Luke and Daniel Riches’ Tiger Shark Dreaming and Brooke Collard and Kylie Bracknell’s Walbreninj are the inaugural recipients of the First Nations VR Documentary Initiative, which offers up to $150,000 in production funding for VR concepts exploring First Nations ‘Truth-telling’ conversations.
The former tells the story through the eyes of two young, emerging Bardi leaders as they journey across Bardi Country in search of one of Australia’s most revered and elusive predators: the tiger shark (Gundarr).
It is inspired by the old Bardi story of a man called Moochoo Davey, who became stranded at sea while hunting on a raft and was rescued by Gundarr, a mythical shark that inserted its fin into the raft and carried him back to safety. The Bardi people still practice a traditional song and dance that lays tribute to this story.
The filmmaking brothers said they were gripped by the “abundant possibilities” of expanding their storytelling capability via the initiative.
“We believe this industry will continue to grow each year, and as it becomes more accessible to audiences and we hope to make First Nations stories a contributing part,” they said.
“We hope it re-engages us with the audience experience. It can be easy to follow the rules in traditional media and lose connection to how audiences feel while viewing content. XR is 100 per cent committed to making the most enjoyable and refreshing experience possible.”
Collard and Bracknell’s Walbreninj, which translates to ‘healing’ in the Noongar language, is about Country holding on to memories and passing those memories on to people through bodily sensations or visions.
It explores a group of Noongar women who have held onto a haunting truth about a local parkland for 30 years, and the strange events that have drawn people back there. Now, these Noongar women want to bring healing to the spirits of ancestors left behind, and return the park to ‘Walbreninj’.
Collard noted that VR had a “special extra layer of immersion” that you don’t get in film.
“I’ve used VR, and the first time was experiencing Tyson Mowarin’s Thalu,” she said.
“I remember sinking into the ground and being awed by the possibilities of storytelling. Previously working in narrative design for games really opened my eyes to how far you can push stories and audiences with VR, and with Walbreninj, it brings this extra level of understanding and compassion when you make your audience directly a part of the story.”
Screenwest CEO Rikki Lea Bestall had no doubt the projects would make important contributions to the national conversation.”
“Virtual reality doesn’t just convey a story, it immerses audiences right into the heart of the film,” he said.
“In Western Australia, we have a wealth of First Nations creatives with incredible stories to tell.”
The First Nations VR Documentary Initiative is made possible with financial support from Lotterywest.