Ninti Media – documenting life-changing events and winning awards

December 3, 2018
Three male footballers facing away from camera - one arm in arm. In background, other footballers are on the oval.

With the assistance of CBF Content grants, film-making duo Dan Clarke and Amy Pysden (known as Ninti Media) have produced four documentaries: Dragon Dreaming, Desert Stars on Stage, New Island Home and Saving Warru.  Ninti Media has trained communities across Australia in a variety of creative processes to produce more than a dozen documentaries broadcast on ICTV, C44 Adelaide, SBS, NITV, Aurora and IndigiTUBE.

***CULTURAL WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that the following films contain images and voices of deceased people.***

Dragon Dreaming

Meet Kushia Young. She can’t hear you. But she can draw you a mystical character in under 10 minutes. This profoundly deaf young artist from the remote APY Lands in the north-western deserts of South Australia is recognised for her unique contemporary drawings. Through rare photos and videos from her early years, this documentary reveals the challenges Kushia has been forced to overcome through issues of isolation, disability and cultural integration. Illustrated with scores of her stunning drawings, Dragon Dreaming is powerful and heart-warming story of a truly captivating character, whose strength in overcoming disadvantage is found in the pages of her creations.

Dragon Dreaming has won the following accolades:

  • Winner ICTV Our Way Video of the Year 2016
  • Finalist Best Documentary – South Australian Screen Awards 2016
  • Finalist Documentary – Short Equality International Film Festival (Sacramento) 2016
  • Award of Excellence – International Shorts Canada Shorts Film Festival 2016
  • Official Selection: Seattle Deaf Film Festival (US) 2017, Tribal Film Festival (Oklahoma, US) 2016, We Care Film Fest (India) 2016, Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival (Gympie, Australia) 2016, Los Angeles Diversity Film Festival 2016, Voiceless International Film Festival (San Francisco) 2016, Venice Film Week 2016, Sydney World Film Festival 2016, Broadway International Film Festival (New York) 2016, Martineque International Film Festival 2016

View Dragon Dreaming

Desert Stars on Stage

This documentary reveals the lives and cultural motivations of the brave actors from theatre group Mani-Mani Indigenous Cultural Theatre. These actors are breaking new ground through unique shows performed at Yulara Resort near Uluru. The film follows their journey to meet Sydney Festival Director Wesley Enoch, take part in acting workshops with industry leaders and perform special shows for festival staff and the community.

View Desert Stars on Stage

Two Indigenous footballers in action playing football - one running, another about to mark the ball. Against backdrop of two footballers arm in arm looking away from camera. Writing - New Island Home a film by Daniel Clarke and Amy PysdenNew Island Home

Dudley United Football Club was on the brink of extinction. Its A-Grade side was sitting on the bottom of the ladder and player numbers were at an all-time low. In desperation, the small Kangaroo Island club enlisted the help of legendary Australian Football League recruiter John Turnbull and together they hatched a unique plan that would change the island forever. A year in the making, New Island Home goes inside the inner sanctum of the club during the 2017 campaign and uncovers the remarkable story of success that young First Nations men from across remote Australia have brought to the region. This one hour documentary is a revealing insight into Kangaroo Island’s unique community spirit and the bravery of talented footballers who cross an ocean to start new lives and, at the same time, change others.

New Island Home won Official Selection at the 2018 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival and is featured on the on-board entertainment system on SeaLink ferries to Kangaroo Island. View New Island Home.

Indigenous man holding small black-footed rock wallaby against blue cloudy sky. Writing - The Indigenous fight to save a national icon. A documentary film by Daniel Clarke and Amy Pysden. Official selection International Wildlife Film Festival 2018. Official Selection Wildlife Conservation Film Festival 2018.Saving Warru

Warru, or black-footed rock-wallaby, is one of South Australia’s most endangered mammals. In 2007, when numbers dropped below 200 in the remote central desert, the Warru Recovery Team was formed to help save the precious species from extinction. Bringing together contemporary science, practical on-ground threat management and traditional Anangu ecological knowledge, this unique decade-long program has recently celebrated the release of dozens of warru to the wild for the first time. Join a remarkable adventure in conservation and culture as the First Nations people of the wild red deserts of Australia fight to save a national icon. View Saving Warru.

Saving Warru has achieved the following accolades:

  • Official Selection – Melbourne Documentary Film Festival 2019
  • Official Selection – Wildlife Conservation Film Festival (New York) 2018
  • Official Selection – International Wildlife Film Festival (USA) 2018
  • Finalist for Best Film and Best Documentary at the South Australian Screen Awards 2018

Ninti also recently received a Content grant for a documentary series Saving the Sanctuary about the Warrawong Wildlife Sanctuary young families struggle to bring it back to life with the help of the local community.

Follow Ninti Media’s future activities online at:

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