Indigenous-owned creative consultancy Campfire x has partnered with NRMA Insurance to produce a powerful documentary, The Knowledge Keepers, spotlighting First Nations knowledge about land management and extreme weather preparedness.
The documentary is part of NRMA Insurance's support of Beyond 3%, which commits three per cent of its broadcast media budget to First Nations media, an initiative identified and facilitated through its media partner, Initiative Media.
The 30-minute documentary aired on NITV on Monday and is available to stream free on SBS On Demand.
Produced by Campfire x, The Knowledge Keepers follows First Nations land practitioners as they answer questions from the next generation on how to care for Country, drawing on 65,000 years of wisdom around fire, flood and heat management.
The film follows Euahlayi man, Monash Researcher and lead of the National Indigenous Disaster Resilience program, Bhiame Williamson, along with Indigenous land experts from across Australia, who gave Campfire x permission to share their knowledge.
Set against the backdrop of a campfire, Williamson answers questions from children, and highlights the importance of listening to Country, and how bringing Indigenous practices to the forefront of mainstream land management can help Australia be better prepared for extreme weather.
The film explores techniques such as cultural burning to help prevent bushfires, the use of native flora and fauna in urban areas to reduce heat and improve community health, and regenerating wetlands to reduce flood risks.
NRMA Insurance Chief Customer and Marketing Officer Michelle Klein said it was "an honour to work with Campfire x to showcase First Nations environmental cultural practices and expertise through rich content, because knowledge is most powerful when it is shared"
"We are proud to continue to invest in First Nations media companies and Indigenous storytelling as part of our support of the Beyond 3% initiative," she said.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people represent 3.8 per cent of the Australian population, however, the media that exists to serve these communities are not often considered as part of advertising campaign planning.
In 2021, NITV launched The Beyond 3% Initiative which seeks to engage media agencies and brands to begin to address this gap by committing to increasing investment in Indigenous media platforms to at least a three per cent target.
Campfire x Director Peter Kirk said producing the documentary was "one of the most rewarding projects Campfire x has been involved with".
"The intersection of storytelling between a large company and First Nations land managers was something that happens rarely and so openly," he said.
"It was a pleasure to see NRMA Insurance have faith in Campfire x to capture content through First Nations cultural practices. It's a credit to NRMA Insurance and demonstrates their commitment to First Nations causes and their trust in the process.
"I would ask that all companies engaging First Nations creatives have complete trust in their ability to create great work."
