LIKE MY BROTHER

We made the film!!! And here’s what’s happened since then!

Screenings and Streaming
Like My Brother has exceeded expectations with the Australian festival screenings and 100+ cinemas.

– Special screening at Garma Festival (in Arnhem Land), Australia’s largest indigenous gathering with film introduced by Tiwi Co-Producers and Tiwi Elder. More than 5,000 people (indigenous and non-indigenous) attend the festival.
– World Premiere at Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) with encore screenings.
– Sold out opening night at Darwin International Film Festival (DIFF) 650 people in attendance plus Katherine screening
– Opening Night – Mparntwe Alice Springs International Film Festival (MASIFF)
– Cinefest OZ (Bunbury and Busselton)
– South by Southwest (SXSW) Sydney
– 100 + mainstream and arthouse cinemas around Australia
– Local screening to community in Tiwi islands
– Available to Rent or Buy via Apple TV Aus/NZ
– Like My Brother is currently screening on Qantas inflight entertainment program

Audience feedback indicates that the film gave clear and valuable insights into the structural challenges faced by young people in remote communities, especially in pursuing elite sporting careers. Audiences also related that the film was about so much more than football. After watching the film, audiences had a new appreciation of indigenous culture and the importance of family bonds in indigenous communities.

Like My Brother has reached more than just cinema and streaming audiences. Eighty-three pieces of promotion for the film have so far reached 2.3 million views. These newspaper, radio and television interviews provided opportunities to shed light on the issues facing young indigenous people from remote communities and in particular young indigenous women seeking career paths into elite sport.

Schools
The documentary’s educational impact continues to expand through its comprehensive study guide, now available to secondary school teachers nationwide via Cool.org. Cool.org has three lessons online. We hope to develop another seven lessons – subject to funding. You can still donate via the Documentary Australia website!
We have received requests for theme-based content from youth detention centres in the Northern Territory wanting to screen Like My Brother as part of the centres’ education program for inmates – in progress.

Influence
One of our goals was to influence those with the power to set up supported pathways for indigenous young woman into elite sports. We organised a private screening for fifty Australian Football League (AFL) executives and team members. The stories of Rina, Jess, Freda and Julianna have equipped key decision-makers with the understanding needed to establish better-supported pathways for aspiring indigenous female athletes. AFL Clubs Hawthorn, St Kilda, Melbourne and Richmond have also had private screenings of Like My Brother

Tiwi Community
Like My Brother has resonated deeply within the Tiwi community, where the girls have become powerful role models. Community members have expressed immense pride in the girls’ football achievements in Melbourne, and their continued success as they balance careers, motherhood, and participation in local football teams. The young women featured in Like My Brother are now more confident and proud, and their horizons have been broadened – eg. Rina in is Melbourne undertaking an art conservation course, Freda is working in community as a police liaison officer, Jess working as community housing officer on Melville Island and Julianna is working as an assistant teacher in Katherine.
Tiwi women’s choir and local musicians were involved in the project – employment was provided as a direct result of the film.

The making of Like My Brother provided employment opportunities for people in the Northern Territory including three people from the Tiwi Islands who were trained and mentored by writer/director Sal Balharrie to become film producers Tammy, Tic Tac and Shane with the skills they need to undertake their own creative projects.
Like My Brother provided employment in the Northern Territory community – Co-Director, Director of Photography, Sound, Camera and Co-Producers

International film festivals – applications currently in progress

The greatest achievement for LIKE MY BROTHER in 2023 has been the ability to work with an esteemed editor such as Uri Mizrahi. Working in collaboration with co-directors Sal and Danielle, Uri’s patience and gentle approach to the story enabled fresh eyes to help extract narrative and wonder from an archive created over a time frame of six years. We are proud to say we have now have a rough cut with beautiful story beats, sitting at about 140mins – the goals for the film during the fine cut process is a length of 110. Add to this our recent Voice Over Workshop and it truly has been a year of wonders. A recent injection of significant funds from the Dyson Bequest enabled this critical component of production – we remain beyond grateful for Rose and John’s ongoing enthusiasm and support for the film and importantly, for the team.

In November 2023, Tiwi based co-producer Tammy Abala planned and produced a 5 day writers workshop with all project participants – including babies and family members – to come together in Darwin. Directors, Producers and participants first viewed the rough cut together as one group. It was a privilege to hear from the grandmothers; their deep pride at the thought of the sharing their culture with the world. We then worked one on one with each ‘character’, stepping through the script, creating unique voice over for each young woman. Delivered in the first person, recorded in a sound booth for professional outcomes, the results now placed in the film, continue to lift this incredible story.

Our latest major achievement has been recording voice over in Darwin last November. This began with the girls and family members viewing a rough cut of the film for their input into the story and allowing them to create voice over scripts in their own words.

During this time, we also interviewed Tiwi based co-producers Tammy Abala and Tictac Moore. The aim was to have a short video to take you inside the story of the story. Watch it here.

https://www.likemybrother.com/the-team

Recently we signed with an exciting young composer, Lachy Rose who will work with Tiwi music expert Genevieve Campbell and Tiwi co-producer Shane Tipuamantamerri to create a unique collaboration of Tiwi performers, including the Tiwi Islands women’s choir -Ngarukuruwala.