify when Charlie damages a police cruiser's windshield, resulting in arrest, physical altercation, and imprisonment where he endures routine regimentation including hair shaving.^[23] Upon release, he returns to his community, pledges to abstain from alcohol, and commits to instructing younger men in traditional dances, culminating in a ceremonial performance around a fire by approximately 2013.^[23]^[24]

Themes and analysis

Cultural traditions versus modern impositions

In Charlie's Country, the protagonist Charlie, an elder of the Yolngu people in Arnhem Land, embodies traditional practices central to pre-colonial sustainability, such as crafting spears for hunting and relying on kinship networks for communal support. These activities are portrayed as harmonious with the landscape, with Charlie harvesting bush tucker and pursuing game like water buffalo using self-made tools, underscoring a worldview rooted in reciprocity with "country"—the Yolngu term for interconnected land, law, and lore.^[25]^[26] This depiction draws from real Yolngu customs, where hunting and tool-making ensured self-reliance without external dependencies, as evidenced by ethnographic accounts of Arnhem Land clans maintaining balance through seasonal mobility and resource stewardship prior to European contact.^[25] Post-colonial impositions, particularly those stemming from the 2007 Northern Territory National Emergency Response (the Intervention), disrupt these practices by restricting access to traditional weapons and lands. In a pivotal scene, after police confiscate Charlie's unlicensed rifle, he fashions a spear from natural materials to resume hunting, only for authorities to seize it as a "dangerous weapon" under expanded policing powers aimed at curbing violence.^[11]^[27] Such policies, which included blanket weapons bans in prescribed communities, exemplify causal mismatches: nomadic heritage clashing with sedentary enforcement that prioritizes urban safety models over Indigenous spatial logics, leading Charlie to abandon the regulated community outpost for bush exile.^[27]^[28] The film critiques assimilation pressures that erode cultural autonomy while avoiding uncritical romanticism of traditions, highlighting internal tensions where static adherence to customs falters against demographic and environmental shifts. Charlie's failed solo hunts and return from urban Darwin underscore the need for adaptive kinship reforms rather than imposed isolation, as pure reversion to pre-contact mobility proves untenable amid population growth and altered ecologies.^[9] Director Rolf de Heer, collaborating with Yolngu co-writer David Gulpilil, traces these outcomes to policy failures in respecting causal pathways from lore-based governance to modern survival, portraying cultural loss as bidirectional—external overreach compounding unaddressed communal evolutions.^[14]^[9] In Charlie's Country, alcohol abuse, referred to colloquially as "grog," is portrayed as a pervasive and self-perpetuating cycle within the Indigenous community, exemplified by the protagonist Charlie's repeated indulgence leading to physical deterioration, family estrangement, and legal repercussions such as arrest for possession.^[29] This depiction underscores grog not as an external imposition but as a chosen escape that exacerbates personal vulnerabilities, with Charlie's binges interrupting attempts at self-sufficiency like hunting and traditional living.^[30] Such patterns mirror documented behaviors in remote Northern Territory (NT) communities, where Indigenous alcohol consumption contributed to elevated rates of harm, including a 2013 hospitalization rate for alcohol-related assaults among Indigenous people that was over 10 times higher than for non-Indigenous residents.^[31] Interpersonal violence and petty crime emerge from the film's erosion of traditional authority structures, as scenes depict unchecked theft—such as community members stealing from each other—and defiant confrontations without elder mediation, highlighting a collapse in customary law enforcement that once maintained order through kinship obligations.^[29] Charlie's own brushes with the law, including imprisonment following a grog-fueled altercation, illustrate how diminished respect for elders fosters chaos, prioritizing immediate gratification over communal accountability.^[30] These elements reflect real NT Indigenous experiences circa 2013, where alcohol was linked to 70-80% of family violence incidents in remote areas, often stemming from intra-community breakdowns rather than solely external factors.^[31] While emphasizing dysfunctions, the film balances this with glimpses of resilience through enduring kinship ties, as Charlie receives aid from relatives during illness and shares resources despite scarcity, suggesting cultural bonds as a counter to passivity induced by systemic supports.^[32] However, this resilience is undermined by depictions of welfare-fueled idleness, where able-bodied individuals linger in camps, contributing to a dependency that stifles initiative—as evidenced by NT data showing alcohol harms costing over AUD 500 million annually by the mid-2010s, with remote communities bearing disproportionate social costs from inaction.^[33]

Critiques of government policies and welfare dependency

The film Charlie's Country depicts government interventions, including the 2007 Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER)—commonly known as the NT Intervention—as intrusive measures like alcohol bans and heightened policing, which confiscate personal tools such as hunting rifles essential for traditional self-sufficiency.^[34] These policies arose in direct response to the Ampe Akelyernemane Meke Mekarle (Little Children are Sacred) report, released on June 15, 2007, which documented pervasive child sexual abuse, neglect, and family violence in remote Indigenous communities, with evidence of over 100 cases of abuse in one region alone and systemic failures in community protection.^[35] While the film's portrayal emphasizes the paternalistic overreach—exemplified by rifle seizures that force reliance on processed foods and welfare—the underlying crises it references were empirically severe, with pre-intervention data showing hospitalization rates for assault in NT Indigenous children up to 60 times the national average.^[36] Welfare provisions, intended as support since the expansion of passive income transfers in the 1970s, are critiqued in the film as perpetuating idleness and cultural disconnection, mirroring broader patterns where remote Indigenous communities receive disproportionate aid—over $40,000 per capita annually in some areas—yet exhibit persistent poverty and unemployment rates above 40%.^[37] Director Rolf de Heer, in discussing the film's genesis, highlights how such dependency erodes agency, with protagonist Charlie's post-confiscation inertia symbolizing lost self-reliance amid alcohol-fueled dysfunction, a theme drawn from real NT conditions where government employment dominates (29% of remote Indigenous jobs versus 15% nationally).^[34] ^[38] Empirical assessments, including evaluations of NTER measures like liquor restrictions, indicate partial efficacy in curbing violence—hospitalizations for alcohol-related assaults in Alice Springs declined post-2007—though long-term outcomes reveal ongoing challenges, underscoring welfare's double-edged nature in rewarding non-adaptation over economic integration.^[39] ^[40] Interpretations diverge: left-leaning analyses often attribute dysfunction to systemic racism in policies like the Intervention, framing them as culturally insensitive overreactions despite the report's evidence of internal community failures in child protection.^[41] Counterarguments, supported by Indigenous reformers and policy reviews, emphasize causal incentives where unconditional welfare sustains remoteness and passivity, advocating stricter conditionality, land-use reforms, and market-driven self-sufficiency to break cycles of poverty, as remote areas lag with only 28% of households earning over $1,000 weekly compared to 42% non-remote.^[38] ^[42] The film's nuanced lens aligns more with the latter, prioritizing behavioral and structural reforms over blame-shifting narratives prevalent in biased institutional sources.^[43]

Release

Premiere and distribution

Charlie's Country world premiered at the Adelaide Film Festival on October 12, 2013.^[44] The film subsequently screened in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival on May 22, 2014.^[45] Its Australian theatrical release followed on July 17, 2014.^[32] Distribution was facilitated through support from Screen Australia and GEM Entertainment for non-US territories, with Visit Films acquiring world sales rights excluding Australia, New Zealand, and Italy in April 2014.^[46]^[47]^[48] International screenings included the Toronto International Film Festival and London Film Festival in 2014, as well as the International Film Festival Rotterdam and Melbourne International Film Festival in 2015.^[46] Home media availability began with a DVD release in Australia on December 8, 2014, followed by US video distribution on August 21, 2015, and streaming options emerging by October 2016.^[32]^[49]^[7] The film's rollout targeted limited arthouse circuits, reflecting its independent production and focus on remote Australian narratives during the mid-2010s.^[48]

Reception

Critical reception

Charlie's Country received widespread critical acclaim, earning a 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 39 reviews, with critics praising its humanistic portrayal of Indigenous Australian life and David Gulpilil's lead performance.^[7] The film holds an average rating of 7.3 out of 10 on IMDb from approximately 2,900 user votes, reflecting strong audience appreciation for its authentic depiction of cultural tensions.^[1] Reviewers frequently highlighted Gulpilil's nuanced acting and director Rolf de Heer's sensitive collaboration, which co-wrote the script drawing from the actor's experiences, as a tribute to resilience amid marginalization.^[14] In The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney commended the film as "a delicate but powerful tribute" that balances sorrow with humor, emphasizing its soulful exploration of cultural dislocation through Gulpilil's near-constant screen presence.^[14] Similarly, Variety described it as a "richly personal" rendering of Aboriginal-government relations, appreciating de Heer's restraint in avoiding didacticism while exposing systemic failures.^[15] Positive assessments often noted the film's effectiveness in illustrating welfare dependency's role in community dysfunction, with critic John McDonald observing how fortnightly payments fuel immediate dispersal among kin, mirroring real patterns in remote Indigenous settlements without romanticizing outcomes.^[30] Criticisms centered on pacing and perceived limitations in perspective. The Guardian's review characterized the film as a "slow indictment" of colonial dynamics, faulting its deliberate tempo for occasionally straining viewer engagement despite thematic depth.^[50] Some detractors, as aggregated on Metacritic (75/100 from nine reviews), argued it prioritizes sincerity over nuance, repeating tragic motifs bluntly and underemphasizing Indigenous agency in perpetuating social issues like substance abuse and communal inertia.^[51] Others questioned the white director's gaze for potentially reinforcing stereotypes of victimhood—focusing on external impositions while offering few insights into internal community reforms—though such views were minority amid broader praise for avoiding paternalistic salvation narratives.^[9]

Accolades and awards

Charlie's Country garnered recognition primarily for David Gulpilil's lead performance and the screenplay, with key wins at major international and domestic ceremonies. At the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, the film competed in the Un Certain Regard section, where Gulpilil received the Best Actor award for his portrayal of the titular character.^[52]^[53] The film itself was nominated for the Un Certain Regard Prize.^[5] In Australia, at the 4th AACTA Awards held on 29 January 2015, Gulpilil won Best Lead Actor, and directors Rolf de Heer and David Gulpilil shared the Best Original Screenplay award.^[54]^[55] The film received additional nominations at the AACTA for Best Film and Best Direction.^[5] Further honors included nominations at the 2014 Asia Pacific Screen Awards for Best Performance by an Actor (Gulpilil) and Achievement in Directing (de Heer), though it did not secure wins in those categories.^[56]^[57] The Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards in 2015 awarded Best Film and Best Director to de Heer.^[58] These accolades underscore the film's strengths in acting and writing within the context of limited mainstream attention to Indigenous Australian cinema. No significant awards followed after 2015.^[5]

Public and cultural debates

The release of Charlie's Country in 2014 prompted debates over its portrayal of Indigenous agency amid systemic challenges, with some viewing it as a necessary disruption of romanticized "noble savage" tropes by depicting characters' complicity in alcohol-fueled dysfunction and welfare passivity.^[9] The film's emphasis on "grog culture"—excessive communal drinking leading to arrests and health decline—highlighted self-sabotaging behaviors, as co-writer and star David Gulpilil himself reflected in interviews, drawing from personal experiences to underscore the destructive cycle of substance abuse in remote communities.^[59] ^[60] Critics from progressive outlets contended the narrative insufficiently prioritized colonial legacies and bureaucratic overreach, such as the Northern Territory Intervention's (2007) spear confiscations and alcohol bans, framing individual failings as symptoms of paternalistic policy failures rather than primary causes.^[61] ^[27] Conservative perspectives, echoed in policy analyses, interpreted the film's evidence of crime and dependency as a call for stricter enforcement over symbolic gestures like apologies, aligning with Intervention measures that correlated with reduced alcohol-related assaults and hospitalizations in targeted areas, though child maltreatment reports showed persistent overrepresentation.^[62] ^[63] ^[64] Festival screenings, including at Cannes' Un Certain Regard section, elicited resonance from Indigenous audiences familiar with Ramingining's dynamics, where the semi-autobiographical elements rang true, yet surfaced unease over unflattering exposures of intra-community violence and idleness that challenged victim-centric narratives.^[15] Director Rolf de Heer noted post-screening discussions often circled policy inertia, with viewers questioning welfare's role in eroding traditional self-reliance, as evidenced by the film's hospital scenes symbolizing broader health disparities tied to behavioral patterns over purely external factors.^[65] ^[66]

Legacy

Influence on Indigenous representation in film

Charlie's Country contributed to a shift in Australian cinema toward unromanticized depictions of Indigenous life, foregrounding contemporary social realities such as alcohol dependency, incarceration cycles, and cultural erosion in remote communities over idealized or grievance-centric narratives.^[26]^[3] The film's emphasis on individual agency amid systemic pressures—exemplified by protagonist Charlie's failed attempts at self-reliance—prioritized causal factors like welfare structures and community norms, influencing later works to integrate personal accountability with historical context rather than attributing dysfunction solely to past injustices.^[15] Developed through extensive collaboration with the Yolngu community in Ramingining, Northern Territory, where principal photography occurred from 2012 to 2013, the production incorporated authentic Yolngu language and customs, co-scripted by Indigenous actor David Gulpilil based on his experiences.^[11] This community-driven approach elevated Yolngu perspectives in mainstream film, fostering models for participatory storytelling that highlighted internal community dynamics alongside external impositions. However, reliance on non-Indigenous director Rolf de Heer, part of his third project on Aboriginal themes since 2002, underscored ongoing debates about outsider authorship in Indigenous narratives, amplifying advocacy for Indigenous directors like Warwick Thornton to lead such representations.^[67] The film's 2014 Cannes Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize and Australian Academy Award for Best Actor elevated visibility of remote Indigenous issues, correlating with sustained cinematic exploration of causal realism in portrayals, as evidenced by increased production of grounded dramas post-release.^[15] This legacy prompted broader scrutiny of representation paradigms, encouraging films to balance cultural authenticity with unflinching examinations of present-day challenges over abstracted romanticism.^[50]

Impact on David Gulpilil

David Gulpilil's portrayal of the titular character in Charlie's Country earned him the Best Actor award in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, revitalizing international interest in his decades-long career as an Indigenous Australian performer.^[52] The film's semi-autobiographical elements, co-written by Gulpilil and director Rolf de Heer, drew from his own experiences of navigating traditional life amid modern impositions, amplifying recognition of his authentic representation of Yolngu culture. This accolade highlighted his enduring talent but occurred against a backdrop of unresolved personal difficulties that echoed the film's depiction of individual agency and consequences.^[68] Prior to the film's release, Gulpilil faced legal repercussions for domestic violence; in September 2011, he was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for breaching a domestic violence order by assaulting his wife, resulting in a broken arm.^[69] This incident, which involved wielding a broomstick, violated a 2007 order prohibiting threats or assaults, and followed prior convictions for similar offenses.^[70] The parallels between Gulpilil's real-life accountability lapses and Charlie's struggles with alcohol-fueled dysfunction and resistance to societal norms underscored the film's themes without romanticizing them, as the professional triumph did not erase these realities.^[71] In the years following Charlie's Country, Gulpilil spoke publicly against substance abuse, crediting sobriety for his career longevity and urging youth to avoid the self-destructive paths portrayed in the film.^[59] Health issues curtailed further roles; diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2017, he retired from acting in 2019 and died on November 29, 2021, at age 68 after a four-year battle with the disease.^[72] Tributes emphasized how the film's raw portrayal mirrored his life's tensions between cultural pride and personal failings, reinforcing its role in elevating Indigenous voices while confronting unvarnished truths over idealized narratives.^[68]

Broader societal reflections

Charlie's Country highlights enduring tensions in Australian society regarding the integration of Indigenous populations, particularly in remote areas where empirical data reveals limited progress toward self-determination despite extensive welfare and intervention programs. Incarceration rates among Aboriginal adults in the [Northern Territory](/page/Northern Territory) stood at approximately 3,334 per 100,000 in recent assessments, compared to 185 per 100,000 for non-Aboriginal residents, underscoring a profound disparity that persists amid multicultural policies emphasizing cultural preservation over adaptation.^[73] ^[74] Welfare dependency further entrenches this, with estimates indicating that up to 90% of income in many remote Aboriginal communities derives from government payments, fostering cycles of reliance rather than economic independence.^[75] ^[42] These metrics affirm the film's depiction of systemic friction between traditional practices and contemporary demands, challenging notions of boundless multiculturalism by evidencing causal links between cultural isolation and socioeconomic stagnation. Policy responses post-film, including extensions of the 2007 Northern Territory Intervention through Stronger Futures measures until 2022, have paralleled its themes of imposed oversight, yet evaluations show incomplete outcomes in reducing child neglect or boosting employment, with calls for reforms prioritizing local governance paired with enforceable accountability metrics over perpetual subsidies.^[76] ^[77] Ongoing 2020s initiatives, such as community-led child safety programs, reflect pragmatic shifts but highlight the insufficiency of funding alone without addressing incompatibilities, like differing worldviews on authority and property that impede policy efficacy in remote settings.^[78] ^[79] The film's legacy includes heightened discourse on these realities, fostering awareness of non-viable romanticism in Indigenous policy, though critics contend it underemphasizes quantifiable cultural barriers—such as resistance to mainstream education norms—advocating instead for measured assimilation strategies to enable broader integration while mitigating welfare traps.^[80] This perspective aligns with first-principles evaluations prioritizing causal outcomes over ideological preservation, as evidenced by stagnant Closing the Gap targets in justice and economic domains.^[81]

References

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Rating 7.3/10 (2,927) Displeased with the intervention of whitefella laws, Charlie takes off to live the old way and sets off a chain reaction of enlightening difficulties.
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Rating 95% (39) Charlies Country is a beautiful study of an aging indigenous man whose quest is to return to country. In his quest he becomes ill and is found by his friend.
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A historical overview of legislated alcohol policy in the Northern ...
Oct 23, 2021 · ... violence against women and children [26, 53, 55]. Although these ... Beating the grog: an evaluation of attempts to control alcohol abuse in ...
[41]
Social Justice Report 2007 - Chapter 3: The Northern Territory ...
violence and child abuse in Indigenous communities. The NT intervention has revealed a determined commitment across society to address the horrors of family ...
[42]
Income and finance of First Nations people
Oct 16, 2025 · About 28% of households in remote areas had an income of $1,000 or more, compared with 42% in non-remote areas (Figure 1, ABS 2016, 2021a).Missing: dependency | Show results with:dependency
[43]
10 impacts of the NT Intervention | SBS NITV
Jun 21, 2017 · The extreme rates of family violence in many NT Aboriginal communities provided one of the central justifications for the NT Intervention.<|separator|>
[44]
Charlie's Country (2013) - Release info - IMDb
Release date: Australia October 12, 2013(Adelaide Film Festival, premiere), France May 2014(Cannes Film Festival), Czech Republic July 5, 2014.Missing: theatrical | Show results with:theatrical
[45]
Charlie's Country - Festival de Cannes
May 22, 2014 · David GULPILIL Screenplay; Rolf DE HEER Screenplay. Casting. David GULPILIL · Peter DJIGIRR · Luke FORD · Jennifer BUDUKPUDUK · Peter MINYGULULU ...Missing: script | Show results with:script
[46]
Charlie's Country (2014) - The Screen Guide
Writer/director/producer Rolf de Heer on the evolution of the Australian screen industry, his advice for aspiring filmmakers and his unique writing process.Missing: script | Show results with:script
[47]
Company credits - Charlie's Country (2013) - IMDb
Charlie's Country ; Production Companies · Adelaide Film Festival · Bula'bula Arts Aboriginal ; Distributors · GEM Entertainment. (Non-US, 2013)(multi-territory).
[48]
Visit Films to sell Charlie's Country | News - Screen Daily
Apr 22, 2014 · EXCLUSIVE: Visit Films has come on board to handle world sales excluding Australia, New Zealand and Italy on the Un Certain Regard selection ...
[49]
Charlie's Country (2014) - Box Office and Financial Information
Charlie's Country (2014) ; Video Release: August 21st, 2015 by Visti Films ; MPAA Rating: Not Rated ; Running Time: 108 minutes ; Comparisons: vs. The Jungle Book 2Missing: premiere | Show results with:premiere
[50]
Charlie's Country review — slow indictment of a colonialist relationship
Oct 15, 2013 · Now Charlie's Country explores the ongoing repercussions in contemporary Australia. Charlie (Gulpilil) lives in a remote Aboriginal community in ...Missing: plot | Show results with:plot
[51]
Charlie's Country Reviews - Metacritic
Rating 75% (9) Screen Australia; The South Australian Film Corporation; Vertigo Productions. Release Date Jun 5, 2015. Duration 1 h 48 m. Genres. Adventure · Drama. Tagline ...Missing: theatrical | Show results with:theatrical<|separator|>
[52]
David Gulpilil wins Cannes best-actor award | Australia news
May 25, 2014 · The Australian actor David Gulpilil has received a best actor award at the Cannes film festival for his role in Charlie's Country, which the ...
[53]
Gulpilil wins a best actor award at Cannes Film Festival - ABC News
May 24, 2014 · Australian actor David Gulpilil has won a best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for his performance in Rolf De Heer's Charlie's Country.
[54]
Rose Byrne, David Gulpilil among winners at 2015 AACTA Awards
Jan 29, 2015 · In the film categories, David Gulpilil took out the Best Lead Actor award for his role in Charlie's Country and received a standing ovation from ...
[55]
All the results from the 4th AACTA Awards – And the winners are…
Jan 29, 2015 · David Gulpilil's performance in CHARLIE'S COUNTRY saw him awarded Best Lead Actor, PREDESTINATION star Sarah Snook was awarded Best Lead Actress ...<|separator|>
[56]
David Gulpilil in Charlie's Country - Asia Pacific Screen Awards
Nomination Details · Film Accolades. Nominated: Best Performance by an Actor Nominated: Achievement in Directing · Related Members. Rolf de Heer · David Gulpilil ...
[57]
Rolf de Heer for Charlie's Country - Asia Pacific Screen Awards
His films have been selected to screen In Competition multiple times at the world's leading festivals, Cannes, Berlin, Venice and Toronto. No less than four of ...
[58]
Charlie's Country - Adelaide Film Festival
De Heer describes it as "a story of a man of David's indeterminate age living in a remote community under the intervention and grappling with the changes ...
[59]
David Gulpilil: the lessons I learned from Charlie's Country
Feb 6, 2015 · His collaboration with the film-maker Rolf de Heer was seen as a career rejuvenation after Gulpilil's own battles with addiction. He starred in ...Missing: critique | Show results with:critique
[60]
Charlie's Country: a portrait of a man and his community in search of ...
Jan 26, 2016 · A sad and compassionate film of a man's search for identity and belonging, “Charlie's Country” originated as a vehicle around lead actor David ...Missing: professional lighting
[61]
An outsider in his own country - Solidarity
Aug 15, 2014 · Charlie's country is a beautifully shot and brutally honest portrayal of life under apartheid in the Northern Territory.Missing: interview critique
[62]
[PDF] CAEPR Working paper No. 102/2015
A contemporary film that beautifully illustrates this point is Charlie's country, which skilfully depicts the range of capabilities held by the Indigenous ...
[63]
Impacts of Northern Territory banned drinker register on police ...
Jan 17, 2024 · The risk of experiencing motor vehicle crashes, assault, intimate partner violence and child maltreatment are all increased as result of other's ...
[64]
Northern Territory intervention 'fails on human rights' and closing the ...
Feb 8, 2016 · Reports of child abuse in the NT have decreased since 2010, but there has been a 500% increase in reports of self harm or suicide by ...
[65]
#Big Truths: An Interview with Rolf de Heer – Rough Cut
Aug 10, 2019 · I used to get asked a lot when I did Q&As on Charlie's Country, people would see the film and feel lots of things and ask, 'What can we do to ...Missing: policy | Show results with:policy
[66]
Charlie's Country - Insights Magazine
Jul 22, 2014 · Charlie's Country is the third collaboration between iconic Aboriginal actor David Gulpilil and director Rolf de Heer, after The Tracker and ...Missing: timeline | Show results with:timeline
[67]
Charlie's Country (2013) - News - IMDb
In his films The Tracker, Ten Canoes and Charlie's Country, Rolf de Heer has mixed lyrical allegory with naturalism and genre conventions, ethnographic ...<|separator|>
[68]
Where to begin with David Gulpilil - BFI
Aug 7, 2022 · Gulpilil's collaborations with de Heer are certainly worth tracking down, but there are plenty of other treats in store from across his career.Missing: timeline | Show results with:timeline
[69]
Gulpilil jailed for breaking wife's arm - ABC News
Sep 21, 2011 · In 2007, a magistrate imposed a 12-month domestic violence order on Gulpilil, forbidding him from assaulting or threatening Ms Ashley. Sorry, ...
[70]
David Gulpilil jailed for assaulting wife - The Sydney Morning Herald
Sep 22, 2011 · Aboriginal actor David Gulpilil jailed for breaking his wife's arm in a violent attack.
[71]
David Gulpilil, Pioneering Indigenous Australian Actor, Dies at 68
Nov 29, 2021 · In his Cannes Film Festival review, THR's David Rooney called Charlie's Country “a delicate but powerful film that functions as both a ...
[72]
David Gulpilil, a titanic force in Australian cinema, dies after lung ...
Nov 29, 2021 · The Indigenous actor David Gulpilil, one of Australia's greatest artists, has died four years after he was diagnosed with lung cancer.
[73]
Legislative changes to see the gap widen even further in ... - NAAJA
Aug 1, 2025 · In the Northern Territory, the rate of incarceration of non-Aboriginal people is 184.7 per 100,000 people, while it is staggeringly 3,334.2 per ...
[74]
Corrective Services, Australia, June Quarter 2025
Sep 18, 2025 · The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rate was 2,602 persons per 100,000 adult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population ...
[75]
The welfare dependency disaster | Alice Springs News
May 17, 2021 · Past emphasis on welfare policies has not led to any improvement even though an estimated 90% of the income of Aboriginal communities in the ...<|separator|>
[76]
[PDF] Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory: Sunset Review
The Stronger Futures legislation package was designed to create a framework for building stronger futures for Aboriginal peoples in the Northern Territory ...
[77]
[PDF] Northern Territory Intervention: An Evaluation - Monash University
Feb 22, 2018 · Indigenous child abuse rates. Data from 2013 shows that. Indigenous children are “substantially over-represented in every area of the child ...
[78]
[PDF] Safe, Thriving and Connected: Generational Change for Children ...
community-led initiatives to improve outcomes for children in the Northern Territory. Initiatives have included the Bubba Baskets project in Tennant. Creek ...
[79]
Cultural incompatibility hindering public policy in remote Australia ...
Sep 21, 2016 · The Ngaanyatjarra Lands is made up of 12 Aboriginal communities, still happily living, speaking the languages and practicing the ancient culture ...Missing: integration | Show results with:integration
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The Future of Australian Multiculturalism
Oct 24, 2024 · The Future of Australian Multiculturalism presents a series of complimentary, if distinct, assessments of the health of our national multicultural project.
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults are not overrepresented ...
Nationally at 30 June 2024, the age-standardised rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners was 2,304.4 per 100,000 adult population (figure CtG10.