THE PLEDGE

The generational displacement affecting Aboriginal children and the seemingly intractable circumstances that allow this to still happen in 2025; the lack of understanding about non-indigenous Australians about the on-the-ground realities for a family such as the one we focus on, with their deep concern for the wellbeing of their children; the need to shift the dial on the conversation through amplifying the voices of Naida’s family while offering a radical storyline guaranteed to make audiences sit bolt upright.

We want to highlight the ongoing generational displacement of Aboriginal children while helping the broader community to see how such a thing could still happen in 2025, even after the searing heartbreak of the Stolen Generations. We want to highlight the institutional failures of successive governments in addressing the challenges facing remote Indigenous communities in Australia. And we want to illuminate a way forward that embraces togetherness not separatism, that shows that love and friendship can mean the world at the most harrowing of times.

In addition we would like to:
• Raise awareness of the dire situation in remote Indigenous communities
• Spotlight the intractable cycle of desperation through one family’s radical plan to save the next generation of children so they too don’t end up being consumed by the cycle.
• Focus on commonalities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians – we all love our children and want the best for them. And if that means leaning on family or friends for help so be it so long as the children are safe.
• Provide a platform for the amplification of the family voice, so they can share with audiences the terrible intergenerational bind in which they find themselves – keep your kids close and risk them getting in bad trouble or going off the trails (because of the prevailing culture among bored and untethered teens in the town) or send them away, far away, on a wing and a prayer to try to keep them safe and break the cycle.

The Pledge documentary is possible to make because of the deep trust exists between The Pledge creator Amanda and the family of Latenzia, whom Amanda’s mother took under her wing in her teens when she was at boarding school. Latenzia’s bond with Amanda and her family was profound and enduring. Hence when Latenzia reached a crisis point, she turned to Amanda, asking her to help by raising Naida. Because of the trust and family relationships which have evolved since Latenzia’s death, Amanda has the full support of Latenzia’s family and the Warumungu community to make The Pledge. When Latenzia was alive she formally asked Amanda to tell her story because she was desperate for people to understand the reality of life there. Following her passing, her sister Lavina Grant has approved this film, and is a co-producer of it. And family and community elder Josephine Grant (one of Latenzia’s aunts) and other family members have all embraced the making of the documentary, as has Naida herself.

This is a personal and family story that raises as many questions as it answers. It is not like That Sugar Film or others that have a direct CTA.
The impact is the raw response of the tragedy of one family’s story that we hope will change hearts and minds, increasing compassion and diminishing racism.