Sovereign Shorts

MIFF is thrilled to announce the four distinctive projects selected for Sovereign Shorts.

MIFF, VicScreen and National Indigenous Television (NITV) sought original and compelling short documentary proposals from Victorian-based First Peoples writers and directors exploring the theme of Treaty.

The four Victorian teams selected submitted outstanding proposals and have now moved into production. The initiative provided each team with mentorship, resources and a $40,000 budget to produce a short documentary exploring Treaty as lived experience.

The Sovereign Shorts films will have a gala world premiere screening at MIFF on 19 August. Sovereign Shorts will also screen at MIFF venues following the premiere and will be available to stream for free on MIFF Online via ACMI Cinema 3 from 20 to 30 August. Following MIFF, the films will be broadcast on NITV and be available to stream via SBS On Demand.

The successful teams and their projects are:

Dya (Country)

Above: Tracey Rigney. Photograph by Daniel Mahon.

Writer/Director/Producer: Tracey Rigney (Wotjobaluk, Ngarrindjeri)
Co-producers: Desiree Cross and Joel Boyd

A regional First Nations filmmaker explores the Wotjobaluk Nations’ underdog fight for recognition, revealing Treaty as a complex mosaic with deeply local, lived realities unfolding far from Melbourne.

Protest on the Dancefloor

Above: Talia Liddle. Photograph by Daniel Mahon.

Writer/Director: Talia Liddle (Arrernte and Luritja)
Producer: Travis Cloudy-Hengsen (Torres Strait – Ugar, Iama, Erub)

Protest on the Dancefloor explores how Blackfellas in Melbourne use music and dancefloors to create spaces of sovereignty, connection and liberation amidst an ever-changing political climate.

Queens to the Front

Above: Tammy Lee Rock. Photograph by Daniel Mahon.

Writer/Director/Producer: Tammy Lee Rock (Pakana)
Producers: Carter Looker and Sophie Somerville

Queens to the Front is a dialogue between filmmaker Tammy Lee Rock and public figure Senator Lidia Thorpe, revealing insights into the personal impact of Treaty and sovereignty.

Slow Hours

Above: Theo McMahon. Photograph by Daniel Mahon.

Writer/Director/Producer: Theo McMahon
Co-producer: Lucie McMahon

Through the poetic, hopeful lens of Amelia, a young Indigenous teenager, we encounter the intertwined lives of three women, each embodying a different stage in the fragile evolution of First Nations hope in Victoria’s fight for sovereignty.