Australian directors have walked away with three of the five awards handed out at the Pacific International Documentary Festival in Tahiti, FIFO 9.
The festival showcases documentaries that centre on issues relating to the Pacific or the lives of the people inhabiting the area.
Natasha Gadd and Rhys Graham picked up the Grand Prix prize for Murandak, Songs of Freedom. The documentary provides an insight into Aboriginal protest music as it follows Indigenous musician supergroup, the Black Arm Band, from the Outback to the Sydney Opera House. Murundak, which means ‘alive’ in Woirurrung language, explores the elements of sorrow and resistance in Indigenous protest music, and features pioneering singes such as Archie Roach, Bart Willoughby, and the late Ruby Hunter.
The Special Jury prize was shared by The Hungry Tides director, Tom Zubrycki, and Ochre & Ink director, James Bradley.
The Hungry Tides explores the vulnerability of the Pacific in relation to climate change. Focusing on the nation of Kiribati in particular, The Hungry Tides warns of rising sea levels and increased salinity in a sea that is increasingly placing the country in danger of destruction.
Short film Ochre & Ink documents the 23-year collaboration between Indigenous artists in Arnhem Land and Chinese-Australian artist, Zhou Xiaoping. The fusion of the two artistic styles and cultures led to a fascinating exhibition in Beijing, as well an intriguing documentary.
Other Australian documentaries screening at FIFO 9 included Out of the Ashes, a documentary examining the devastating Black Saturday bushfires; Outback Fight Club, which follows a travelling tent-boxing group; Utopia Girls, which explores how Australian women were among the first to gain full political rights; Jandamarra, about a forgotten Aboriginal rebel; and A Northern Town, a historical reflection on the town of Booroogen in the Northern Territory.