FILM AUSTRALIA COLLECTION

Zoom on graphic map of Australia to Utopia Station marked in Northern Territory region. GS Rosalie Kunoth Monks sitting with a group of Aboriginal women on ground introducing herself to camera. MS Kunoth Monks speaking about her role in co-ordinating projects for the Aboriginal Development Commission for the Aboriginals in the area. GS Kunoth Monks arriving in 4WD and being warmly greeted by the community women. VS women looking at material in the back of the 4WD for their batik project. VS women talking while setting up for batik making. VS older woman Emily Ngwarai shouting orders.

CU interview with older Aboriginal woman Emily Ngwarai translated in voice-over talking about the significance of the land the women are gathered on. VS Ngwarai and other women gathering firewood, lighting fire and preparing wax for melting. CU Ngwarai explaining stages of batik making. VS women seated around pot of melted wax, dipping tjantings in with material held in their laps. CUs drawing flower designs on material with melted wax. WS women sitting in clearing. WS Aboriginal children playing in waterhole. WS women walking past and CUs women putting on rubber gloves joking and laughing about doing it properly. GS women putting material into vats of coloured dyes. VS holding lengths of batik material out to dry with CUs of patterns made.

CUs Aboriginal women doing second waxing over dyed batik materials on their laps. CU child sleeping on blanket at women's side. GS naked toddler and children playing on gum tree. Zoom out from women in rubber gloves doing second round of dying in tubs. VS children collecting sticks and leaving them next to woman dying material. CUs fire being lit. WS women walking through long pale grass with spears and boomerangs over their shoulders. VS women digging for yams and witchetty grubs and picking fruit off trees watched by children. MS woman demonstrating how to eat native flower. CU witchetty grub being plucked out of piece of acacia bark. VS grubs being gathered and shown to toddler.

VS Aboriginal woman picking up lizard from grassland and biting it on the back of the neck to stun it. Tilt to wild coconut in tree being hit down with sticks and being collected by women and children. CUs of fruit being cracked open and white flesh being given to children. VS witchetty grubs and lizards being cooked on embers of open fire. MS Rosalie Kunoth Monks sitting with Aboriginal women as they cook. CUs woman tearing lizard flesh apart and eating it. WS group sitting under tree.

CU pot of boiling water on open fire and VS woman stirring batik material in it with stick to remove wax. GS woman rinsing boiled fabric while others do same. CUs of finished patterned fabrics with plants and animals being held out to dry. WS women drying fabrics near waterhole with scattered trees behind them. GS non-indigenous women arriving in settlement in 4WD and sitting down with Aboriginal women to look at their batik. She discusses payment, pays women cash from envelope and hands each one a book for their signatures. Voice over by Kunoth Monks talks about the sense of achievement the women feel as well as financial freedom.

CU fluttering batik material. Fade to CUs of Aboriginal women featured in the batik program with subtitles of their names and closing credits.