National Indigenous Television (NITV) is proud to announce the channel’s programming slate for Reconciliation Week 2022, inviting all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements and exploring how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.
Kicking off the week is a new, and delicious, take on the traditional sports panel show.
Have you ever wondered what the biggest names in the NRL yarn about off the field? Premiering Tuesday 24 May at 9pm, Feeding the Scrum sees host and NRL legend George Rose takes the panel out of the studio and into the kitchen.
Each week, he’s joined by some of the best NRL players in the league, as well as a mix of well-known athletes and entertainers, as they dissect all the big NRL news and real-world issues over a meal dished up by chef and restauranter Aaron Grant. The ever-changing menu will highlight the best in Australian cuisine.
Dual international rugby league and touch icon Bo de la Cruz will join as guest host for special episodes throughout the season.
The first episode will see Abie Wright, Leli SK and Latrell Mitchell join George over a (dish) to discuss sport, their personal journeys to success and the unique challenges they face being people of colour in the spotlight.
At 9:05pm on Friday 27 May, NITV will bring the First Nations Art Awards to screens across Australia. Join hosts Karla Grant and Luke Currie-Richardson in recognising and celebrating the outstanding creativity and lifetime achievements of First Nations artists. These significant awards are held each year on 27 May to mark the anniversary of the 1967 referendum.
On Saturday 28 May, Indigenous horror films will be celebrated with short film The Moogaiairing at 10:15pm and The Darkside airing at 10:35pm. In The Moogai, a young mother (Shari Sebbens) becomes increasingly unstable when she is terrorised by a malevolent spirit that she believes is trying to take her children. Meanwhile, The Darkside incapsulates a collection of poignant, sad, funny and absurd ghost tales from across Australia, bringing them to life with some of Australia’s most iconic actors as the storytellers.
Sunday 29 May 2022 marks the 30th Anniversary of the Torres Strait Islander Flag. To celebrate, NITV will air Carry the Flagat 9:00pm on Monday 30 May, a rich and powerful story of a man whose design created meaning for a nation of people once invisible to the mainland of Australia. Celebrate the 30th anniversary of the creation of the Torres Strait Islander Flag as we journey into the Straits with Bala B to uncover and honour the life and times of his late father – Bernard Namok Senior, the flag’s creator.
On Monday 30 May at 8:30pm, Living Black airs a special conversation with Mitch Tambo. Language, culture and tradition isn’t just a source of pride for singer songwriter Mitch Tambo – it’s a way of life. Since bursting onto the scene singing his song Walanbaa in language on ‘Australia’s Got Talent’, Mitch has been taking the music world by storm. Join host Karla Grant as she travels to Torquay in regional Victoria to talk to Mitch about his life, his love of language and to hear about the birth of his baby girl Phoenix.
On Tuesday 31 May at 7:30pm, NITV’s news and current affairs program The Point will cover the lead-up to the 30th anniversary of Mabo Day, and on Friday 4 June at 5:30pm, NITV’s weekly news wrap-up program Nula will feature crosses to Mabo Day celebrations.
From Monday 30 May to Thursday 2 June, NITV will air a number of iconic films, all starting at 9:30pm. On Monday May 30, The Tracker follows an Indigenous tracker through the mountains of Southern Australia as he attempts to find a fugitive on the run, whilst three mounted white policemen follow closely behind. Warwick Thornton’s powerful Australian western, Sweet Country, will air on Tuesday 31 May. Set on the Northern Territory frontier in the 1920s, justice itself is put on trial when an Aboriginal farmhand shoots a white man. Rachel Perkin’s Radiance, starring Deborah Mailman, airs on Wednesday 1 June and sees three sisters reunite at their mother’s funeral after years apart. On Thursday 2 June another Thornton classic, Samson and Delilah, will round out the week of dramas. Follow the story of 14-year-olds Samson and Delilah, who escape their government-controlled Aboriginal community and go to the city, Alice Springs, looking for a better life.
On Friday 3 June, NITV celebrates the 30th Mabo Day by airing Land Bilong Islanders at 9:30pm. Land Bilong Islanders tells the story of what has become known as the ‘Mabo Case’ through rare interviews with the late Eddie Mabo, James Rice, Father Dave Passi and others involved in this historic legal drama. Together they challenged the idea that prior to European settlement, Australia was a land belonging to no-one, a ‘terra nullius’.
In the lead up to Mabo Day, viewers can tune into WIK vs Queensland at 8:30pm on Sunday 29 May – a documentary which gives a powerful insight into the High Court’s decision to grant native title to the Wik people in 1996 and the dramatic political and cultural fallout that followed.
Tanya Denning-Orman, Director of Indigenous Content for SBS, said:
“This Reconciliation Week is set to be a powerful one. As with any anniversary, it is important for us to reflect on the past and take a note of how we have progressed as a nation. This year, our community will celebrate two 30th anniversaries – the 30th Mabo Day and the 30th anniversary of the Torres Strait Islander flag. We are so pleased to be able to highlight incredible content that can further educate all Australians on the land they live on.
“It’s also fitting that we have a new show premiering – Feeding the Scrum incorporates so many elements worth celebrating – sport, food and a good yarn!”
George Rose, host of Feeding the Scrum, said:
“What a week to premiere our new program! I’m so looking forward to showing off Feeding the Scrum, and inviting all of Australia into the kitchen for a yarn with me and the best in the sport and entertainment business. It’s always a pleasure to work with the NITV family, and I can’t wait for Australia to see what we serve up this season on Feeding the Scrum.”
Viewers will also be able to enjoy additional titles on SBS On Demand to stream anywhere, anytime including Yolgnu Boy and Rabbit Proof Fence.
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