A David vs. Goliath documentary on Yidinji activist Henrietta Marrie AM, who reformed the Australian Government and UN to benefit Indigenous people. Now, she takes on the British Museum, fighting to reclaim her family’s stolen artefacts and seeking justice for Indigenous cultural heritage.
First Nations women in the spotlight at AFF 2026
First Nations women in the spotlight at AFF 2026
From career-defining achievements and cultural leadership to powerful stories brought to the big screen, First Nations women have been at the centre of some of Adelaide Film Festival 2026's most significant moments.
This year, AFF has recognised Leah Purcell AM and Karina Lester through major awards, celebrated the extraordinary advocacy of Henrietta Fourmile Marrie AM through the World Premiere of Bukal Bukal, and welcomed audiences to four sold-out screenings of Tracey Rigney's KUMARANGK: Sacred Women's Business.
As the Festival enters its final days, we're reflecting on the women and stories being celebrated, with more opportunities to experience First Nations storytelling on screen and in conversation.
Leah Purcell AM receives the Don Dunstan Award
Acclaimed actor, writer, director and producer Leah Purcell AM is the recipient of the AFF 2026 Don Dunstan Award, presented annually by the Adelaide Film Festival Board to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to Australian screen culture.
A proud Goa-Gunggari-Wakka Wakka Murri woman from Queensland, Purcell has built an extraordinary career across film, television and theatre, bringing First Nations stories and perspectives to audiences in Australia and internationally.
Her debut feature as writer, director, producer and lead actor, The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson, premiered at SXSW in 2021. The story has also found life on stage, with The Drover's Wife – The Opera premiering at QPAC in Brisbane in 2025 before a Sydney Opera House season in August 2026.
Her extensive screen credits include The Last Cab to Darwin, Lantana, Jindabyne, Redfern Now, Wentworth and The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.
Reflecting on receiving the award, Purcell acknowledged the legacy of Don Dunstan and the filmmakers who have been recognised before her:
"I am immensely proud of this award; it is right up there with anything I've ever achieved or done in my career thus far."
Presented in partnership with Adelaide University, the award was celebrated with a special conversation between Purcell and Wesley Enoch AM, a proud Quandamooka man, celebrated playwright and artistic director, on Sunday 18 October, exploring her work and contribution to Australian screen culture.
Henrietta Fourmile Marrie AM and the World Premiere of Bukal Bukal
This Saturday 24 October, AFF heads to the banks of the Port River for the World Premiere of Bukal Bukal, a documentary celebrating the life and work of Henrietta Fourmile Marrie AM.
A Yidinji woman, cultural leader and activist, Henrietta has spent decades advocating for First Nations rights, cultural heritage and the protection of Indigenous knowledge. Her work has helped transform the way governments, corporations and international institutions engage with First Nations peoples, land and culture.
Directed by the late Rhoda Roberts AO and Pauline Clague, Bukal Bukal follows Henrietta's extraordinary journey, including her efforts to reclaim cultural artefacts held by the British Museum and seek justice for First Nations cultural heritage.
The World Premiere will be part of a special gathering at Yitpi Yartapuultiku, held in collaboration with AFF's (Port) Adelaide Film Festival program. Henrietta and co-director Pauline Clague will join audiences for an evening of film and campfire yarns beside the Port River.
With conversations around the fire, food trucks and a chance to gather together, this is a different kind of Festival experience, bringing audiences closer to the people and stories at its heart.
Saturday 24 October | Yitpi Yartapuultiku, Port Adelaide
Free event. Bring a picnic rug or camp chair.
Explore Bukal Bukal and register
Karina Lester recognised with the Bettison & James Award
Karina Lester, a Yankunytjatjara Anangu woman, language expert and anti-nuclear advocate, is the recipient of the 2026 Bettison & James Award.
Administered by Adelaide Film Festival on behalf of the Jim Bettison and Helen James Foundation, the $50,000 award recognises an individual whose exceptional lifelong contribution has benefited the Australian community, across fields including the arts, humanities, science, social justice and the environment.
Karina grew up in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands (APY Lands) in South Australia's far northwest, learning her language through her father's people. Today, she is committed to maintaining and revitalising First Nations languages for future generations.
As Aboriginal Co-Manager and Senior Aboriginal Language Expert with Adelaide University's Mobile Language Team, she supports language revival and the continued use of First Nations languages across South Australia.
Karina is also a leading voice in anti-nuclear advocacy, continuing to share the experiences of communities affected by Britain's nuclear testing in Australia.
Her father, Yami Lester, witnessed the effects of the 1953 Emu Field nuclear tests as a child. Karina has carried forward his story, alongside that of her grandmother and other family members, ensuring these experiences remain part of Australia's historical record.
Audiences can hear from Karina on the Festival's final day, when she joins Simone Tur in conversation following a screening of Britain's Nuclear Bomb Scandal: Our Story (2024).
The documentary and conversation offer an opportunity to learn more about the lasting consequences of nuclear testing and the communities who continue to seek recognition and accountability.
Sunday 25 October | The Mercury
Screening at 12:00 pm, followed by Karina Lester in conversation at 1:15 pm.
Learn more about the Bettison & James Award
KUMARANGK: Sacred Women's Business — four sold-out screenings and an encore
Directed by Ngarrindjeri/Wotjobaluk filmmaker Tracey Rigney, the documentary revisits the Hindmarsh Island bridge affair, a defining chapter in South Australian history that placed Ngarrindjeri women's cultural knowledge at the centre of a national political and legal controversy.
Through interviews and archival footage from the 1980s and 1990s, the film returns to the people, places and events behind the headlines, centring the perspectives of Ngarrindjeri women whose knowledge, experiences and connection to Country were too often questioned or dismissed.
KUMARANGK: Sacred Women's Business reveals the island as a living place of cultural significance, where stories, ceremony and generations of knowledge remain deeply connected to Country.
Produced by Ngarrindjeri filmmaker Joshua Trevorrow and Carolyn Johnson, the documentary was co-produced by Country Arts SA and forms part of a wider Kumarangk project encompassing film, exhibition and live performance.
The response at AFF has been extraordinary, with all four Festival screenings selling out.
For audiences who missed out, another opportunity is on the way. A fifth screening has been added as part of AFF's Encore Screenings, bringing the documentary back to the big screen after the Festival's official Closing Night.
Thursday 29 October, 6:00 pm | Encore Screening
More stories to experience at AFF
From the achievements of Leah Purcell AM and Karina Lester to Henrietta Fourmile Marrie's advocacy and the voices of Ngarrindjeri women in KUMARANGK: Sacred Women's Business, AFF 2026 has offered many opportunities to celebrate First Nations women and engage with their stories.
With the World Premiere of Bukal Bukal, Karina Lester's conversation and the upcoming KUMARANGK: Sacred Women's Business Encore Screening, there are still opportunities to hear these stories, join the conversations and experience First Nations filmmaking on the big screen.
Bukal Bukal
A David vs. Goliath documentary on Yidinji activist Henrietta Marrie AM, who reformed the Australian Government and UN to benefit Indigenous people. Now, she takes on the British Museum, fighting to reclaim her family’s stolen artefacts and seeking justice for Indigenous cultural heritage.
Bukal Bukal and campfire yarns at Yitpi Yartapuultiku is a free all ages event on the banks of the Port River. Bring your picnic blanket or camp chair and enjoy the world premiere of Bukal Bukal (screening at 7:30PM) and guests in conversation beside the fire.
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Bukal Bukal and campfire yarns at Yitpi Yartapuultiku
Bukal Bukal and campfire yarns at Yitpi Yartapuultiku is a free all ages event on the banks of the Port River. Bring your picnic blanket or camp chair and enjoy the world premiere of Bukal Bukal (screening at 7:30PM) and guests in conversation beside the fire.
The story of Britain's postwar atomic weapons programme and the devastating legacy for the thousands of service personnel who took part and the impact on their families and indigenous communities. This BBC Two film pieces together testimony and pioneering journalism - weaving chilling allegations of decades of cover up at the heart of government with the shattering human cost of Britain’s race to become a global nuclear power.
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Britain's Nuclear Bomb Scandal: Our Story
The story of Britain's postwar atomic weapons programme and the devastating legacy for the thousands of service personnel who took part and the impact on their families and indigenous communities. This BBC Two film pieces together testimony and pioneering journalism - weaving chilling allegations of decades of cover up at the heart of government with the shattering human cost of Britain’s race to become a global nuclear power.
Through extraordinary interviews and richly textured archive, KUMARANGK: Sacred Women's Business restores humanity to one of Australia's most divisive cultural conflicts, returning the story to the women who lived it.
KUMARANGK: Sacred Women's Business
Through extraordinary interviews and richly textured archive, KUMARANGK: Sacred Women's Business restores humanity to one of Australia's most divisive cultural conflicts, returning the story to the women who lived it.