Described as a love letter to mothers and the role they play in the resilience of Indigenous cultures, this month the long anticipated short documentary —Motherhood in the Colony—will premiere on Mother's Day, Sunday May 11.
Featuring both First Nations and Palestinian women and caregivers, the new documentary reflects their shared histories and experiences.
Through intimate storytelling, the film explores mothering as an act of resistance and unravels stories of colonial trauma, while inviting audiences to listen, learn, and envision a future beyond the oppressive structures of colonisation.
Motherhood in the Colony and its storytellers resist ongoing forces that seek to erase, and invite communities to do the same through an intimate collection of deeply personal stories shared with generosity and care—offered as both testimony and a teaching.
At its core, the project invites a broader reckoning: What does it mean to raise children in a system that has worked to erase your culture? How do communities survive and resist when justice is continually deferred?
Celebrated Worimi filmmaker and co-director Genevieve Grieves of GARUWA said the film is reflective of many things, including mothering, survival, and the ongoing violence of colonisation
"This project was born from love and urgency. We are telling stories that demand to be heard—about mothering, survival, and the ongoing violence of colonisation. But this isn't just about pain. It's about power," she said.
"Motherhood in the Colony is a space for truth, for connection, and for imagining justice on our own terms."
Renowned Palestinian artist and co-director Aseel Tayah of Bukjeh said the film spotlights the shared struggles of women and mothers, reinforcing the idea that it is our struggles that connect us.
"Motherhood in the Colony reminds us that our struggles are connected. When we listen with care, we build solidarity—from here, to Gaza, and beyond. This is how we protect each other's futures," she said.
The premiere date marks an important moment for community gathering, collective reflection, and truth-telling, globally. It opens space for dialogue about what justice, care, and decolonisation can look like—led by Indigenous mothers who continue to resist the violence of erasure.
Motherhood in the Colony premieres on Sunday the 11th of May at community screenings globally. This includes at Theatre Royal Castlemaine (VIC), Nowra (NSW), Alice Springs (NT), Bethlehem (Palestine), Beirut (Lebanon) and Amsterdam (Netherlands).
The film features the likes of Paola Balla (Wemba-Wemba and Gunditjmara), Lilly Brown (Gumbaynggirr), Justice Nelson (Djaara, Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta), Stacie Nicholson-Piper (Wurundjeri, Dja Dja Wurrung and Ngurai Illum-Wurrung), Sara Al Azhari (Qabatiya, Palestine and Romania), Mais Hijazi (Hebron, Palestine), Wejdan Shamala (Gaza and Qalqiya, Palestine) and Aseel Tayah (Jerusalem born, Qalansawa and Taybe, Palestine).
Motherhood in the Colony is a Bukjeh and GARUWA Film, in association with Common Ground, Co-Directed by Genevieve Grieves and Aseel Tayah.
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