Blak, Loud and Proud

Blak, Loud and Proud: Three First Nations creatives who keep the fires burning

Three First Nations creatives who keep the fires burning

Dean Cross

Warning: this page may contain names, images and voices of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Inspired by the 2024 NAIDOC Week theme, the First Nations Engagement team have chosen three icons who keep the fires burning and fully embody being BLAK, LOUD & PROUD. They share their culture and stories across stage and screen for audiences here in Australia and the world over and the National Film and Sound Archive are proud custodians of much of their work.

In focus are icons Miranda Tapsell (Larrakia), Jub Clerc, (Nyuyl Nyul/ Yawaru) and Deborah Cheetham (Yorta Yorta).

Miranda Tapsell

Actor, writer, producer – Miranda Tapsell (Larrakia) does it all. Her audiences know her from her big screen appearances – most notably Top End Wedding, The Sapphires and The Dry. But did you know you can also hear her in the Logie award-winning animated TV series Little J & Big Cuz, and international juggernaut Bluey? Her next venture is a TV follow-up to Top End Wedding – an eight-part series called Top End Bub. Here is a clip from Top End Wedding featuring her big moment:

Scene from the film Top End Wedding (Wayne Blair, 2019). Courtesy Goalpost Pictures. NFSA title: 1576952

With visibility of our mob in high places critical, Miranda’s talents and achievements are an inspiration. She continually smashes glass ceilings and is a shining light for future generations of young, blak artists. Here is Miranda again voicing the character of Little J in a scene from Little J & Big Cuz:

Scene from Little J & Big Cuz, Series 3, Ep. 4 (2023). Courtesy Ned Lander Media. NFSA title: 1757209

Jub Clerc

The cast and director of 'Sweet As' standing arm in arm in the outback, in front of a mini van. — Jub Clerc (2nd from right) with the cast of *Sweet As*.

In 2022, director Jub Clerc (NyulNyul/Yawuru) delivered her debut feature film Sweet As to our screens. It's a touching coming-of-age film that’s as much about Country where it was filmed as the people who are in it.

A semi-autobiographical story, Sweet As reminds us that we are our stories, and that our stories are deeply embedded in Country and place. Sweet As also demonstrates how widely impactful our stories are, winning the NETPAC Prize at the Toronto Film Festival and a Crystal Bear at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival.

Following on from this success, Jub has gone on to direct episodes for season three of the award-winning ABC TV series Total Control and Turn Up the Volume.

The following clip is a scene from Sweet As:

Scene from Sweet As (Jub Clerc, 2022). Courtesy Liz Kearney. NFSA title: 1690109

Deborah Cheetham

The formidable opera singer Deborah Cheetham described herself best to ABC's The Drum: ‘Yorta Yorta by birth, stolen generation by government policy, soprano by diligence, composer by necessity and lesbian by practice’. Her voice has graced our ears for decades, and her compositions and operas are genre-defining gems that enrich all who experience them. Perhaps most significant is Australia’s first Indigenous opera Pecan Summer, written and composed by Deborah. This 21st century re-telling of the Cummeragunja walk-off led to the establishment of the First Nations opera company Short Black Opera.

The following audio is a short excerpt from her piece 'Dali Mana Garamada', which was commissioned for the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000:

Excerpt from 'Dali Mana Gamarada' (Deborah Cheetham and Wicked Beat Sound System, 2000). NFSA title: 612243

Most recently, Deborah has again broken new ground in her appointment as Professor of Vocal Studies at the Sydney Conservatory, making her the most senior First Nations person in the Conservatory’s history.

No doubt these three creatives will inspire a new generation of artists to be Blak, Loud & Proud, just like them!

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Main image: artwork from Urapun Muy (One Fire) by Deb Belyea. Courtesy NAIDOC.org.au

First Nations filmmakers