Australia l 2026 l English l Documentary | Unclassified MA15+ Followed by post-screening Q&A with members of the Facing the Numbers team. Continuing our regular series platforming new and recent Australian films, Facing the Numbers is a genre pushing film anthology that explores First Nations disadvantage in Australia’s justice system. First Nations people make up 3.8% of Australia’s population, yet account for more than 35% of the adult prison system. Grounded in truth-telling, Facing the Numbers showcases the remarkable strength and resilience of First Nations people who are still here protecting Country, culture and community. Highly acclaimed Aboriginal filmmakers Kieran Satour (Malngin, Pertame and Worimi) and Tyson Perkins (Arrernte & Kalkadoon) confront one of Australia’s most significant human rights failings, revealing the human stories behind the harrowing statistics of First Nations incarceration and deaths in custody. The anthology holds raw and cinematic recreations of lived experiences of Uncle Michael ‘Widdy’ Welsh (Wongaibon), Geoffrey Johnson (Wiradjuri), Kylie Hampton (Gurindji), Matthew Coe (Wiradjuri) and the family of Mark Mason Snr (Gomeroi). Their encounters with the justice system are reenacted creatively with dance sequences choreographed by Beau Dean Riley Smith unfolding against compelling compositions by Aboriginal musicians, from spoken word poetry by Dr Romaine Moreton and Kobie Dee to classics from Lajamanu Teenage Band and Vic Simms. Accomplished First Nations stars including Sherry Lee-Watson, Wesley Patten, Haylee Rivers, Luke Currie-Richardson, Pamela Young and Donald Mallard bring the stories to life alongside emerging talent. Viewer Advice: Contains themes of racial discrimination and instances of violence towards First Nations people. Presented by Sydney Opera House
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