Bird's-eye View: Childhood, Grief and Community in 'Emu Runner'

Imogen Thomas' stirring, if sentimental, film centres on a young girl who's lost her mother, the bird she befriends to cope with this loss, and the family and community that rally around her. While Emu Runner quite overtly builds on its myriad cinematic antecedents, it's also notable for its focus on an Aboriginal story – one crafted with the local community's involvement, writes Aimee Knight.

Additional keywords:
Indigenous, Brewarrina, Ngemba, coing of age, engagement, consultation, elder, social realism, matriarchy, paternalism, colonisation.