By Cam Tyeson
Published July 8, 2021
With NAIDOC Week observances ongoing for 2021, important spotlights are being placed on the issues and systemic under-privileges that face First Nations people from the moment they are born. And thanks to a brand new short film, the first-hand horrors of displacement and a youth spent slipping through the cracks have been laid bare.
The acclaimed Woven Threads animated series has released the latest part of its second season, the first part of which we brought to you last October.
The new episode of the series focuses on Keenan Mundine, a proud First Nations man with connections to the Biripi Nation of NSW and through Cherbourg in Queensland.
In the 5-minute animated film, Mundine details his experiences growing up in Redfern’s notorious Block, being separated from his siblings at a young age after losing both parents, and winding up a heroin user at just 15 years of age.
The film details Mundine’s first-hand account of a justice system that refused to treat him fairly, returning to Redfern in a desperate attempt to find family, before ultimately pulling himself out of the cycle of homelessness and addiction thanks to the help of his wife, Wiradjuri woman Carly Stanley.
Together, Stanley and Mundine founded and currently run the Deadly Connections charity, that aims to disrupt intergenerational disadvantage by providing culturally responsive interventions and services to First Nations people and communities, “particularly those who have been impacted by the child protection and/or justice systems.”
You can view the short film below.
A further two episodes in the Woven Threads series have also been made available, with one centring on Emma, who details her experiences with depression and anxiety relating to her journey as an adopted child and trauma experienced as a result of domestic violence.
The other centres on Hannah, a young woman who bravely shares her journey with eating disorders and finding the strength through her recovery to support other people enduring similar journeys through the charity endED.
The Woven Threads series is the brainchild of director and filmmaker Michi Marosszeky, and is being produced in conjunction with Black Dog Institute.
The series is scheduled to wrap up in August with two additional episodes, one of which will feature Osher Gunsburg.
You can learn more about Woven Threads via the series’ website.
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