One Mind One Heart is a powerful documentary which shares the repatriation of the fourth Yirrkala bark petition, a significant but long-forgotten piece of history.

The film not only follows the journey of the petition's return to its rightful home, but also delves into the broader implications of colonisation on the Yolŋu people.

Through archival footage, firsthand accounts and deep cultural storytelling, the documentary highlights the resilience and determination of the Yolŋu in their ongoing fight for sovereignty, land rights and cultural preservation.

The Yirrkala petitions, first presented to Parliament in 1963, were the first petitions written in both English and an Indigenous language, asserting Yolŋu land rights.

For decades only three of the petitions were acknowledged—until historian Clare Wright discovered the fourth one in Derby in 2022.

Filmmaker, lawyer, academic, and writer Larissa Behrendt was moved by Yolŋu community member Yananymul Mununggurr, who had a deeply personal connection to the Yirrkala bark petition.

"She was motivated to repatriate it because her father was the last surviving signatory. That desire of a daughter to honour her father's contribution was something that made it a story really worth telling," Ms Behrendt said.

Ms Behrendt's documentary weaves together past and present, using archival footage of Yolŋu activism, including moments from the 1988 protests and the Barunga Festival.

"Their continual profile and understanding of how important it is to keep and control their own story makes them wonderful collaborators," she said.

Authentically portraying the Yolŋu people's political journey required working closely with the community.

Ms Behrendt said it was essential to listen to how the Yolŋu wanted their story to be told and to respond accordingly.

"They have a very significant archive and a strong contemporary culture. They were great to work with as filmmakers because they are in control of their own story," she said.

Given permission to use the archival footage, Ms Behrendt acknowledges the responsibility that comes with telling stories of deep cultural and political significance.

"We're brought up in a culture that teaches you that when people tell you their story, you have a responsibility to them and the story itself," she said.

The historic Yirrkala Bark Petitions played a pivotal role in igniting the movement for Aboriginal rights in Australia as the first formal recognition of Indigenous people within Australian law.

Decades later, the significance of the Yirrkala petitions endures, continuing to shape conversations on Indigenous sovereignty and land rights.

"The generous request to sit down as equals at the table and discuss issues central to Aboriginal people is as important now as it ever was," Ms Behrendt said.

"The central request in the petitions was for consultation about what happens on Aboriginal land by the people who are affected by it, and that request remains as relevant today."

"There needs to be a reminder that the generous request to sit down as equals at the table to discuss the issues that are central to Aboriginal people is as important today as it was in 1963, and that we can't and we won't give up that claim for consultation and the right to control what happens on our own land just because of the outcome of the referendum."

Beyond the documentary's political significance, Ms Behrendt said she was personally drawn to the story because of its heartfelt tribute from a daughter to her father.

"I've been spending more time on my own country, thinking about my father's contributions—his recordings of our language, our oral histories, and our family trees," she said.

"Seeing Yananymul's journey made me reflect on my own."

The documentary's title, One Mind One Heart, emerged organically, as Ms Behrendt explained over and over people would say 'we came together with one mind and one heart'.

"It was such a profound way to describe the unity in their community, and it also speaks to the hope that the petitions might one day bring us all together as a country," she said.

As One Mind One Heart prepares to air on SBS, Ms Behrendt hopes it will resonate with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous audiences.

"For mob, I hope they see themselves in the resilience of the Yolŋu," she said.

"For non-Indigenous people, I hope it serves as a doorway to understanding the impact of colonisation and the strength of Aboriginal culture.

"The Yolŋu have withstood so much and have stayed strong. That resilience is what I wanted to capture."