Loosely based on the filmmaker's personal experience, "Terra Nullius" is an impressionistic account of an eight year old Koori girl, Alice, growing up in a white adoptive family which denies her Aboriginality. The film examines how unacknowledged shame and fear passes from one generation to the next, from one culture to another. The last scene depicts a silent meeting between the young Alice and the adult Alice. In order to reclaim her life, Alice decides she must confront the pain and confusion of her childhood.
Where to WatchAll options
Availability data from JustWatch
- Status
- Released
- Production
- Ronin Films, Australian Film Television and Radio School
Keywords
- australia
- trauma
- based on true story
- racism
- racial slur
- racial prejudice
- generational
- impressionist
- woman director
- indigenous australians
- australian aboriginal
- 1960s
- adoptive parent
- self-harm
- traumatized child
Links
Top Cast
Michelle Lacombe as Alice
Olivia Patten as Young Alice
Wendy Playfair as Mary
Dacre King as Neville
Kristina Bloomstrand as Woman
Enid Freeman as Woman
Victoria Kennedy as Woman
Paula Maling as Woman
Top Crew
Anne Pratten · Director, Writer
Andrew Lancaster · Composer
Felicity Fox · Composer
Jackie Farkas · Cinematographer
Alison Wotherspoon · Producer
Reviews
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