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Last year the Indigenous Rights team launched our new film club, Firestick Flicks, as part of our NAIDOC celebrations.
This monthly film club aims to encourage Amnesty activists, staff, and supporters to watch First Nations films and documentaries, by providing supporting resources, discussion prompts, and reflections to foster deep learning and understanding on the path to reconciliation.
This month’s Firestick Flicks film is Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky, which is available to stream for free on SBS on Demand.
(Content warning: colonial violence, racism and oppression of First Nations peoples, murder and mature themes)
Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky, is a documentary film presented and co-written by comedian Steven Oliver. It was released in 2020, on the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook’s first landing on the east coast, when he claimed the territory for the British Empire.
The documentary travels along the eastern coastline of Australia, telling the history through a combination of interviews and stunning landscapes. Captain James Cook’s landing is reimagined through contemporary, original music performed by a range of First Nations artists including Kev Carmody, Birdz, Trials, Fred Leone, Mo’Ju, Alice Sky and Mau Power. Through their yarns and their music, the artists create a modern day songline about the invasion and colonisation of so-called Australia, and the dispossession of the First Peoples of this land.
Discussion questions to get you thinking…
1. Why do you think connection to Country is so important for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples? How did the claim that this land was “terra nullius” (land belonging to no one) impact on First Nations communities?
2. What is the First Nations place name of where you live?
3. What is the difference between a Welcome to Country and an Acknowledgement of Country? Use this resource from Reconciliation Australia to create your own, heartfelt and meaningful Acknowledgement of Country.
What is a Songline?’ – Nathan Maynard
Songlines include important information about creation and naming of natural features within the landscape. They identify landmarks and directions across travel and trade routes and ceremonial places. In English, Songlines are also described as codes, or dreaming tracks memorised and sung in a specific order. By singing the songs in the right order, Aborigines always know where they are. Songlines also include dance…Songlines linked significant place and geographical features across the whole area of the continent. Songlines include important information about relationships between all things within the environment (land, sea, sky) and associated management responsibilities. A Songline can be related to a specific place within one country, or it could traverse for many miles across many countries, and subsequently be sung in many languages. While travelling through the territory of another tribe, that section of the Songline has to be sung in the language of that Language Group.
4. Throughout the film Songlines are discussed. What is a songline? What is the purpose of songlines? Why do you think that the film uses songlines to tell the story of Cook’s landing?
TEACHERS!! SBS have created this excellent teachers guide, to accompany the documentary.
There are some really great discussion questions, as well as additional video clips to show your class.
Get involved: Ways to support First Nations communities:
- Attend an Invasion Day rally in your local community – show up in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. See Invasion Day 2025 Activist Toolkit for a list of events and locations.
- Discuss AIA’s Raise the Age campaign, and encourage attendees to sign our petitions:
Get involved: Host your own film screening!
- Cosy option: Get together with your family and friends for a movie night at home
- Feeling a bit more social: Organise a screening for your group or local community!
SBS / NITV have produced a great resource to help with planning a big community film screening, available on their website via this link.
To maximise attendance and impact, it is helpful to:
- Combine the film screening with a meal or morning/afternoon tea, which also encourages people to stay on after the film to talk and take action
- Publicise your film screening well and try to draw in people from outside Amnesty circles, using social media, email lists, posters, leaflets etc
- Partnering with other groups or organisations helps spread the workload and brings in a broader audience. Councils, libraries and Tourist Information centres can all be useful partners with the ability to promote it widely
Resources
Feeling peckish?
If you are looking for snacks and beverages for your film screening, these are some First Nations businesses that you could try:
- Yaala Sparkling Water
- Yaru Mineral Water
- Jala Jala chocolate
- Indigiearth spices to sprinkle on your popcorn, or relishes for a grazing platter
- Binjang Tea
- Blak Brews
- Mabu Mabu hot chocolate
- Sobah Beverages
Looking for a venue?
You could have a look around your local area to see whether there are any First Nations cafes or restaurants who may be able to cater for your film screening.
Let us know how it went!
If you hosted a film screening, please fill in this Event Form and let us know how it went!
Feel free to email any photos to activism@amnesty.org.au
Safeguarding the well-being of yourself and others
Campaigning for human rights can be difficult. Burnout and vicarious trauma can happen and it’s important to keep a look out for the signs in yourself and your friends. You can check out our Sustainable Activism & Self Care guide as a starting point to ensure that you are looking after yourself and others while doing this important work. It examines how we can better take care of ourselves as activists and what you can do to make sure your activism is sustainable!
As a global movement of 10 million people, and 500,000 people in Australia, Amnesty International has the people power to build public support for a Human Rights Act. Learn more about what are human rights and our Human Rights Act campaign work.
