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
