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First Nations Award

Program Strand
Awards

Sydney Film Festival is proud to continue the First Nations Award, proudly supported by Truant Pictures.

Proudly Supported By

Sydney Film Festival is proud to continue the First Nations Award, proudly supported by Truant Pictures. This Award is the world’s largest cash prize in global Indigenous filmmaking, with $35,000 awarded to the winning filmmaker.

Explore a range of films that brim with rich images, ideas and perspectives from Indigenous storytellers in Canada, New Zealand, Indonesia, Norway, and right here in Australia.

Short
Bringing His Spirit Home
Peter travels from Gomeroi to France to visit the grave of his great-uncle, an Indigenous WWI soldier, and perform a ceremony to bring his spirit home, back to family and Country. Screens with Remaining Native
Documentary
Emily: I Am Kam
A revelatory portrait of the trailblazing artist Emily Kam Kngwarray, from the Utopia community in the NT, whose work reshaped the international contemporary art world.
Documentary
The Haka Party Incident
A three-minute protest staged in 1979 echoes across the decades as a potent indictment of systemic racism and a lens through which to re-examine Aotearoa’s national identity.
Short
In My Hand
A poetic collage of memory and resistance, tracing Sámi activist Niilas Somby’s legacy through archive, re-enactment, and a dreamlike reflection on land, loss, and survival. Screens with Wilfred Buck
Documentary
Marlon Williams: NgĀ Ao E Rua – Two Worlds
Follow the charming Aotearoa New Zealand singer-songwriter on a life-changing journey of self-exploration as he embraces his roots and creates his first album in te reo Māori.
Documentary
Nechako – It Will Be A Big River Again
Memory and resistance flow through this meditative, visually striking doc chronicling Indigenous peoples’ 70-year struggle to restore Canada’s Nechako River and a way of life.
Documentary
Remaining Native
A teen runner retraces his great-grandfather's 80km escape from a Native American boarding school, turning a painful history into powerful remembrance. Special Jury Award, SXSW 2025.
Short
Rolly: A Story Of My Father
This tender, meditative portrait of ancestral wisdom and resilience follows one man’s life-long stewardship of land, tradition, and identity in the face of a changing climate. Screens with Nechako - It Will Be A Big River
Seeds
In this Canadian comedy-thriller, a rising Indigenous social media influencer sees a dream gig take a dark turn, as she’s pulled into a fierce fight for survival on a trip home.
Documentary
Wilfred Buck
An evocative hybrid doc exploring the life and teachings of Cree educator Wilfred Buck – a “star man” – whose luminous worldview blends Indigenous science, memory, and resilience.
Short
Womb
A haunting, unforgettable reminder of the personal cost of systemic harm – masterfully crafted, Womb unearths longing, identity, and the unbreakable pull of familial connection. Screens with The Haka Party Incident
Aboriginal FlagTorres Strait Flag

Sydney Film Festival acknowledges Australia’s First Nations People as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land, and pay respect to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, upon whose Country SFF is based.

We honour the storytelling and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia.

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