American Documentary

Film Update

In Fall 2020, POV caught up with filmmaker Maya Newell as well as members of Dujuan's family to find out what has happened since the cameras stopped rolling.

Dujuan made headlines in late 2019 with his United Nations speech advocating for Aboriginals. What is he up to now?

MARGIE (Dujuan's grandmother): Since coming up he’s had a real change – still cheeky though. He is lucky, 'cause in Borroloola it’s easy for us to go to Country, he has strong family and the police presence is more relaxed and while the school is not perfect, they do have lots of Aboriginal teachers that are our family. Dujuan is in a good place now and we are so happy to have him with us. But we are still Aboriginal people living in a racist country and we don’t know what the future will hold. I am very proud of Dujuan telling his story.

MAYA NEWELL: Since the film was released Dujuan has travelled extensively to film festivals and conferences around Australia and the world. This included the World Premiere of In My Blood It Runs at Hot Docs Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, Darwin International Film Festival.

In February and March 2020 Dujuan hit the road to celebrate the cinema release of In My Blood It Runs, hosting Q&As and red carpet events in Alice Springs, Melbourne & Sydney with the likes of Miranda Tapsell and Adam Goodes.

Dujuan is fit and well and currently staying in his homeland at Spring Creek and Borroloola in the NT. While Dujuan is well now, we do not pretend that all will be well. He is a young man, who, as seen in the film, must face many of the complex challenges of growing up as an Aboriginal youth in Australia today. The film team is committed to supporting Dujuan and his family ongoing and walking alongside him and his family into the future.

In My Blood It Runs tackles many subjects: Colonialism, the child welfare system, cultural preservation, truancy, and the school-to-prison-pipeline. What role does history play in the making of this film?

MAYA NEWELL: The film’s title, In My Blood It Runs, is Dujuan’s own quote and points to the intergenerational and embodied impacts of history – the pain and trauma, as well as the strength and resilience that lives in him. “History runs straight into all the Aboriginals. It travels all the way through from my blood pipes all the way to the brain”

Dujuan explains. Later in the film, Dujuan’s Uncle says, “It’s a hard world and it can easily drag you away from your culture. You have to learn about the past so it can help you for the future.”

Historical acceptance is about the need for us all to understand and accept the colonial wrongs of the past and the ongoing, intergenerational effects this history has on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and marginalised groups around the world. Only through understanding and acknowledging past wrongs can we make appropriate amends and ensure that these wrongs are never repeated.

Typically, the truths of our nation’s history since colonisation have either not been taught in schools and universities or have been taught in ways that marginalise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices and perspectives. For this reason, we all need to recognize that what we have learned about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' histories and cultures will be inaccurate or incomplete. Dujuan’s story demonstrates the importance of all of us, and especially teachers committing to an ongoing practice of challenging long-held assumptions by ‘unlearning’ and ‘relearning’ the history they have been taught.

Many scenes of the film take place in the Alice Springs desert region. In two scenes Dujuan is shown burning the grass and gathering plants. What role does the natural landscape of Australia play in the livelihood of Dujuan and Arrernte customs?

MAYA NEWELL: As Margaret Kemarre Turner, Dujuan’s great grandmother, and one of our film advisors said, "Everything comes from the land.” In this way, the land is the foundation of First Nations education systems, cultural practices, health and wellbeing and, in watching the film, it’s clear that Dujuan knows this too. MK says, "'Anwerne pmere akngarnekarle-werne alpeme' — We come from the land and we go back to the land). If the land is changed or if the topsoil is destroyed the goodness is still inside, still spiritual and sacred, and a part of us. 'Pmere anwernenhe arntirrkweme' — the country connects us to everything that’s where we belong. That’s why we want to go back to our own country."

What do you hope viewers take away from this film?

JIM JIM (Dujuan's dad): All the families came together and agreed on what we wanted changed for our children. All the solutions for our kids come from empowering our people to be in control of their own lives. Right now, it’s not like this in Australia. We agree with Dujuan. We want to run our own schools in our own languages. We want our kids to know their history, their language, their culture and to know who they are and where they came from. We know they need a western education as well. But we all need to come together as one. Right now, our kids only get a western education. In other countries, Indigenous children can be taught in their own language at school. Our children should have this right too.

MARGARET (Dujuan's grandmother): We also want juvenile detention changed. In the Northern Territory, 100 percent of kids in juvenile are Aboriginal. This is so sad and not right. No child should be locked up at all. But as a first step, we need to change the age of criminal responsibility from 10 years to at least 14 years.

Going to jail as a child trains them to be ready for the big jail. We want the right to look after our kids when they muck up in town. They need to be grounded in culture out bush with family. We need to help them not harm them. We think that running our own schools is a way to stop kids getting in trouble. My grandson’s story shows how it’s all connected. The problems our children are facing are all in the film, but so are the solutions.

MEGAN (Dujuan's mother): I want audiences to know that we, Aboriginal parents, do love and care about our kids. I want to send that message to the world.

MAYA NEWELL: I hope that you can see the wisdom of Dujuan and his character and charm walk onwards in you. I hope audiences can see that beneath these children we deem to be difficult or troublesome, are vibrant and smart kids who will flourish if we can create the space in our systems to value their First cultures and identities. I hope you are moved enough to want to look deeply into your sphere of influence and actively consider how you might be able to give agency and power to others. If you want to learn how you can support Dujuan and his family's goals for systems change, please visit www.inmyblooditruns.com/takeaction.

What are you working on next?

MAYA NEWELL: I am making a short on a doc with transkid activist Georgie Stone, “The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone" It's an elliptical travel through memory, shot over 10 years that reveals Georgie’s fight to gain control over her body and story. I’m also gathering threads of the next long form project that I can love enough to work on for the next few years. These films are long expeditions into love, and need to hold the distance.