First Contact (Australian TV series)

2014 Australian TV series or program

First Contact

Genre| Reality television
Documentary
Written by| Jacob Hickey
Directed by| Ronan Sharkey & Dora Weekley (s1)
David Grusovin & Bruce Permezel (s2)
Presented by| Ray Martin
Narrated by| Hugo Weaving
Composers| Matteo Zingales
Russel Thornton
Country of origin| Australia
Original language| English
No. of seasons| 2
No. of episodes| 6
Production
Executive producers| Rachel Perkins (s1)
Jacob Hickey (s2)
Producers| Darren Dale
Jacob Hickey
Cinematography| Nicola Daley
Bonnie Elliott
Micah Walker
Editors| Steven Robinson
Mark AtkinASE
Running time| ≥ 52 minutes[1]
60 minutes (inc.adverts)
Production company| Blackfella Films
Original release
Network| SBS One
Release| 18 November 2014 (2014-11-18) –
1 December 2016 (2016-12-01)

First Contact is an Australian reality television documentary series that aired on SBS One, SBS Two and NITV from November 2014. A second season aired in 2016. The show, produced by Blackfella Films and presented by Ray Martin, takes six European Australians on a journey across Australia, challenging their preconceived ideas about Indigenous Australians. In the second season, the non-Indigenous participants are all well-known Australians.

## Synopsis

[edit]

The show documents the journey of six European Australians who are challenged over a period of 28 days about their pre-existing perceptions of Indigenous Australians.[2][3]

First Contact shows some of the cultural divisions that exist between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and highlights the lack of awareness many non-Indigenous Australians have about Indigenous Australians and the various different cultures and lifestyles they currently maintain. A stated premise is that 60% of European Australian have never had any contact with Indigenous people, a statistic that may explain the prevalence of the racist, unsympathetic and generally prejudicial attitudes that are often directed towards Indigenous Australians.[4]

In making their "first contact" with Indigenous Australia, the selected six participants are taken to Aboriginal communities both in the city and the country, and are even processed into a regional prison at Roebourne in Western Australia, where social problems are particularly acute, resulting in incarceration of large numbers of Indigenous Australians, often for quite minor offences. The relationships between Indigenous people and local police in Roebourne are notoriously poor.[5][6][7]

## Cast

[edit]

(As themselves)

### Participants 2014

[edit]

Series 1 participants were:[8]

* Alice Lardner
* Bo-Dene Steiler
* Jasmine Johnston
* Trent Giles
* Sandy Clifford
* Marcus Solomon

### Major Indigenous contributors 2014

[edit]

Indigenous contributors on series 2 included:[8]

* Sharyn Derschow – Co-founder Linkidge Cross Communication Training Company
* Margaret Gudumurrkuwuy – Elcho Island Arts
* Marmingee Hand – School Teacher & Foster Carer for F.A.S.D children
* Marcus Lacey – traditional owner, Teacher & Tourist Business Operator
* Debra Maidment – Safe & Sober Support Service Program, Central Australia Aboriginal Congress
* Victor Morgan – Senior Educator, Education Centre Against Violence & Chair Link-Up NSW
* June Oscar AO – CEO Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre
* Emily Carter – Deputy CEO Marninwarntikura Women's Resource Centre
* Shane Phillips – CEO Tribal Warrior & Local Australian of the Year 2013
* Geraldine Stewart – Yipirinya School HIPPY Coordinator
* Tangentyere Council Night Patrol

### Participants 2016

[edit]

Participants in the second series were:[9]

* Natalie Imbruglia
* Ian Dickson
* David Oldfield
* Tom Ballard
* Renae Ayris
* Nicki Wendt

## Production

[edit]

Marcus Lacey in Nyinyikay in the Northern Territory

First Contact was filmed and set in New South Wales,[citation needed] home to the largest Indigenous Australian population of any state/territory, the Northern Territory, where Indigenous Australians make up a higher percentage of the population than in any other state or territory and Western Australia.[10][11]

Darren Dale of Blackfella Films produced both series, while Jacob Hickey was series producer and writer for both. Rachel Perkins was executive producer on the first series, while Ronan Sharkey and Dora Weekley directed.[8] Jacob Hickey was executive producer on the second series, while David Grusovin and Bruce Permezel directed.[9]

## Broadcast

[edit]

First Contact aired on SBS One, SBS Two, and NITV, from 18 November 2014.[12][13]

## Discussion

[edit]

After the first series aired, First Contact was the topic of an Insight episode, hosted by Stan Grant and featuring a discussion involving many of the people who were involved in the show.[14][15]

## Series overview

[edit]

No.  | Original air  | Consolidated Australian viewers (Mainland Capitals)

|
|

1  | 18 November 2014  | 508,000[12]
2  | 19 November 2014  | 401,000[16]
3  | 20 November 2014  | 452,000[17]

The show is estimated to have had a cumulative reach of 1,847,000 Australian viewers.[18]

Season  | Episodes  | Originally aired  | DVD release  | DVD features

|
|
|
|

Season premiere | Season finale | Region 4 | \+
| 1 | 10  | 18 November 2014  | 20 November 2014  | 3 December 2014[1] |

* Single Disc
* Running time: 156 minutes[1]

## Episodes

[edit]

### Season 1 (2014)

[edit]

No.  | Title  | Directed by  | Original air date

|
|
|

1| "Episode 1"| Ronan Sharkey and Dora Weekley| 18 November 2014 (2014-11-18)
2| "Episode 2"| Ronan Sharkey and Dora Weekley| 19 November 2014 (2014-11-19)
3| "Episode 3"| Ronan Sharkey and Dora Weekley| 20 November 2014 (2014-11-20)

### Season 2 (2016)

[edit]

No.  | Title  | Directed by  | Original air date

|
|
|

4| "Episode 1"| David Grusovin and Bruce Permezel| 18 November 2016 (2016-11-18)
5| "Episode 2"| David Grusovin and Bruce Permezel| 30 November 2016 (2016-11-30)
6| "Episode 3"| David Grusovin and Bruce Permezel| 1 December 2016 (2016-12-01)

## Adaptations

[edit]

The series was adapted for Canadian television by APTN, which premiered First Contact in 2018.[19]

## See also

[edit]

* Go Back to Where You Came From
* Filthy Rich and Homeless

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "First Contact". ABC. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
2. ^ Galvin, Nick. "In First Contact, Ray Martin explores his Aboriginal ancestry and passion for photography". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
3. ^ "First Contact (DVD / Digital Download)". SBS. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
4. ^ Galvin, Nick (21 November 2014). "Ten things we learnt from First Contact". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
5. ^ Johnston QC, Elliott (30 March 1991). "Royal Commission Into Aboriginal Death In Custody Report of the Inquiry Into The Death of John Peter Pat". Deaths in Custody Watch Committee WA. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
6. ^ Grabosky, P N. "Chapter 5: An Aboriginal death in custody : the case of John Pat". Australian Institute of Criminology. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
7. ^ "Aboriginal/Police Relations in the Pilbara: A study of perceptions" (PDF). Criminology Research Council. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
8. ^ a b c "First Contact 1". Blackfella Films. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
9. ^ a b "FIRST CONTACT 2". Blackfella Films. 17 September 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
10. ^ "4705.0 - Population Distribution, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2006". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 15 August 2007. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
11. ^ "3238.0.55.001 - Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, June 2011". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 30 August 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
12. ^ a b "Tuesday 18th November 2014". Media Spy. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
13. ^ "About First Contact". NITV. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
14. ^ Knox, David (22 November 2014). "SBS lets down the audience after First Contact no-show". TV Tonight. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
15. ^ Galvin, Nick (20 November 2014). "First Contact Insight special: Sandy 'couldn't be here tonight' after furore over racist comments". TV Tonight. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
16. ^ "Wednesday 19th November 2014". Media Spy. 20 November 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
17. ^ "Thursday 20th November 2014". Media Spy. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
18. ^ "'Racist' Australians hard to crack after reality show First Contact has mixed success". News Limited. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
19. ^ "‘First Contact’: TV docuseries seeks to shatter Indigenous Canadian stereotypes". Global News, 12 September 2018.

## External links

[edit]

* First Contact at IMDb
* Official website (archived)
* "SBS's First Contact is the real 'festering sore' of the nation", by Chelsea Watego on The Conversation, 1 November 2014

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