The lack of diverse ethnic representation in film is not reflective of our current nation and society (FECCA 2017). One part to play in this is the way Anglo-Australians have dominated the film industry. Hage (as cited in Aquilia 2001, p. 104) argues that ‘white multiculturalists’ appropriate ‘non-white’ commodities to preserve a ‘white nation’ ideology. Aquilia (2001) argues against Hage, nodding to the film The Heartbreak Kid (1993) as which was produced by Anglo-Australian filmmakers with a non-Anglo main character, encouraging more multicultural representation in film.

 

I agree with Hage to a certain extent, white filmmakers do appropriate ethnic commodities. Appropriating in film can be from taking traditional knowledge to using folklore and religious symbols (Shriver as cited by Kassab 2019). In many ways, this has proven detrimental to Australia’s non-Anglo communities, especially in the case of Australian Muslims. Muslims are often portrayed as villains or taxi drivers in local and international films. Post-modern film research suggests perspective boundaries between what’s real in life and what’s represented in film, such that film participates in creating reality (Klocker & Stanes 2013). As was said by Ali in Ali’s Wedding (2017), “Hollywood always needs people like us to play terrorists.” As almost 80% of Australian Muslims have experienced discrimination based on their ethnicity and religion, misrepresentation in Australian film has played a role in this (AHRC 2021).

 

This is why I found Ali’s Wedding so refreshing. Ali’s Wedding is an ‘autobiographical’ Australian film by screenwriter, producer, and actor Osamah Sami. Sami is now credited with creating the first Australian Muslim rom-com, serving as a positive representation of Australian Muslims (Braithwait 2017). With universal themes of love, familial expectations and loss, Ali’s Wedding resonated with me and my family. It has a wide variety of Muslims, sharing the story of a community whose members have diverse views and personalities, no different than any other Australian community.

 

Australian cinema may be including more marginalised groups in cinema, however, they are often misrepresented (Klocker & Stanes 2013). As easy as it is to look back on older films and call them a product of their time, it’s still unfortunate it’s taken till the late 90s for better representation. However, as argued by Aquilia (2001, p. 105), increased multicultural presence in films will slowly offer more opportunities for more accurate ethnic representation. We are starting to see the effect of underrepresentation, encouraging young indie filmmakers to step forward (George 2015).

 

Even with a white director, Sami had a large part to play in this film and I believe this makes it an authentic Muslim film. It's very clearly a film saying ‘We’re no different than you’ without being overly political. In saying this, parts of the film did well to highlight the harsh reality of Australian migrants. An example of this is the interrogation scene, which lasted 26 hours in Sami’s real-life experience (Braithwaite 2022).

 

As a film with such a large Muslim presence and positive representation, it could be argued that multicultural stories should only be told by members of the represented ethnic community. But there aren’t currently many opportunities for these multicultural Australian filmmakers (George 2015). Critics suggest Australian cinema is still not open to many of our diverse ethnic groups, with the few representative multicultural characters often plagued by misrepresentation (Klocker & Stanes 2013, p. 2039). It creates an almost unbreakable loop of stereotypes and misrepresentation.

 

Many believe that local cinema industries, especially those that are publicly funded, should encourage greater tolerance by supporting multicultural films (George 2015). As Turkish-Australian writer and director Serhat Caradee (as cited in George 2015) says, emerging film creatives from other cultures have less opportunity, but when you open those opportunities, “it’s surprising what happens.”

 

But it should also be up to the dominant and current filmmakers in the industry to include multicultural Australians in the filmmaking process. Rolf de Heer is a Dutch-Australian film director who has tackled a variety of underrepresented Australian stories, most of which have been successful. De Heer directed the Indigenous film Ten Canoes (2006), which was co-directed by Peter Djigiri and Dance Me to My Song (1998) which was co-written with Heather Rose, a disability rights campaigner (Kassab 2019).

 

Similarly, Ali’s Wedding had a white director and some white producers, and yet the story still highlighted the diverse Australian Muslim community without playing into negative stereotypes. As such, I believe white multiculturalists can still tell these stories without pushing a ‘white nation’ agenda. The key thing is the importance of research and inclusion. As seen in the examples from de Heer, the inclusion of members, or educated parties, not only ensures proper representation but authentic characters. With more independent filmmakers stepping forward, more multicultural characters will be seen on screen, creating the space for more accurate and positive representation.

 

 

Reference list:

Australian Human Rights Commision (AHRC) 2021, Sharing the Stories of Australian Muslims, Australia, viewed 27 June 2022, <https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/race-discrimination/publications/sharing-stories-australian-muslims-2021>

 

Ali’s Wedding 2017, motion picture. Produced by Helen Panckhurst and Sheila Jayadev, directed by Jeffrey Walker, written by Andrew Knight and Osamah Sami.

 

Aquilia, P 2001, ‘Wog Drama and ‘White Multiculturalists’: The Role of Non Anglo-Australian Film and Television Drama in Shaping a National Identity’, p. 104-108.

 

Braithwaite, A 2022, ‘How Osamah Sami turned his life into Australian Muslim rom-com, 'Ali's Wedding'’, SBS Movies, 14 January, viewed 27 June 2022, <https://www.sbs.com.au/movies/article/2017/08/01/how-osamah-sami-turned-his-life-australian-muslim-rom-com-alis-wedding>

 

Dance Me to My Song 1998, motion picture. Directed by Rolf de Heer.

 

Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Council’s of Australia (FECCA) 2017, Inquiry into the Australian film and television industry Submission 78, Submission 78, Canberra, viewed 27 June 2022.

 

George, S 2015, ‘Do Australian Movies Really Reflect Our Multiculturalism?’, SBS Movies, 23 January, viewed 27 June 2022, <https://www.sbs.com.au/movies/article/2015/01/21/do-australian-movies-really-reflect-our-multiculturalism>

 

Kassab, J 2019, ‘Screen Diversity, Cultural Appropriation and Writing Responsibly’, Cinespace, web log post, 11 July, viewed 27 June 2022, <https://www.cinespace.org.au/post/screen-diversity-cultural-appropriation-and-writing-responsibly>

 

Klocker N & Stanes E 2013, ‘Reel love’ across ethnic boundaries? The extent and significance of inter-ethnic intimacy in Australian cinema’, Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol. 36, no. 12, p. 2035-2054.

The Heartbreak Kid 1993, motion picture. Produced by Ben Gannon, directed by Michael Jenkins.

Twelve Canoes 2009, motion picture. Directed by Rolf de Heer and Peter Djigirr.

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Disclaimer: This opinion post was done as an assignment for my elective Australian National Cinema (11141) Winter Term unit.