Progressive Cinema: The Lake of Scars

Progressive Cinema presents
Story told by Uncle Jack Charles
Music by Jida Gulpilil

at 6pm on Wednesday, 26 July, 2023,
at The Armidale Playhouse.

An ancient site, a ticking clock, and the unlikely allies calling for change.

The Lake of Scars is a feature-length documentary from director Bill Code, produced on Dja Dja Wurrung country, with members of the Yung Balug clan, in the Australian state of Victoria. It is a story of allyship and reconciliation at a place unlike anywhere else in Australia. One of astounding beauty and rare cultural, archaeological and environmental significance, the scarred trees found here are being degraded on an annual basis. One ageing farmer has spent decades identifying and caring for the scar trees and middens which dot the country, working with members of Yung Balug clan. As the clock ticks, an unlikely partnership could see it saved for future generations. The Lake of Scars is a story  of environment and heritage, water and culture. It is a story of generational change and an example of reconciliation between white and black Australians, with the highs and the lows.

This film started production in 2015, first with local farmer and custodian Paul Haw and Yung Balug elders Uncle Gary Wryker Milloo Murray (executive producer) and Uncle Bobby Nicholls. Principal photography was completed in 2020. With distinct impact goals, this film is seeking to change the way Australians think about heritage, the environment, water, and the cultures which weave a path through them.

The Lake of Scars has received support from the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council via an auspicing agreement with the Dja Dja Wurrung Corporation, Eucalypts Australia, the Australian Communities Foundation and many others. The team is seeking funding to complete its marketing, educational and impact campaign. With your help, we can make a change – a tax-deductible donation can be made within Australia at Documentary Australia.

“Deeply moving, evocative and beautiful.”
Paul Daley, author and Guardian journalist
“An essential story to all wanting to know more of this Land…a fabulous film”
Lisa Jackson Pulver, deputy Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Strategy, University of Sydney
“Simply a must-see documentary.”
Cinema Australia

Entry free, donations welcome to pay rent to the Armidale Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place as well as the licence fee for the film and the fee for hiring the venue.