In My Blood It Runs is the critically acclaimed documentary told through the eyes of charismatic 10-year-old Arrernte and Garrwa boy, Dujuan, and his family, revealing the challenges Dujuan faces both in his school and on the streets of Alice Springs.
Ten-year-old Dujuan is a child-healer, a good hunter and speaks three languages. As he shares his wisdom of history and the complex world around him, we see his spark and intelligence.
Yet Dujuan is “failing” in school and facing increasing scrutiny from welfare and the police. As he travels perilously close to incarceration, his family fights to give him a strong Arrernte education alongside his western education lest he become another statistic.
Walk with him as he grapples with these pressures, shares his truths and somewhere in-between finds space to dream, imagine and hope for his future self.
In My Blood It Runs was shot in Mparntwe (Alice Springs), Sandy Bore Homeland and Borroloola Community, Northern Territory, over three and a half years.
However, the director, Maya has been making films alongside Arrernte Elders and families at two Arrernte-led NGOs, Akeyulerrre and Children’s Ground, for over a decade preceding the inception of this film.
In My Blood It Runs rose organically from those relationships, and the film team wants to acknowledge the deep trust and support from these core partner organisations who backed the telling of this story.
The intimacy of the film and the delicacy with which it has represented the complex struggles of the lives of Dujuan and his family has been achieved through a deep and collaborative process between the filmmaking team and the family.
This collaborative approach used on this film is not new, but draws from a long line of First Nations initiatives, organisations, filmmakers work both within Australia and internationally who have fought for the right to have agency over their own narratives.
In My Blood It Runs can be watched on ABC iView.
