Three powerful Australian documentaries explore what happens when people work to restore connections disrupted by colonisation – to ancestors, language, culture and Country.

In Ganibarra, Jirrbal woman and cultural knowledge-holder Sonya Takau shares her family’s profound relationship with the dingo: not simply an animal, but kin, totem and teacher. The film draws a powerful parallel between the displacement of First Nations people from Country and the persecution of dingoes that followed colonisation, asking what becomes possible when ancient knowledge is listened to rather than dismissed. The film is already collecting awards and strong audience responses on the festival circuit.

Bringing His Spirit Home follows Peter as he travels to France to the grave of his great-uncle, an Aboriginal soldier who died during the First World War. More than a century later, Peter performs a traditional ceremony to bring his ancestor’s spirit home to family and Country.

In Gaga Wakulda, the ancient songlines of the East Coast whale migration open a pathway into stories of language, colonisation, cultural survival and renewal. The film connects young First Nations people with Elders, Language Custodians and stories carried through generations, and has a strong local connection through Bundjalung woman Ella Noah Bancroft and students from Byron Bay Public School.

These films are about returning, remembering and reclaiming – recognising relationships that have endured despite generations of disruption.