How the West Was Lost (1987) + Bread and Dripping (1981)
World Premiere - 4K Restoration
"...will always be the best, most honest and most entertaining record of the 1946 Strike...It is an exhilarating, inspirational documentary that shows what people can achieve when they have vision, courage and solidarity." – Jerry Roberts, Pearls and Irritations
On 1 May 1946, 800 Aboriginal station workers walked off sheep stations in the north-west of Western Australia, marking the beginning of a carefully organised strike that was to last for at least three years, but never officially ended.
The strike was more than a demand for better wages and conditions. It was, in the words of Keith Connolly in the Melbourne Herald, "a well-considered statement by a grievously exploited people, standing up for their rights and dignity”.
How The West Was Lost tells the story of a shameful yet still largely unknown piece of Australia’s tangled history.
Screens with:
Bread and Dripping (1981)
World Premiere – 4K Restoration
16 mins
A film by Vic Smith, Margot Nash, Elizabeth Schaffer, Wendy Brady and Donna Foster
Four women recount their lives during the bleak years of the Depression of the 1930s. Tibby Whalan, Eileen Pittman, Beryl Armstrong and Mary Wright describe their struggles to survive and maintain families when faced with widespread unemployment, evictions and hardship.
How The West Was Lost will be introduced by David Noakes and Rose Murray at Ritz Cinemas and Lido Cinemas. Bread and Dripping will be introduced by Vic Smith and Elizabeth Schaffer at Ritz Cinemas.
Rating
G
Duration
87 min
Country
Australia
Language
Njangamarda, Wanmun, Injibandi, English (English subtitles)
Director
David Noakes
