COUNTRYMAN

Countryman — Impact Progress Report

Reporting period: October 2024 – October 2025
Submitted to: Documentary Australia
Project leads: Peter Pecotić (Producer/Director), Joseph Williams (Warumungu artist, Co-creator)

1) Executive summary

Over the past 12 months we’ve transitioned Countryman from a completed feature into a structured cultural-awareness experience used by corporates, government and universities to open safe, practical dialogue on identity, belonging and reconciliation. Milestones include a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) screening in Chile as part of Australia’s public diplomacy program; registration with Supply Nation (acknowledging 50% Indigenous ownership of the production entity); and the launch of a facilitated screening + Q&A format mapped to Reconciliation Action Plans (RAP) and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) objectives.

2) Key activities & milestones
A. DFAT screening — Chile (Public Diplomacy)

What: Embassy-hosted screening of Countryman with moderated discussion.

Why it matters: Positioned the film as a contemporary portrayal of Australia for Latin American audiences, advancing friendship, understanding and people-to-people links.

Outcome: Strong audience engagement and invitations to explore additional posts in the region; reinforced suitability of Countryman for public diplomacy contexts.

B. Supply Nation registration (Joint venture acknowledgment)

Status: Our production company is now Supply Nation Registered, formally recognising 50% Indigenous ownership of the venture with Joseph Williams.

Impact: Eases procurement access for RAP-committed organisations; validates the program’s First Nations leadership and co-governance.

C. Cultural Awareness Screening & Q&A program (Impact campaign)

Format: 60–75 min screening followed by a 45–60 min facilitated dialogue (yarning-style), tailored to audience context.

Use cases: Executive offsites, RAP launch/reset sessions, DEI learning days, graduate induction, university intensives.

Design principles:

Centred on lived experience and co-facilitation with a First Nations artist.

Psychological safety, consent-based participation, and strengths-based framing.

Clear links to RAP pillars (Relationships, Respect, Opportunities, Governance) and DEI outcomes (belonging, allyship, intersectionality).

Resources provided: Comms kit, pre-brief for leaders, post-session action prompts, optional micro-surveys

D. Higher-education engagement

University of Canberra (pending invitation): Delivery within a counselling week-long intensive (Nov 10–14, 2025) with a proposed 13 Nov in-person screening + workshop for ~135 students/staff, invitation extended university-wide.

3) Audiences reached (past 12 months)

Government & diplomacy: DFAT post in Latin America (Chile).

Corporate & finance: Engagements and scoping conversations with major RAP-active organisations exploring cultural immersion and team-building applications.

Universities: Program invitations for professional cohorts (counselling/psychology), with alignment to cultural responsiveness curricula.

Community & multicultural stakeholders: Continued interest where immigration and Indigeneity intersect, supporting inclusive narratives of Australian identity.

(Note: Organisation names and counts available on request; several sessions are under NDA or pre-contract discussion.)

4) Theory of change (impact spine)

Need: Many institutions seek to progress RAP and DEI commitments but lack shared understanding, safe dialogue spaces, and practical on-ramps to action.

Intervention: A high-quality, lived-experience film + facilitated conversation that humanises issues, builds empathy, and connects identity/belonging to concrete workplace practice.

Outputs: Screenings, Q&As, leader pre-briefs, comms kits, action prompts, and (optional) pulse surveys.

Outcomes (short-term): Increased cultural literacy and confidence to engage; named next steps (e.g., procurement shifts, mentorship, policy refresh).

Outcomes (medium-term): Integration into annual RAP/DEI calendars; improved participation and culturally safe practices across teams and suppliers.

Impact (long-term): Stronger relationships between First Nations and non-Indigenous staff/partners; measurable contribution to RAP targets and inclusive organisational culture.

5) Measurement & learning

We introduced a light-touch evaluation framework to move beyond “good feeling” feedback and into trackable change:

Pre/post pulse (3–5 questions): Confidence, understanding, and intent to act.

Qualitative capture: One-sentence reflections and “one action I’ll take” commitments.

Action tracker (optional): 30/60/90-day check-ins with RAP/DEI leads on progress (e.g., onboarding updates, supplier engagement, staff yarning circles).

Leader debrief: 20-minute post-session call to align learnings with existing RAP/DEI roadmaps.

Early themes observed

Leaders value the intersection of Indigenous and migrant stories as a bridge for whole-of-workforce inclusion.

Teams respond to strengths-based framing and practical “first steps” rather than compliance-only messages.

Procurement and HR see clear links to RAP Opportunities (Indigenous business engagement, career pathways) and Respect/Relationships (cultural safety, allyship).

6) Risks & mitigations

Risk: Performative engagement without follow-through.
Mitigation: Tie sessions to existing RAP/DEI plans and assign owners for next steps.

Risk: One-size-fits-all workshops.
Mitigation: Pre-brief discovery; tailored facilitation and culturally appropriate care protocols.

Risk: Measuring only attendance.
Mitigation: Adopt the pulse + action-tracker approach to evidence behaviour change.

7) Next steps (Nov 2025 – Apr 2026)

Sector cohorts: Finance, infrastructure, higher ed—multi-organisation series to share learnings and reduce cost per participant.

Regional roadshows: NT/QLD/WA hubs with local partners and Elders.
NZ, North and South America Roadshows

Capability add-ons: Manager playbook; micro-learning follow-ups (15-minute modules); supplier inclusion clinic with RAP/procurement teams.

Evaluation: Aggregate pre/post data with anonymised case notes; publish a short impact brief for partners and Documentary Australia.

Contact

Peter Pecotić — Producer/Director, Impact Lead
Joseph Williams — Co-creator & Facilitator (Warumungu artist)

View more information here

• Resource #1

Update:
Countryman/ Zemljak/ Manu Waljji has been acquired by NITV, (Australia’s National Indigenous Television Network), and has been broadcast across Australia twice through the program Karla Grant Presents.
Our documentary has also been acquired by HRT, the Croatian National Broadcaster, has been screened nationally twice and remains available on their global video on demand service.
The film has received additional support through Screen Australia’s Producer’s Equity Program and has been added to Australia’s National Film and Sound Archive.
It is excellent that the project has now received support by both the Australian and Croatian Governments. (Croatian Government support through the Ministry for Croats Abroad and now through The Croatian Heritage Foundation – for a recent European screening roadshow)
This has been a great addition to your support through Documentary Australia.
Public & Cultural Diplomacy:
The Australian Embassy to Croatia has been screening our film for Cultural and Public Diplomacy events around the Republic of Croatia for occasions such as Australia Day, and screened on events when our Ambassador Mr Richard Rogers has traveled to different parts of the country including destinations such as: Karlovac, Vukovar, Vinkovci, Zadar, Pula, Split and Dubrovnik.
Some of these events were co-hosted by Hrvatska Matica Iseljenika (The Croatian Heritage Foundation), that organised and funded screenings to communities in Croatia, Hungary, Serbia (Vojvodina) and Bosnia and Hercegovina raising considerable community, media and political awareness about our story, and about the intersectionality between Multi-cultural and First Nations Australia – exploring identity and connections to family, ancestry and Country both in Australia and Croatia.
A special screening was hosted in Sarajevo by The Sarajevo Film Festival with thanks to the support of the Embassy of Bosnia & Hercegovina to Australia and the Australia’s Honorary Consul to Bosnia & Hercegovina.
The Embassy of the Republic of Croatia to Australia kindly co-hosted a Q&A event screening with the Australian National University Film Group in Canberra during Reconciliation week.
This event also attracted media attention along with attendance of Canberra’s Diplomatic Corps.
The Ministry for Croats Abroad helped fund a roadshow of Q&A Screenings across Victoria, NSW, ACT and Queensland.
WIth the assistance of the West Australian Croatian Chamber of Commerce Q&A Screenings were hosted in Perth and Carnarvon.
The Croatian Consul General in Sydney along with the President of Croatia House (cultural not for profit organisation) came to screenings in Alice Springs at the Araluen Arts Centre and in Tennant Creek at the Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Culture Centre.
The Croatian Consul General had meetings with Elders of the Warumungu Nation who observed this as a historical occasion being the the first on Country meeting between Warumungu People and a high level EU Representative.
The Larrakia Nation selected our film to be screened at Darwin’s Deck Chair Cinema during NAIDOC Week,
Local Government Q&A Screenings include Waverley and Woollahra Councils along with numerous Corporate Screenings and for not for profits such as Supply Nation.
The ongoing support from cultural organisations such as Croatia House, and the NSW, Victorian and West Australian Croatian Chambers of Commerce have been tremendous along with the many friends and supporters in Australia, UK and Croatia that have propelled us through this journey.
We are in the development stage to have more outreach event screenings to communities in Australia, Europe, and in North and South America in 2025.
We are documenting and will eventually share this process and the reactions of a very diverse audience both geographically and culturally.

With gratitude for all of your on going support.

Peter & Joseph

COUNTRYMAN was screened twice this year by the Australian Embassy in Croatia, once to mark Australia Day on January 26th, and the other time to mark the first visit of our New Ambassador H.E. Richard Rogers to the city of Dubrovnik. These screenings attracted considerable Croatian media coverage with a special interest in Warumungu culture. Our documentary was also screened at a special event hosted by the Croatian Embassy to Australia and the ANU Film Group in Canberra to mark NAIDOC Week. In addition, during 2023 the Croatian Government and Julalikuri Council Aboriginal Land Corporation, and numerous Croatian community organisations supported a cinema screening tour around Victoria, NSW, Queensland and the ACT.