10 highlights from NITV’s Justice Season

Coinciding with the anniversary of The Apology, the collection features a wide range of films and documentaries centred on the theme of justice.

Protesters march against the ever rising number of Indigenous children still being removed from their families, as seen in 'After the Apology'. Source: SBS

Justice Season on NITV coincides with the anniversary of The Apology to the Stolen Generations on 13 February 2008, bringing stories of justice from Australia and around the world.

Here are 10 of the highlights:

The Work

One of the group therapy sessions in ‘The Work’. Source: SBS

Three free men participate in a group therapy retreat with four criminals over four days. It all takes place in one room inside Folsom State Prison, California, revealing a movement of change and redemption that transcends what we think of as rehabilitation.   

The Work airs on Sunday, 10 February at 8:30 pm on NITV.

After the Apology

One of the Grandmothers Against Removals fights to bring Indigenous children in care back home. Source: SBS

The number of Aboriginal children taken away from their families has risen exponentially since Kevin Rudd delivered his apology to the Stolen Generations 11 years ago. Four grandmothers start a national movement to not only to take on the system, but change it, once and for all. 

After the Apology airs on Wednesday, February 13 at 9:30pm on NITV.

Dreamcatcher

Brenda Myers-Powell is a beacon of hope to young women trapped in sex work. Source: SBS

Brenda Myers-Powell’s life as a drug-addicted sex worker began as a teenager. After an act of violence almost killed her, she decided to transform her life. Dreamcatcher follows Brenda today as she brings hope and support to young women trapped in a cycle of neglect, violence and exploitation. With her charm, charisma and empathy, she represents the difference one person can make to the lives of many.   

Dreamcatcher airs on Sunday, 17 February at 8:30 pm on NITV.

The Rape of Recy Taylor

Recy Taylor fought for justice, joined by legions of women from the 1940s to the present day. Source: Augusta Films

In 1944, Recy Taylor, a young black mother in Alabama, was gang raped by six white boys. Uncommonly, Taylor identified her rapists, and Chief Rape Investigator Rosa Parks triggered an unprecedented outcry for justice, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott and movements that followed. This film tells the story of black women like Taylor who spoke up in the face of grave danger and still inspire the courage of women across the USA today.   

The Rape of Recy Taylor airs on Sunday, 24 February at 8:30 pm on NITV.

The Tall Man

‘The Tall Man’ shows an Australia few have seen. Source: SBS

This Walkley Award-winning documentary explores the community reaction to and events on Palm Island following the death, from horrific internal injuries after just 40 minutes in police custody, of local Indigenous man, Cameron Doomadgee in November 2004. 

The Tall Man airs on Saturday, 2 February at 8:05 pm on NITV.

Indictment: The Crimes of Shelly Chartier

From an isolated adolescence to jail time as an adult. How did this happen to Shelly Chartier? Source: SBS

Shelly Chartier grew up in a small First Nations community in Manitoba, Canada. A shy and reclusive youngster, Chartier ended up in jail for catfishing an NBA athlete and an aspiring model. The Indigenous filmmakers reveal the compelling historical circumstances of Chartier’s life and her struggle to rebuild it after her incarceration. In unpacking Chartier’s crime, they raise important questions about Canada’s justice system.

The Crimes of Shelly Chartier airs on Monday, 11 February at 7:30 pm on NITV.

Coniston

The filmmakers go back to Warlpiri country in the Northern Territory to the scene of “the last massacre”. Source: SBS

Coniston tells the story of expeditions that took place in August 1928 to avenge the killing of a white man, Fred Brooks by a Warlpiri man, known as Bullfrog, who found Brooks taking liberties with his wife. In this tragic tale of Australian contact history, the descendants of “the last massacre” which killed over a hundred innocent people across the traditional lands of the Warlpiri and surrounds, face the brutal past to help heal the future.

Coniston airs on Monday, 25 February at 7:30 pm on NITV.

Fruitvale Station

Michael B. Jordan and Ariana Neal star in ‘Fruitvale Station’. Source: SBS

Starring Michael B. Jordan, Fruitvale Station is based on the true story of Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family and strangers on the last day of 2008. 

Fruitvale Station airs on Thursday, 7 February at 9:30 pm on NITV.

Lord of the Flies

Hugh Edwards as one of the lost children in 'Lord of the Flies'. Source: SBS

This is the 1963 film version of Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding’s classic novel, a disturbing tale of conflict and savagery among young plane crash survivors lost on an island. 

Lord of the Flies airs on Friday, 8 February at 7:30 pm on NITV.

The Apology

Victorians pack Federation Square in Melbourne to hear Kevin Rudd apologise to the Stolen Generations. Source: Virginia Murdoch, Creative Commons

On 13 February 2008, then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered an apology to the Stolen Generations on behalf of the Australian parliament. It was a powerful, memorable moment in the nation’s history, for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike. This uplifting documentary takes us back to the lead-up to the speech and the outpouring of emotion when it was delivered. 

The Apology airs on Saturday, 16 February at 6:30 pm on NITV.

Special mentions...

Also take a look at Beyond Sorry (Saturday, 16 February at 7:05 pm on NITV), a story of the reunion of Aggie and Kita, separated for over 50 years. Now aged 64, Kita learns from Aggie about being a traditional Aboriginal woman.

And coming up this Sunday, we have Check It (Sunday, 3 February at 8:30pm on NITV) about a black gay and transgender gang fighting to survive in a violent Washington, D.C. neighbourhood, and Angry Inuk (Sunday, 3 February at 10pm on NITV), a multiple award-winning documentary about how Europe’s ban on seal products has dealt a massive blow to an Inuit community’s traditional way of life.

 

Also part of the season, Tribal Justice and After the Last River are now streaming at SBS On Demand: