Filmed on location in the Northern Territory, ANIJA is an award-winning release from Anindilyakwa Executive Producer Muriel Jaragba, and multi award-winning director David Hansen. The story follows 10-year-old Roy and his 2-year-old sister Desley. Life for Roy is tricky, his parents drink too much and the only person he can trust is far away. When Roy calls on his grandmother for help, she takes matters into her own hands. ANIJA is a harsh and uplifting tale of one family’s struggle to deal with problems from alcohol.
“What makes ANIJA unique is that it was devised with the Anindilyakwa people of Groote Eylandt and Bickerton Island”, says director, David Hansen. “We cast local people and the film uses local language to tell a story that comes from the community itself”, he adds. Made for Anindilyakwa Land Council by The Perfect World, together with Groote Eylandt Health Clinics and the University of Sydney, ANIJA is a medium length film that is receiving rave reviews from its pre-release screenings across Australia:
“ANIJA is a very realistic portrayal of community life, filmed in a culturally sensitive manner. It goes straight to your heart and makes you feel as if you are in the film.”