First Australians is a seven-part Australian historical documentary TV series produced by Blackfella Films over the course of six years, and first aired on SBS TV in October 2008. A book was published to accompany the series.

Synopsis

The series chronicles the history of contemporary Australia, from the perspective of its first people, Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander people. The series is essentially a synthesis of well-documented historical information. It relies heavily on archival documents and interpretations from historians and members of both the Aboriginal and European community and leaders. It tries to tell the story of Australian history from a contemporary Indigenous point of view. The story begins in 1788 in Sydney, with the arrival of the First Fleet and ends in 1993 with Koiki Mabo's legal challenge to the foundation of Australia. The series comprises seven episodes in which it explores what unfolded when the oldest living culture in the world was confronted by the British Empire. It explores the lives of particular individuals and uses their stories as a vehicle to explain the larger situations of the time. It explains violent aspects of European settlement of Australia, such as killings, battles, wars, as well as acts of friendship and decency between the early European settlers and Aboriginal Australians. Aboriginal Australian history has until recently been clouded by the "great Australian silence", referring to ignorance of the real history of Australia seen as a way for non-Aboriginal Australians to hide shame for their own history. The series was the winner of multiple awards, remains the highest-selling educational title in Australia, and was also sold overseas.

Episodes

A total of seven episodes were filmed. The series was first transmitted in Australia from 12 October to 2 November 2008.

Production

The general manager of SBS, Nigel Milan, had asked Indigenous historian and academic Gordon Briscoe what he could do for Indigenous people, and Briscoe suggested giving them back their history. It was a very ambitious project, and Rachel Perkins (creator, director, and producer, and daughter of Aboriginal activist Charles Perkins, ) said that it was the most important thing she would ever work on, "because it really was an opportunity to try and tell the Indigenous story in a comprehensive manner from an Indigenous perspective, over a span of 200 years. It had never been done before". "When SBS first came to ask me if I were interested in doing a major documentary series on Indigenous history I enthusiastically agreed although I had no idea what it would be. I approached my business partner Darren Dale, and he also readily agreed. All we knew is that it would be bigger than anything we had done before. In making First Australians, it has been common for many to ask why hasn't this story been told? The truth is these stories have been told, at least in print, by the historians we feature in our series. There is more being written all the time and there is a substantial body of work to be found in good libraries if you have the interest. Although First Australians cannot hope to be as comprehensive as the work of these historians, it will provide the public (in the comfort of their own homes), a taste of the story that remains to be understood. Hopefully it will spark national interest in the people on whose lands we have made our homes." There were seven episodes, each 60 minutes long, in the series. Episode writing and directing credits included Beck Cole and Louis Nowra. The series was produced by Perkins and Darren Dale of Blackfella Films. The series received funding from the Australian Film Commission and the Film Finance Corporation. The series featured writer Bruce Pascoe and historians Marcia Langton, Janet McCalman, and Gordon Briscoe. A significant part of the production of the series involved consultation with the descendants of the individuals portrayed in the documentary. This involved checking the content of scripts, usually face to face, seeking permission to film in particular locations, showing the rough cut of the film for comment and showing the film at fine cut. The series was made in accordance with Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property rights, to ensure the cultural content and the rights of Indigenous people. Permission was gained from 200–300 people to publish the stories, photographs, and other material used in the series.

Broadcast

The series was first broadcast on SBS Television in October to November 2008.

Reception

The Sydney Morning Herald described the series as "the documentary of the decade".

Awards and nominations

Book

A book entitled First Australians: An Illustrated History was published by Miegunyah Press in 2008 to accompany the series, edited by Rachel Perkins and Marcia Langton.