KEEPER

Growing up in a small town divided by mining disputes isn't easy, but for Aboriginal teenager Jacinta Haseldine it's a stark contrast to her grandmother's life at the same age growing up on a mission.

Keeper is the story of two Aboriginal women living in the small town of Ceduna on the far-west coast of South Australia. 15 year-old Jacinta Haseldine is a high school student, as interested in hip hop as she is in hunting wombats and kangaroos. Her Nana Sue, born and raised on a mission, has always taken Jacinta out bush to teach her to find medicinal plants and take care of sacred waterholes.

When more than 20 mining companies start drilling nearby for gold, uranium and mineral sands, Jacinta and Sue's family is bitterly divided over million-dollar Native Title deals. For Sue, who spent her childhood running away out bush to escape the welfare authorities, and Jacinta, a teenager who just wants her family to stay together - growing up means many different things.

Keeper tackles one of the most difficult and publicly under-discussed features of contemporary Aboriginal experiences across Australia: the destabilising and frequently painful effects of the Native Title process.

Directed by Ali Russell
Produced by Ali Russell in association with Sue Colman Haseldine and Jacinta Haseldine
Photography - Ali Russell
Editor - Anna Craney

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• OFFICIAL SELECTION! 2012 Pacific International Documentary Film Festival, Tahiti
• OFFICIAL SELECTION! 2010 Dungog Film Festival
• OFFICIAL SELECTION! 2010 Heart of Gold International Film Festival
• WINNER! Best Director - 2011 Human Rights Film Festival

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