Redfern Now is an Australian drama television series featuring the lives of Aboriginal Australian families living in Redfern, Sydney, that first aired on ABC in 2012. A second season followed in 2013, and the series concluded with a feature-length telemovie, Redfern Now: Promise Me, in April 2015. The series' release contributed to widespread public debate surrounding Indigenous representation in the Australian media, and both series as well as the film were nominated for and won many awards.
Synopsis The series follows the lives of six families living in the inner Sydney suburb of Redfern, and provides insight into contemporary issues facing Aboriginal Australians. These issues include lack of employment and mental illness, which are posited as direct ramifications of the colonisation of Australia and the Stolen Generations caused by forced removals of Indigenous children. Produced by Blackfella Films as part of the ABC's Indigenous Department, the show is the first series to be commissioned, written, acted, and produced by Indigenous Australians.Nelson, Susanna. "Block Power: Redfern Now", Metro Magazine: Media & Education Magazine, 175 (2013): 46 (via Susanna Nelson website)
Cast
Wayne Blair as Constable Aaron Davis (2012–2015) Dean Daley-Jones as Indigo (2012–2015) Deborah Mailman as Lorraine Blake (2012–2015) Richard Green as Nathan (2012–2015) Lisa Flanagan as Allie (2012–2015) Kelton Pell as Raymond (2012–2015) Rarriwuy Hick as Robyn Davis (2012–2015) Kirk Page as Peter (2013–2015) Leah Purcell as Grace Nielson (2012–2013) Tessa Rose as Coral (2012–2013) Shari Sebbens as Julie (2012) Miranda Tapsell as Teneka (2012) Rhimi Johnson Page as Danny Blain (2012) Ursula Yovich as Nic Shields (2012–2013) Marley Sharp as Eddie Shields (2012–2013) Aaron McGrath as Joel "Joely" Shields (2012–2013) Madeleine Madden as Chloe (2012–2013) Stephen Curry as Constable Ryan Hobbs (2012–2013) Trisha Morton-Thomas as Aunty Mona (2012–2013) Oscar Redding as Richard (2013) Craig McLachlan as Jack (2013) Ernie Dingo as Ernie Johnson (2013) Steve Bisley as Richard (2013) Meyne Wyatt as Justin Myles (2013) Tammy Clarkson Jones as Mattie Erica Collinson (2013)
Guests Bob Baines as Supt Giles / Inspector Giles (2 episodes) Danny Adcock as Foreman (1 episode) Elaine Crombie as Evelyn (1 episode) Ewen Leslie as Mr Parish (2 episodes) Jimi Bani as Peter Gibson (1 episode) Josef Ber as Luis (1 episode) Lani Tupu as Minister (1 episode) Leon Burchill as Frankie (1 episode) Nathan Page as Homicide Detective (1 episode) Ryan Corr as Timmy (2 episodes) Shareena Clanton as Lilly (1 episode) Steve Bisley as Richard (1 episode) Tony Briggs as Paul Maccoy (1 episode) Ursula Yovich as Nic Shields (2 episodes)
Series overview
Episodes
Season 1
Season 2
Telemovie
Background and production The ABC's Indigenous Department was founded in 2010, and headed by Aboriginal film-maker and producer Sally Riley. As director of the department, Riley aimed to create content which advocated for Aboriginal self-representation, and allowed for increased participation of Indigenous creatives in the media industry."Sally Riley: 2017 Alumni Award for Social Impact University of Wollongong. Initial success for the department was achieved through the production of the shows First Australians and Mabo. Redfern Now took two years for the department to produce, and created more than 250 jobs for Indigenous people in the filmmaking industry.
Sally Riley called upon British screenwriter Jimmy McGovern to work on this series. McGovern's previous work, which featured gritty realism and suburban life, was similar to what Riley envisioned for Redfern Now. While he was unfamiliar with Aboriginal culture, McGovern was experienced in working with marginalised communities in Britain and Ireland."Redfern Now," Storyline 34, (March 2014): 56. The Indigenous Department of the ABC had originally aimed to create an Aboriginal spin-off of a series that McGovern has previously worked on called The Street. However, purchasing the rights to recreate the series proved too costly for the department, and so Riley and McGovern came up with the idea for Redfern Now.
The screenwriting process itself took place over nine months, as McGovern workshopped with five Aboriginal writers. The series was based on truth according to McGovern who said, 'the actual writing was their responsibility totally. But the shaping of the story we did together.'"Redfern Now," Storyline 34, (March 2014): 57. It was vital to him that the series was not another documentary style history or autobiography that audiences had already seen on television. With little technical experience in screenwriting, key producer and writer Leah Purcell stated that McGovern's blunt feedback was 'absolutely what we needed'."Redfern Now," Storyline 34, (March 2014): 60.
Redfern Now was directed by a group of experienced Aboriginal people in the industry including Rachel Perkins, Catriona McKenzie and Leah Purcell. Wayne Blair, the director of award-winning Australian film The Sapphires, was a particularly notable director involved in Redfern Now. Blackfella Films, which produced Redfern Now, was established in 1992 by Rachel Perkins and her then business partner Michael Riley. The organisation focuses a collaborative, ground- up approach to film and television making. The current managing director of Blackfella Films is Darren Dale.
Setting
Inner city suburb Redfern was an automatic choice as the setting for this ABC series. Today it is a dynamic and vibrant place which holds great cultural significance for the Aboriginal community.Collins, Felicity. "Blackfella Films: Decolonising urban Aboriginality in Redfern Now." Studies in Australasian Cinema 7, 2–3 (January 2014): 215–225, doi: 10.1386/sac.7.2-3.215_1
Since the 1960s Redfern has been a site for Aboriginal activism and political attention. Redfern is widely recognised as the location of then Prime Minister Paul Keating's 'Redfern Speech' in 1992. This event marked the Australian government's first public acknowledgement of the dispossession of Aboriginal people and the need for reconciliation. Redfern is also near the landing place of the first European settlers in Sydney, and thus is a relevant location to be considering the impacts of colonialism on Indigenous people.
"The Block" is a particular group of houses in Redfern owned by the Aboriginal Housing Company, and is recognisable as the venue of the 2004 youth riots for Aboriginal rights. It is the main location in Redfern Now.
Despite its tumultuous history, Sally Riley said Redfern is now a positive place. It has a strong Aboriginal culture, which is clear in the Indigenous art that marks the streets and parks in the suburb. Aboriginal communities put a lot of important on place, and due to the long history of Indigenous people in Redfern, it now constitutes a place of belonging for many individuals.
Theme song Each episode opens with the song "Lonely Child", performed by Indigenous Australian musician Kira Puru, and The Bruise.Collins, Felicity. "Blackfella Films: Decolonising urban Aboriginality in Redfern Now." Studies in Australasian Cinema 7, 2–3 (January 2014): 218, doi: 10.1386/sac.7.2-3.215_1 The lyrics of the sombre song, 'reach out and touch me, take my hand, and walk me home', reflect dominant aspects of the storyline such as decolonisation. The lyrics aimed to pose an atmosphere of openness for audiences, which could invite participation between Aboriginal and non-aboriginal Australian's in the process of healing.Collins, Felicity. "Blackfella Films: Decolonising urban Aboriginality in Redfern Now." Studies in Australasian Cinema 7, 2–3 (January 2014): 219–223, doi: 10.1386/sac.7.2-3.215_1
Themes, storyline, and character Each episode of the series introduces new characters and explores a different social or political issue that faces Aboriginal families in urban Australia. Every episode is able to be viewed discretely, without having seen other parts of the series.Harkins- Cross, Rebecca. "Redfern Now (ABC)." Australian Book Review, 25 November 2012, https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/arts-update/101-arts-update/1253-redfern-now While the storylines do examine the disparities between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians, Redfern Now is a fictional series that focuses on character journeys, rather than a documentary.
Police officer Aaron Davis, played by Wayne Blair, is the only character to appear in multiple episodes throughout the series. He encapsulates the distress that many Indigenous people experience, due to the disparity that exists between representing the needs of their Aboriginal community while also trying to abide by white cultural norms. He has "one foot in Redfern and one foot in the outside world", according to Susanna Nelson in Metro Magazine (2014). The series is relevant in exploring the ongoing debate within urban Aboriginal communities, centring around who can be classified as Aboriginal and who cannot be. This is salient in relation to character Julie, played by Shari Sebbens. The character is complimented on not looking Aboriginal, despite living with her Indigenous family in Redfern.
Despite these dark and confronting storylines, the series is interspersed with intentional moments of humour. According to screenwriter McGovern, these are essential to keeping the viewer engaged in content that could so easily become alienating. The comedic side of the show stems from Aboriginal culture, where people are intent of finding 'humour in adversity'.
Aboriginal representation in film and television
Redfern Now has been called "groundbreaking", because of how it confronts the historical way that Aboriginality has been defined on television.
Australia's distinct colonial history means that representations of Aboriginal people on television screens have traditionally been distorted and tokenistic, and contributed to perpetuating racist cultural stereotypes.Langton, Marcia. "Section Two: The Politics of Aboriginal Representation." In Well, I Heard it on the Radio and I Saw it on the Television: An Essay for the Australian Film Commission on the Politics and Aesthetics of Filmmaking by and about Aboriginal People and Things, 24, Sydney: Australian Film Commission, 1993. This results from non-Aboriginal people historically being positioned behind the camera as storywriters, producers and directors, who objectify Aboriginal actors in front of the camera.Langton, Marcia. "Section Two: The Politics of Aboriginal Representation." In Well, I Heard it on the Radio and I Saw it on the Television: An Essay for the Australian Film Commission on the Politics and Aesthetics of Filmmaking by and about Aboriginal People and Things, 40, Sydney: Australian Film Commission, 1993. There has been a clear distinction between the authors and subjects of creative works.
The concept of Aboriginality itself is a dynamic "social thing", that is shaped through intercultural experiences and dialogue between non-indigenous and Indigenous Australians. As Aboriginal scholar Marcia Langton suggests, the predominant interactions that non-aboriginal audiences have with Aboriginal people is through what they observe on television. So, it is essential that these representations are authentic and do not convey colonial tropes.Langton, Marcia. "Section Two: The Politics of Aboriginal Representation." In Well, I Heard it on the Radio and I Saw it on the Television: An Essay for the Australian Film Commission on the Politics and Aesthetics of Filmmaking by and about Aboriginal People and Things, 31, Sydney: Australian Film Commission, 1993.