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NAIDOC Week Spotlight: Dylan Coleman
10 July 2024
Every year the South Australian Film Corporation celebrates NAIDOC Week by highlighting the work of First Nations screen creatives living and working in South Australia.
This year we are showcasing seven First Nations South Australian creatives who are currently in the midst of writing original short film scripts as part of phase one of the SAFC’s First Nations Short Film Program.
The program is well underway, with the writers participating in an intensive weekend workshop last month with experienced First Nations filmmakers and mentors Pauline Clague, Dena Curtis and Aaron Fa’aoso, and experienced producer Paul Ryan of Adelaide Studios based 57 Films.
Once their polished scripts are completed each writer will be eligible to team up with a director and producer to apply for phase two of the program, and have the opportunity to take their short film into production.
Find out more about the First Nations Short Film Program here.
In this article we meet Kokatha Aboriginal/Greek creative Dylan Coleman.
How long have you been a writer? How did you get started in the screen industry?
I began my creative writing journey by dabbling in poetry but when my parents asked me to write their stories a couple of decades ago, I went back to university to learn how write a novel. I wrote my father’s story in the novel manuscript: Clear Water, White Death in the early 2000s for my Master’s in Creative Writing at the University of Adelaide, and my mother’s story in the novel Mazin Grace, which was recently selected for the 2024 First Nations Classic series. Importantly, working closely with my parents, telling their stories, allowed us to work through past trauma and to heal.
My screenwriting journey began in 2013 when I was invited to attend a workshop (from novel to screenplay) by Guillermo Arriaga that inspired me to begin writing screenplays, mostly short form family stories. I have now begun writing feature film scripts but writing a short film often allows for an exploration of the characters, their motivations, themes, tone and important aspects of the narrative.
I have found that sometimes narratives can hold power especially when the storytelling allows for the healing from trauma. My dad’s story has been particularly hard to let go for this reason, and I think this short film could be the beginning of setting it free.
What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from the SAFC’s First Nations Short Film Program so far?
I think the most valuable lesson is reinforcing the importance of building genuine relationships, deep listening, sharing, supporting each other and also being prepared to let go of the emotional barriers that keep our stories from finding their true form. Sitting and listening to others’ narratives, experiences and knowledge allows for so much understanding, healing and connectedness with each other, especially when reflecting on one’s own positioning, history, and emotional responses to these stories. It amazes me that when First Nations storytellers sit in a room and share stories there is so much resonance. When they say: “this is my family’s story” we are all feeling it because so much of our histories have been impacted by colonial processes and the challenges we have faced. On the flip side, much of the verve, strength and celebration in our stories comes from a common source too, our Ancestors and their teachings of survival and humility. It’s a very cool place to be, with other First Nations storytellers in a workshop writing room connecting and sharing – it’s where I feel most creatively challenged but also most at home.
What can you tell us about the script you’re working on? What has inspired you? What themes are you exploring?
The script I am working on is based on a story from Chapter 11 of my novel manuscript Clear Water White Death. At the core it’s about a man realising what’s most important in his life and trying to save it at all costs. It’s about letting go of fear and it’s also about the love of family and how we can lose sight of what’s important in the stress of survival.
What does NAIDOC Week mean to you?
For me, NAIDOC is a double-edged sword. It is a wonderful time for community to come together and celebrate our survival and what’s important: our culture, our connection to country, family, and friends.
On the other side, it is a reminder of a long fight that continues today. In 1938 on the 26th of January, a Day of Mourning was declared at a conference in Sydney by Aboriginal peoples who asked the government to recognise the suffering of First Nations people on the 150th anniversary of invasion of our country. NAIDOC Day became an annual event (now known as NAIDOC Week), however little has improved since that time. The gaps are widening on social and health outcomes, our children are still being removed from families at higher rates than the Stolen Generations, and our families are still suffering under colonial systems every-day.
While structural change is needed, many people in Australia ignore the harrowing history of trauma inflicted on our peoples and how it still impacts us today. What I focus on when reflecting on this side of the sword, is the need to cut through with the seven R’s: Recognition, Respect, Rights, Reform, Reciprocity (treating one another equally in return), Responsibility, and Reparations.
I always conclude (as do many of the Elders I yarn with) what we have left to do to survive and thrive is set up our own Aboriginal Self-Government where we have say over our own lives, our own communities, and our own country.
This year I will be celebrating NAIDOC Week with fellow First Nations scriptwriters but what we have left to do, the big picture, is always there.
Read our other 2024 NAIDOC Week Spotlight articles on emerging Ngarrindjeri creative Leesha Cole, Wongutha, Mirning, Barngarla, Ndaju, Gubrun and Bulang creative Shania Richards and Whadjuk Noongar creative Joshua Barbo.