Audrey was born at a time when the world was changing for people in the Aboriginal nations across Central Australia.
Colonisation was continuing to impose itself over the traditional ways that had existed there for millennia.
Today, as a grandmother and great grandmother, Audrey raises young people with her partner Santo to walk in many worlds, by centring culture, language alongside western education.
Now, a feature-length documentary is putting that story on the big screen.
Premiering on NITV, Audrey Napanangka is an intimate and expansive documentary.
Filmed over 10 years, the program tells the story of Warlpiri matriarch, artist and actor Audrey and her Sicilian partner Santo as they navigate through colonial systems to keep the children they care for together in the Central Australian Desert.
The intimate documentary showcases a heartwarming story about the power of kinship and family and is made on the lands of the Arrernte people of Mparntwe, the Warlpiri people of Mount Theo and Yuendumu, and the lands of the Anmatyerr people.
“I am happy to share my story so that people can learn about my life. For me family is everything," Audrey Napanangka said.
Director and co-producer Penelope McDonald of Chili Films says the documentary showcases the power of kinship.
“It has been a great privilege to have walked beside Audrey over many years as we created this documentary. This is a story of love, courage, and resilience, of an extraordinary family, recorded over a decade, across generations.
"I thank Audrey and her family immensely for opening their home and sharing their lives. This story from the centre, the beating heart of Australia, is more important and relevant to us now than ever,” she said.
Watch Audrey Napanangka on NITV on Sunday 12 November at 8.30pm.
The documentary will be available to stream for free on with captions in English and subtitles in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Arabic, Vietnamese and Korean. It will also be available with audio description for blind and low vision audiences.
