Film festival’s Indigenous voices

To celebrate the United Nations International Year of Indigenous Languages, Wollongong City Libraries is holding a film festival featuring Indigenous voices from around the world.

The first week of the festival in July coincides with NAIDOC Week and features Australian Indigenous content, with the second week highlighting movies that tell Indigenous stories from across the world.

Wollongong City Council’s Manager Library and Community Services, Jenny Thompson, said: “40 per cent of the estimated 6,700 languages spoken around the world are in danger of disappearing.

“However, in recent years there has been an increasing awareness of the importance of preserving and reinstating First Nations languages, including here in Australia.

“Celebrating the 2019 Year of Indigenous Languages helps promote and protect Indigenous languages and cultures.”

The festival will take place 5 – 19 July at our Dapto, Warrawong, Wollongong, Corrimal and Thirroul libraries with tea and cake served at each session.

Screenings include well-known Australian films such as The Sapphires, Ten Canoes and Rabbit Proof Fence, as well as featuring movies in Indigenous languages from around the world such as Samoan, Sami and Pular.

Bookings are essential for each screening and can be made at Eventbrite, or by phoning or visiting your local Wollongong City Libraries branch.

The festival will be launched at 10am on Friday 5 July at Wollongong Library’s The LAB and includes a screening of The Song Keepers, a documentary about the inspiring story of a Central Australian Aboriginal women’s’ choir and their first tour of Germany.

The festival program is available from your local Wollongong City Libraries branch or at: http://www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/library/activities/whatshappening/Pages/Film-Festival.aspx or call Wollongong Library on (02) 4227 7414.

For more information about the International Year of Indigenous Languages, please go to http://www.en.iyil2019.org.

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