Don't miss Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky - airing on NITV and SBSVICELAND on Thursday August 20 at 8.30pm.
A fresh, funny and provocative look at the Cook legend from a First Nations’ perspective. we debunk the myth Cook “discovered” Australia. Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky features a specially created songline that travels across the country. The film creates a songline for 21st century Australia – of spirituality, connection to country, resistance and survival.
The film features outstanding music producer Daniel Rankine P.K.A. Trials (founding member of A.B. Original) as well as singer/songwriters Mo’Ju, Alice Skye, Kev Carmody, Birdz, Fred Leone and Mau Power, a diverse group of performers known for their powerful music and political voice.
The weaver of the story is outstanding poet and performer – Steven Oliver. He connects the songline as he travels the land interrogating Cook’s legacy, and revealing Indigenous perspectives of the mysterious Cooky. His question – in the year 2020, does Australia have a blurred history of Cook? Check out a sneak peek of the film in the trailer.
Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky and Encounters 2020
To mark the 250th anniversary of Cook charting the east coast of Australia the Australian National Maritime Museum developed a program entitled Encounters 2020.
The aim of the program was to investigate this historic event from the dual perspectives of ‘from the ship’ and ‘from the shore’ and in doing so, to present a balanced view by providing opportunities for the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to be heard.
The museum from the outset wanted to make a film capturing the view from the shore and following a selection process co-producers Tamarind Tree Pictures (NT) and Roar Film (TAS) were selected.
Subsequently the film Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky was created, with the museum as principal investor.
Alison Page, Councillor of the museum sat down with Steven Oliver to discuss his journey with the film, the cultural importance of music to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, using music to tell stories and how we might view the subject of Cook 250 years on.
What can we learn from looking at this topic with new eyes and from different perspectives? Watch below.
If you missed the original screening or would like to watch it again, you can still catch Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky on SBS On Demand until Saturday 19 September 2020.