World movies screening: Emu Runner

Join us for this emotional but warming tale of a nine-year-old Indigenous girl, who lives in a remote Australian town. As she copes with her mother's unexpected death, Gem finds solace in the company of a wild emu, unwittingly connecting with her mother's traditional totem animal. This spiritual dreaming is a bond she will do anything to keep, but one that puts her at odds with the new social worker.

Morning tea provided.

About the movie

Gem’s obsessive attachment to the emu leads her down a troubled path as she feeds it her school lunches and begins to steal extra food for it. As she spends more and more time with the emu, Gem skips school, attracting the attention of a new social worker in town, Heidi, who is convinced Gem’s family is failing to look after her.

With the death of his wife, Gem's father Jay Jay is left to raise Gem, her 15-year old sister Valerie and her 17-year-old brother Ecka on his own. While Jay Jay's commitment to his family doesn't waver, the pressures to make ends meet and hold the family together are exacerbated by the antics of his children. Not only does Jay Jay face prejudices from the white community in the town, he also has to prove himself to as a competant sole parent before Heidi takes Gem from him.

Emu Runner is a story about respecting difference. It explores the underlying racial tensions in regional Australia and the importance of traditional customs in modern Indigenous culture.

Host or Publisher Stanton Library