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Terra Nullius

Loosely based on the filmmaker's personal experience, "Terra Nullius" is an impressionistic account of an eight year old Koori girl, Alice, growing up in a white adoptive family which denies her Aboriginality. The film examines how unacknowledged shame and fear passes from one generation to the next, from one culture to another. The last scene depicts a silent meeting between the young Alice and the adult Alice. In order to reclaim her life, Alice decides she must confront the pain and confusion of her childhood.

Top Cast

  • Michelle Lacombe

    Michelle Lacombe

    Alice

  • Olivia Patten

    Olivia Patten

    Young Alice

  • Wendy Playfair

    Wendy Playfair

    Mary

  • Dacre King

    Dacre King

    Neville

  • Kristina Bloomstrand

    Kristina Bloomstrand

    Woman

  • Enid Freeman

    Enid Freeman

    Woman

  • Victoria Kennedy

    Victoria Kennedy

    Woman

  • Paula Maling

    Paula Maling

    Woman

  • Phyllis Simpson

    Phyllis Simpson

    Woman

Overview

Loosely based on the filmmaker's personal experience, "Terra Nullius" is an impressionistic account of an eight year old Koori girl, Alice, growing up in a white adoptive family which denies her Aboriginality. The film examines how unacknowledged shame and fear passes from one generation to the next, from one culture to another. The last scene depicts a silent meeting between the young Alice and the adult Alice. In order to reclaim her life, Alice decides she must confront the pain and confusion of her childhood.

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