Rabbit Proof Fence

Canberra is lucky to be home to the National Film and Sound Archive - a veritable treasure trove of film and music resources dating back many years. The Archive holds over 2 million items all of them accessible by the public.

Currently the Archive is running a series of Australian films under the banner of 'Starstuck'. One of the films on offer was Rabbit-Proof Fence the story of three aboriginal girls taken from their mother in Western Australia, sent to a church mission and tells how they found their way home and back to their family by using the immensely long fence of the title (which runs across Australia). In many ways the film is successful as it personifies the terrible issue of Australia's 'stolen generation' of 'half-caste' Aboriginals taken from their families (and mostly used as cheap labour). Tens of thousands of Aboriginal Australians have been affected by the stolen generation and the perverse decisions of the Australian authorities of the time.

I took Eli and Audrey along for the showing after school. I was worried that a) I couldn't remember if the film was 'age appropriate' or if there was a horrific scene somewhere in the middle of it! and b) whether they'd actually 'get' what the film was about.

As it turned out I needn't have worried. The film was introduced by its Producer (David Eflick) and he described some of the finer points of the film and the casting of the three wonderful actors.

What I found fascinating was just how both Audrey and Eli related to the characters (the three girls, Molly, Daisy and Gracie) as they were similar ages to themselves (8.10 and 14). The film is both thought provoking, sad but also exciting as the girls struggle to avoid re-capture by authorities.

We had a really good conversation on the way home - the kids couldn't understand how you could discriminate against someone because of the colour of their skin and we discussed the stolen generation and its awful impact on Aboriginal communities. I was so proud of A&E - I'd gone to the film with some trepidation, but came home knowing that they'd 'got' it.