Ballarat Film Society – Lake of Scars

Australia, 2022, 95 min. Directed by Bill Code
Indigenous Australian Documentary

This film by former Guardian and Al Jazeera journalist Bill Code takes us to a corner of Victoria which is a place of great beauty, environmental significance, and rare archaeological wonder. As the clock ticks, an unlikely partnership forms that could see positive cultural heritage conservation with the creation of a Keeping Place at Boort.  A key participant in the film is Yung Balug man Jida Gulpilil (son of actor David Gulpilil) who returns to his mother’s country and seeks to safeguard Dja Dja Wurrung cultural heritage. Seven years in the making, it is presented and co-written by the late Uncle Jack Charles, who interprets the story of custodianship matters concerning local scarred trees, middens and the beautiful wetlands.  Showing how reconciliation can be both urgent and complex, this documentary was crowd-funded by Documentary Australia, and supported by The Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council and the Dja Dja Wurrung Corporation.

Note: This film (and trailer) contains voices and images of people who have died.