1 February, 2012

MURUNDAK – SONGS OF FREEDOM was awarded the GRAND PRIX by the international jury of the 9th FIFO – Festival International du Film Documentaire Océanien held from the 6th – 12th of February in Tahiti.

Co–directors Natasha Gadd and Rhys Graham said of the award “It was always our hope as filmmakers that MURUNDAK – SONGS OF FREEDOM could honour the journey of The Black Arm Band in sharing the songs and stories of Aboriginal Australia with audiences around the world. It is extremely rewarding for the band and our team to know that the story of The Black Arm Band is touching hearts in all corners of the globe”

After a successful end to 2011 in which the MURUNDAK – SONGS OF FREEDOM garnered the Grand Prize in documentary at the SEMINCI (Valladolid International Film Festival, Spain), a UN Media Peace Award and the ATOM Award for Best Documentary, the film received the top honour at FIFO from a jury comprised of international filmmakers chaired by Jury President Élie Chouraqui. In January MURUNDAK – SONGS OF FREEDOM also received the first ever academy award from the AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) when it was awarded BEST SOUND – DOCUMENTARY. Our much loved collaborator and sound designer Emma Bortignon was the first ever AACTA recipient to be able to formally “thank the Academy”.