Whilst a seemingly banal household chore, by the end of this remarkable documentary, you come to appreciate the powerful significance of this act of family love.
The film documents the life of Audrey Napanangka. Audrey is a Warlpiri woman, Elder, matriarch, artist, actor and, arguably, an activist. She was born in Yuendumu (360 km northwest of Alice Springs) in 1950.
Her husband Santo Giardina, however, crossed the seas from Sicily and has lived in the town since the mid-1970s.
Together, Audrey and Santo have raised more children than they can count, simply because walalja (family) is everything. For Italians, that concept is known as amore per la famiglia.
This is not Audrey’s first film. Her list of acting credits includes working with award-winning filmmaker, Penelope McDonald on My Bed Your Bed (1997), as well as notable films such as Rabbit Proof Fence (2002), Sampson and Delilah (2009), Nulla Nulla (2016) and Robbie Hood (2019).
Audrey is also known for her artwork which is mainly based on Dreaming stories. The role of custodian of these stories has been passed on to her, and she takes particular care in depicting bush tucker which is part of Women’s Dreaming stories. According to Walpiri Tradition there are some stories she can depict, and some she cannot.
If you are expecting to see a film on Napanangka’s stunning artwork or life as an actor, you may be slightly disappointed. Nonetheless, you will have the privilege of entering the private world Audrey and Santo have created for themselves, and their family. It is a world in which they engage in a tenacious struggle to care for their many foster children.
It is easy to see why Penelope McDonald received a nomination for Best Direction in a Documentary Feature for this film. She follows Audrey and Santo for ten years shedding light on the complexity of their lives as they navigate the many worlds in which they live.
Award winning producer of Audrey Napanangka, Penelope McDonald
Audrey was born at a time when the world was changing for Aboriginal people of the central Australian desert. Forced removal of children, displacement and the clash of culture and ways of being, knowing and doing.
Pushing through her own personal heartbreak and trauma, Audrey takes on the responsibility to parent children who would otherwise be lost to “a system”. She and Santo seek only to provide a safe and nurturing family environment. She draws on her own experiences of walking in two worlds to help her foster children navigate the complex world around them and find their own sense of place and knowing as First People.
Santo has had his own trauma. As a young boy living in Melbourne, he suffered a car accident which has left lasting difficulties. However, together, Santo and his wife have focussed solely on their responsibility to share what they have with vulnerable children.
Despite the difficulties, they never waver in their resolve to ensure that each child has a home and sense of connection to kin, culture, and Country.
Santo is determined to do anything he can to lessen the financial burden of raising a large family. Santo has always collected cans and bottles to raise cash through recycling programs. Somehow this led to an assumption by the “system” that the couple were alcoholics and could not care for their children. Santo dropped off his two children at school one morning and they never returned. Had questions been asked about the recycling, it would have revealed that Santo and Audrey do not drink alcohol.
The result, however, was that the children were taken away to become wards of the state. All communication was blocked. It took two years of fighting hard against the system for Audrey and Santo to have their children returned. Audrey even went to Parliament in Canberra to draw attention to their plight.
McDonald captures the moment this event is recounted by the couple. Somewhere between the words, gestures, and silence, viewers gain a sense of what remains too painful to articulate. Therein lies the trauma for all involved.
The film follows Audrey and some of the children as they go to Mount Theo. There, isolated and amongst Elders, the next generation are taught traditional ways. They learn about the Dreaming, bush tucker, painting, women’s business and men’s business. Yarning unfolds as it has done for generations. The warmth and resilience of an ancient culture is wrapped around the younger ones to keep them safe and connected. Country and kin.
The documentary does not intervene with the reality of family life, rather the camera captures its rawness. The challenge of clashing cultures, the aspirations of the young children, and the determined hope and unconditional love that are fundamental to parenting.
Importantly, the tapestry of events captured on camera reveals a deep dysfunctionality as the dominant culture does not ask, or even seek to understand First People and traditional ways. The prevailing culture judges and threatens to silence. It occupies the lands and moves steadily to eradicate, in this case, Walpiri tradition.
There is an extra layer of humanness and complexity in a marriage that brings together two cultures: First People and more recent migrants, in this case, Italian.
The documentary captures a trip to Italy. Santo, Audrey and one of their children, Juliette, travelled to the Biennale Film Festival in Venice in the 1980s where Audrey was invited to present her art.
The trip provided the opportunity to explore Italy and to stay with Santo’s relatives in San Paolo, Syracuse, for a few months. There Audrey became a celebrity with her beautiful artworks snapped up by locals. Santo and Audrey chuckle as they recall how Juliette, their nine-year-old daughter, took to playing calcio (football) in the piazza with the other children. They tell me that the local children would come by and call up to her from the street below with their football tucked under their arm, ready to play. Audrey proudly recalls that by the time they left Italy, Juliette was speaking Italian.
There is also a playful scene between the couple in the documentary when Audrey counts in Italian. Audrey and Santo’s worlds are enriched by various cultures. As an Elder, Audrey knows however, that she is a custodian of the language, culture, kinship and connection to Country of a marginalised community.
Audrey Napanangka, Santo Giardina and their family (Photo: Dylan River)
This moving documentary has won awards and has featured in many Festivals across Australia including the Melbourne International Film Festival and the Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Darwin Film Festivals.
The documentary is impressive, poignant, and revealing. McDonald skilfully ensures that the camera respects Walpiri Traditional ways and the human dignity of each of the individuals portrayed – whilst still providing a realistic picture of the story it reveals to the viewer.
McDonald explains, the ultimate message of the documentary is that “children are sacred”.
“They need to feel safe and loved. They need to know their families.” A timely and universal message.
The documentary leaves you with much to think about long after you watch it. The power of this ten-year story is the extraordinary capacity for care and walalja /amore di famiglia shared by both the remarkable Warlpiri woman, Audrey, and her Sicilian husband, Santo.
