MURUNDAK – SONGS OF FREEDOM WINS GRAND PRIX AT THE 9TH FIFO FESTIVAL!

MURUNDAK – SONGS OF FREEDOM

Australian feature documentary MURUNDAK – SONGS OF FREEDOM was awarded the GRAND PRIX by the international jury of the 9th FIFO – Festival International du Film Documentaire Océanien (International Film Festival of Documentary in Oceania) held in Tahiti.

Co – Directors Natasha Gadd and Rhys Graham said of the award "It was always our hope as filmmakers that MURUNDAK – SONGS OF FREEDOM could honour the journey of The Black Arm Band in sharing the songs and stories of Aboriginal Australia with audiences around the world".

"It is extremely rewarding for the band and our team to know that the story of The Black Arm Band is touching hearts in all corners of the globe".

After a successful end to 2011 in which the feature documentary film MURUNDAK – SONGS OF FREEDOM garnered the Grand Prize in documentary at the SEMINCI (Valladolid International Film Festival, Spain), a UN Media Peace Award and the ATOM Award for Best Documentary, the film received the top honour at FIFO from a jury comprised of international filmmakers chaired by Jury President Élie Chouraqui.

In January MURUNDAK – SONGS OF FREEDOM also received the first ever academy award from the AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) when it was awarded BEST SOUND – DOCUMENTARY. 

Sound Designer Emma Bortignon was the first ever AACTA recipient to be able to formally “thank the Academy”.

Co-directed by Natasha Gadd & Rhys Graham, and produced by Philippa Campey, Sarah Bond and Natasha Gadd, MURUNDAK – SONGS OF FREEDOM journeys into the heart of Aboriginal protest music following THE BLACK ARM BAND, a gathering of some of Australia’s finest Indigenous musicians, as they take to the road with their songs of resistance and freedom.

From the concert halls of the Sydney Opera House to remote Aboriginal communities of the Northern Territory, 'murundak' - meaning ‘alive’ in Woirurrung language - brings together pioneering singers including Archie Roach, Bart Willoughby and the late Ruby Hunter, and a stellar lineup of emerging Indigenous talent including Dan Sultan, Shellie Morris and Emma Donovan.

The film was commissioned by SBS and had a limited theatrical release in 2011. The documentary is now available on DVD. Meanwhile, the BLACK ARM BAND continues to tour, bringing songs of contemporary Aboriginal Australia to audiences throughout the world.

More Info : www.murundakdocumentary.com