“What is Australia Day?” by Raymond Salomonn, features the magical vocal soundtrack of Shama Rain – all of Bangladeshi origin – and is in the running for a slew of awards to be announced after the screening of finalists at Dendy Cinemas on November 17.
Packing a punch at just over four minutes long, the documentary goes to the heart of the debate about Australian nationhood, annual observance and memories of indigenous persecution that keep us divided as a nation.
Lead performer Adrita, aged eight and a student at Hampden Park Public School, moved to Australia from Bangladesh with her parents when she was five.
She first performed aged of two in a drama and music video and has since performed in three dramas, three commercials and a short film.
In ‘What is Australia Day?’, she plays a migrant child learning indigenous persecution at school.
Growing up in a new country, her own quest for identity remains unresolved as she struggles with the moral dilemma of January 26.
Hoping to be an actor or a ‘celebrity’ when she grows up, Adrita explained what the day meant to her: “It’s the day when the Queen took over Australia.”
Producer Salomonn said: “In just four minutes and 22 seconds, we expose the wound of Australia’s bleeding heart. When the nation celebrates its birth in the shadow of centuries of murder and mistreatment, emptiness descends on our conscience. Our dreams of nation-building cannot be achieved by celebrating the imperial theft of Australia from its indigenous people.”
The CSFF runs November 10-25. Visit csff.com.au.
