Until the age of 9, Rosalie Kunoth-Monks (1937–2022) lived on remote Utopia Station in the Northern Territory where she learnt the Aboriginal laws of her tribe, the Amatjere people.

The Star Theatre in Darwin at night.

Until the age of 9, Rosalie Kunoth-Monks (1937–2022) lived on remote Utopia Station in the Northern Territory where she learnt the Aboriginal laws of her tribe, the Amatjere (Anmatyerre) people.

In this scene, Jedda (Rosalie Kunoth-Monks) sits and begins to play the piano in a European style.

Until the age of nine, Rosalie Kunoth-Monks lived on remote Utopia Station in the Northern Territory where she learnt the Aboriginal laws of her tribe, the Anmatjere people.

The infant Jedda, snuggled in a coolomon, is carried into the squatters’ kitchen.

Jedda (Ngarla Kunoth), sitting by an open window, gazes out dreamily. Her adoptive mother (Betty Suttor), eventually comes to stand by her side.

Marbuck (Robert Tudawali) and Jedda (Ngarla Kunoth) are in a cave. Marbuck, gradually losing his mind, begins to hallucinate.

On 3 January 1955 the Star Picture Theatre became part of Australian film history when it screened the world premiere of Jedda.

Jedda (1955) is Charles Chauvel’s last film and is historic both for being the first colour feature film made in Australia, but more importantly, because it is arguably the first Australian film to take the emotional lives of Aboriginal people seriously.