BREAD AND DRIPPING  (1982) +
HOW THE WEST WAS LOST (1987)




Randwick Ritz, Sydney:
6:00 PM
Tuesday May 06

Lido Cinemas, Melbourne:
5:30 PM
Friday May 09

Rating: G
Duration: 72 minutes
Country: Australia
Language: Njangamarda, Wanmun, Injibandi and English with English subtitles
Director: David Noakes

SYDNEY TICKETS ⟶

MELBOURNE TICKETS ⟶
HOW THE WEST WAS LOST 

"[It] will always be the best, most honest and most entertaining record of the 1946 Strike ... It is an exhilarating, inspirational documentary that shows what people can achieve when they have vision, courage and solidarity." – Jerry Roberts, Pearls and Irritations

On 1 May 1946, 800 Aboriginal station workers walked off sheep stations in the north-west of Western Australia, marking the beginning of a carefully organised strike that was to last for at least three years, but never officially ended.

The strike was more than a demand for better wages and conditions. It was, in the words of Keith Connolly in the Melbourne Herald, 'a well-considered statement by a grievously exploited people, standing up for their rights and dignity'.

How The West Was Lost tells the story of a shameful yet still largely unknown piece of Australia’s tangled history…

Screens with...

BREAD AND DRIPPING 

A film by Vic Smith, Margot Nash, Elizabeth Schaffer, Wendy Brady and Donna Foster Australia, Rating: G, Run Time: 17 minutes, Language: English

Four women recount their lives during the bleak years of the Depression of the 1930s. Tibby Whalan, Eileen Pittman, Beryl Armstrong and Mary Wright describe their struggles to survive and maintain families when faced with widespread unemployment, evictions and hardship.

How The West Was Lost introduced by David Noakes and Rose Murray at Ritz Cinemas and Lido Cinemas. Bread and Dripping introduced by Vic Smith and Elizabeth Schaffer at Ritz Cinemas.

A discussion with David Noakes and Rose Murray will be held after the screening in the upstairs mezzanine at the Ritz in Sydney and in the discussion space off the foyer at the Lido in Melbourne.

THE RESTORATION

HOW THE WEST WAS LOST
Restored in 2024 by Piccolo Films from the original 16mm camera negative and master audio components. Restoration by Ray Argall in consultation with David Noakes.

Director: David Noakes; Production Company: Friends Film Productions and Market Street Films Ltd; Producers: Heather Williams, David Noakes; Script: David Noakes, Paul Roberts; Photography: Philip Bull; Editor: Frank Rijavek; Music Improvised and Performed by: Ross Bolleter, Phillip Kakulas, Mark Kain

Produced with financial assistance from the Creative Development Fund, Australian Film Commission, Aboriginal Arts Board, Australia Council, Nomads 1996 Pty Ltd, Western Australian Film Council, Aboriginal Affairs Planning Council (WA)

Made with production assistance from, and in consultation with, the Nomads Group, Pilbara Region, Western Australia

Australia | 1987 | 72 Mins | 4K DCP | Colour | English | G

BREAD AND DRIPPING
Bread and Dripping was digitally restored in 2K from the original 16mm A&B roll negatives and sound mix, by Ray Argall from Piccolo Films in consultation with Margot Nash and Vic Smith. All the original materials are held in the National Film and Sound Archive Australia.

A film by Vic Smith, Margot Nash, Elizabeth Schaffer, Donna Foster and Wendy Brady. Produced with the Assistance of the Australian Film Commission and the Women’s Film Fund,

Australia | 1982 | 17 Mins | 2K DCP | Colour | English | G


Cinema Reborn acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we live, learn and work. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and extend this respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.