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50-756: Rabbit-Proof Fence is a 2002 Australian epic drama film directed and produced by Phillip Noyce . It was based on the 1996 book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington Garimara , an Aboriginal Australian author. It is loosely based on the author's mother Molly Craig , aunt Daisy Kadibil , and cousin Gracie, who escaped from the Moore River Native Settlement , north of Perth , Western Australia, to return to their Aboriginal families. They had been removed from their families and placed there in 1931. The film follows

100-400: A bus as transport to and from the school for the students. The indigenous language of the area is Martu Wangka dialect , however most students speak Aboriginal English . An early mining settlement of Lake Way Gold, named after the dry Lake Way south of Wiluna, established around 1896, was called Weeloona , derived from an Aboriginal word meaning Place of wind or Windy place . However,

150-406: A danger to themselves, and the "half-castes" must be bred out of existence. He plans to place the girls in a camp where they, along with all half-castes of that age range, both boys and girls, will grow up. They would be trained to work as labourers and servants to white families, which were regarded as "good" situations for them in life. It was assumed that they would marry whites, and so on through

200-515: A fence gate on the Millbillillie -Jundee track 11 km (6.8 mi) from Wiluna when they witnessed a bright fireball falling into spinifex ( Triodia ) grassland to the north. The debris from this meteor became known as the Millbillillie meteorite and is understood to be pieces of the asteroid Vesta that had at some point been knocked off by a collision in the asteroid belt . Although no official specimens were recovered until 1970 it

250-400: A general store, petrol, caravan park, sports oval, public swimming pool, school, and health clinic. Local water holes are much damaged and overused after years of cattle use. During the wet season , large lakes may form that attract an array of wildlife. The region has snakes, kangaroos , bungarras (large lizard/goanna), bush turkeys , donkeys , horses, camels and dingoes . Willuna

300-572: A massive scale. Biographical films may be less lavish versions of this genre. They often have a Roadshow theatrical release and are often shot on 70 mm film . Many writers may refer to any film that is "long" (over two hours) as an epic, making the definition epic a matter of dispute, and raise questions as to whether it is a "genre" at all. As Roger Ebert put it, in his "Great Movies" article on Lawrence of Arabia : The word epic in recent years has become synonymous with big-budget B picture . What you realize watching Lawrence of Arabia

350-599: A thousand miles away in Perth , the official Protector of Western Australian Aborigines , A. O. Neville (called Mr. Devil by them), signs an order to relocate the three girls to the Moore River Native Settlement. The children are referred to by Neville as " half-castes ", because they each have Aboriginal mothers and white fathers. Neville had concluded that the Aboriginal people of Australia were

400-402: A train station. They are not reunited, however, as Riggs appears and Gracie is recaptured. The betrayal is revealed by Riggs, who tells the man he will receive a shilling for his help. Knowing they are powerless to aid her, Molly and Daisy continue their journey. In the end, after a nine-week journey through the harsh Australian outback, having walked the 1,600 km (990 mi) route along

450-598: Is home to VMW, a marine weather transmitter operated by the Bureau of Meteorology . Parts of the unsealed and flood-prone road between Wiluna and Meekatharra are as of July 2020 being sealed, as part of a pilot program in which the Government of Western Australia provided A$ 1 million for road work contractors in collaboration with the Martu-ku Yiwarra Training Centre. The Wiluna area

500-485: Is that the word epic refers not to the cost or the elaborate production, but to the size of the ideas and vision. Werner Herzog's Aguirre: The Wrath of God didn't cost as much as the catering in Pearl Harbor , but it is an epic, and Pearl Harbor is not. The epic is among the oldest of film genres, with one early notable example being Giovanni Pastrone 's Cabiria , a two-and-a-half hour silent film about

550-540: Is understood that members of the local Aboriginal community had collected pieces. Another meteorite fall was recorded near Wiluna on 2 September 1967. This meteorite was a H5 -class object; specimens were collected and housed in the Western Australian Museum . Wiluna Remote Community School is a school that provides education for students from year 1–12, currently having a student population of between 85 and 115 students. The school provides

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600-685: The Lake Maitland uranium project and the Lake Way uranium project both owned by Toro Energy Ltd, and the Yeelirrie uranium project which BHP Billiton sold to Cameco . All three are located within 100 km (62 mi) of Wiluna. All three projects were opposed by environmental groups and some local people. Yeelirrie is most fiercely opposed, with over 40 years of clear opposition from traditional owners . In October 1960, two station workers named Fred Vincenti and Frank Quadrio were opening

650-564: The Punic Wars , which laid the groundwork for the subsequent silent epics of D. W. Griffith . The genre reached a peak of popularity in the early 1960s, when Hollywood frequently collaborated with foreign film studios (such as Rome's Cinecittà ) to use relatively exotic locations in Spain, Morocco and elsewhere for the production of epic films such as El Cid (1961) or Lawrence of Arabia (1962). The genre soon spread to other regions of

700-505: The Stolen Generations . Eric Abetz , a government minister, announced the publication of a leaflet criticising the film's portrayal of the treatment of Indigenous Australians, and demanded an apology from the filmmakers. Director Phillip Noyce suggested that instead the government should apologise to the numerous Indigenous people affected by the removal policy. Conservative commentators, such as Andrew Bolt , also attacked

750-689: The Wiluna Gold Mine , and many more people who work on other mines in the area on a " fly-in/fly-out " basis. Wiluna's climate is hot and dry, with an annual rainfall of 258 mm (10.2 in). Mean maximum temperatures range from 19 °C (66 °F) in July, to 38 °C (100 °F) in January. The closest service centre is in Meekatharra . Wiluna has from 200 to 600 Aboriginal people living within its community, depending upon

800-482: The " Stolen Generations ". The soundtrack to the film, called Long Walk Home: Music from the Rabbit-Proof Fence , is by English singer and songwriter Peter Gabriel . British producer Jeremy Thomas , who has a long connection with Australia, was executive producer of the film. He sold it internationally through his company HanWay Films . In 2005 the British Film Institute included this film in

850-643: The "epic" film, encompassing such examples as Ben-Hur , Gone with the Wind and more recently, 300 and the Star Wars films [...] none of these comes from literary epics per se , and there is little that links them with one another. Among those who espouse film genre studies, epic is one of the most despised and ignored genres". Finally, although the American Movie Channel formally defines epic films as historical films, they nonetheless state

900-542: The Aboriginal girls as they walk for nine weeks along 1,600 km (990 mi) of the Australian rabbit-proof fence to return to their community at Jigalong . They were pursued by white law enforcement officials and an Aboriginal tracker . The film explores the official child removal policy that existed in Australia between approximately 1905 and 1967. Its victims, who were taken from their families, now are called

950-522: The Aboriginal residents and visitors. The existence of an historical Club Hotel, a dilapidated relic of the town's former heyday, created much conflict with many people opposed to its presence as an operating pub arising from the conflict and trauma associated with alcohol abuse. In 2019, a major renovation converted the Club Hotel into the Shire of Wiluna administration buildings. The town also has

1000-554: The BFI list of the "50 films one should see by the age of 14." In 1931, two sisters – 14-year-old Molly and 8-year-old Daisy – and their 10-year-old cousin Gracie are living in the Western Australian town of Jigalong . The town lies along the northern part of one of the fences making up Australia 's rabbit-proof fence (called Number One Fence), which runs for over one thousand miles. More than

1050-592: The Wind is the highest-grossing film ever, with two other romantic epics ( Titanic and Doctor Zhivago ) also featuring among the global top ten. So far the most Academy Awards ever won by a single film stands at eleven. This feat has only been achieved by three films: Ben-Hur (1959), Titanic (1997) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), all of which are above three hours long and considered epic films. The previous record holder

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1100-586: The Wintamarra Tree (2002). Stills photographs in the film were made by well-known Aboriginal Australian photographer Mervyn Bishop . His work is held at the National Portrait Gallery of Australia. The film stirred controversy in Australia relating to the government's historical policy of removing mixed-race Aboriginal children from their families in Aboriginal communities and placing them in state institutions. They became known as

1150-532: The basis of their enormous scope and the sweeping panorama of their settings such as How the West Was Won or East of Eden that do not have the typical substance of classical epics but are directed in an epic style. When described as "epic" because of content, an epic movie is often set during a time of war or other societal crisis, while usually covering a longer span of time sometimes throughout entire generations coming and passing away, in terms of both

1200-418: The camp's rules. Attempts at escape are also harshly punished. During an impending thunderstorm that will help cover their tracks, Molly convinces the girls to escape and return to their home. During their flight, the girls are relentlessly pursued by Moodoo, an Aboriginal tracker from the camp. They eventually find their way back to the rabbit-proof fence, which will lead them toward their home. They follow

1250-429: The claims were a distortion of history. The film received positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes 's score is 88% based on 145 reviews. The site's Critics' Consensus states, "Visually beautiful and well-acted, Rabbit-Proof Fence tells a compelling true-life story". On Metacritic the film has a score of 80 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews". David Stratton of SBS awarded

1300-543: The community. The former Governor-General of Australia , Major General Michael Jeffery was born in Wiluna on 12 December 1937. A new primary school was constructed in Wiluna after Jeffery visited the town in 2006 and criticised the condition of the existing school. Warri and Yatungka were a famous Aboriginal couple who died in Wiluna in 1979. They were the last of the Mandildjara people to leave their country and

1350-449: The epic film may be combined with the genre of science-fiction and cite Star Wars as an example. Stylistically, films classed as epic usually employ spectacular settings and specially designed costumes, often accompanied by a sweeping musical score, and an ensemble cast of bankable stars . Epics are usually among the most expensive of films to produce. They often use on-location filming, authentic period costumes , and action scenes on

1400-426: The epic is often credited to their ability to appeal to a wide audience. Several of the highest-grossing films of all-time have been epics. James Cameron 's 1997 film Titanic , which is cited as helping to revive the genre, grossed $ 1.8 billion at cinemas worldwide to become the highest-grossing film—a record it held for twelve years. If inflation is taken into account, then the historical romantic epic Gone with

1450-402: The events depicted and the running time of the film. Such films usually have a historical setting, although speculative fiction (i.e. fantasy or science fiction ) settings have become common in recent decades. The central conflict of the film is usually seen as having far-reaching effects, often changing the course of history. The main characters' actions are often central to the resolution of

1500-423: The fact that it was based in events that were "demonstrably true" and well-documented. However, the filmmaker said that the film was meant primarily as a drama rather than a political or historical statement. Noyce said, "If drama comes from conflict, there's no greater conflict in Australian history than the conflict between Indigenous Australians and white settlers." The historian Keith Windschuttle also disputed

1550-444: The fence for months, just barely escaping capture several times. Neville spreads word that Gracie's mother is waiting for her in the town of Wiluna . The information finds its way to an Aboriginal traveller who "helps" the girls. He tells Gracie about her mother and says they can get to Wiluna by train, causing her to leave the other two girls in an attempt to catch a train to Wiluna. Molly and Daisy soon walk after her and find her at

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1600-522: The fence, the two sisters return home and go into hiding in the desert with their mother and grandmother. Meanwhile, Neville realizes he can no longer afford the search for Molly and Daisy, and decides to end it. The film's epilogue shows recent footage of Molly and Daisy. Molly explains that Gracie died before she could ever return to Jigalong. Molly says that she had two daughters. She and they were taken from Jigalong back to Moore River. She managed to escape with one daughter, her young Annabelle. She carried

1650-625: The film four stars out of five, commenting that Rabbit-Proof Fence is a "bold and timely film about the stolen generations." Rabbit-Proof Fence grossed $ 16.2 million worldwide, including $ 3.8 million in Australia. Epic film Epic historical films would usually take a historical or a mythical event and add an extravagant setting, lavish costumes, an expansive musical score , and an ensemble cast , which would make them extremely expensive to produce. The most common subjects of epic films are royalty and important figures from various periods in world history. The term "epic" originally came from

1700-454: The film's depiction of events. In his work The Fabrication of Aboriginal History , he wrote that Molly and the two other girls had been removed for their own welfare, and that the two older girls had been sexually involved with white men. Noyce and Olsen rejected these criticisms, stating that Windschuttle's research was incomplete. Pilkington Garimara denied Windschuttle's claims of sexual activity between her mother and local whites, stating that

1750-599: The generations, so that eventually the Aboriginal "blood" would diminish in society. The three girls are forcibly taken from their families at Jigalong by a local constable, Riggs. They were sent to the camp at the Moore River Native Settlement , in the south west, about 90 km (55 miles) north of Perth. While at the camp, the girls are housed in a large dormitory with dozens of other children, where they are strictly regimented by nuns. They are prohibited from speaking their native language, forced to pray as Christians, and subject to corporal punishment for any infractions of

1800-528: The girl much of the way along the length of the fence back home. However, when Annabelle was three years old, she was taken away once more. Molly never saw her again. In closing, Molly says that she and Daisy "... are never going back to that place". The film is adapted from the book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence , by Doris Pilkington Garimara , an Aboriginal Australian. It is the second book of her trilogy documenting her family's stories. The other two books are Caprice: A Stockman’s Daughter (1991) and Under

1850-403: The historical accuracy of the film. Bolt criticised the numerous disparities between the film and Pilkington Garimara's novel. This angered the author, who said that Bolt had misquoted her. The academic Robert Manne in turn accused Bolt of historical denialism. Screenwriter Christine Olsen wrote a detailed response to Bolt's claims. Olsen attributed the angry response among some of the public to

1900-482: The hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Their Romeo and Juliet -like story was recorded in the best-selling book The Last of the Nomads by Dr W J Peasley. This story is recounted as Peasley, organising the expedition, although it was Stan Gratte of Geraldton (OAM) who organised this party to recover them when urged by Warri's brother Moodjeren, who was concerned, due to old age and the lack of young people who would normally assist

1950-517: The issuing of pastoral leases , the discovery of gold and the influx of non-Aboriginal people onto their lands. Before and after the atomic nuclear testing near Maralinga in South Australia in the 1950s, many Aboriginal people from at least three different tribal and language groups were forced to live within the mission site. This created many conflicts and the legacy continues today. Much traditional knowledge and skill exists today amongst

2000-536: The name is also sometimes claimed to come from the cry of the curlew , which is frequent in the area. Wiluna experiences a desert climate ( Köppen climate classification BWh ), though like most of inland Western Australia it has seen its rainfall increase by around 40 percent since 1967 . The heaviest rainfall, however, was associated with the April 1900 floods when the town received 527.1 mm (20.75 in), two-and-half-times its normal annual rainfall. Wiluna

2050-615: The nature, time and place of the traditional law ceremonies across the Central Desert region. The traditional Aboriginal owners (a grouping known as the Martu ) were "settled" as a consequence of the British colonisation process that began in the 1800s. In the 1950s a church-based group were supported by the government of the day to establish a mission. The traditional people lost their lands through many different processes, including

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2100-676: The poetic genre exemplified by such works as the Epic of Gilgamesh and the works of the Trojan War Cycle . In classical literature, epics are considered works focused on deeds or journeys of heroes upon which the fate of many people depends. Similarly, films described as "epic" typically take a historical character, or a mythic heroic figure. Common subjects of epics are royalty , gladiators , great military leaders, or leading personalities from various periods in world history. However, there are some films described as "epic" almost solely on

2150-399: The population had fallen to less than 100. Gold mining resumed in the area in 1981. The closest mine site to town is the Wiluna Gold Mine , approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) south of Wiluna. The mine is operated by Wiluna Mining Corporation and currently produces gold from re-processing of legacy mine tailings. Yeleeri site, located 100 km (62 mi) south has uranium ore , and

2200-456: The region boasts much mineral wealth. The Paroo Station lead carbonate open pit mine is located 30 km (19 mi) west of Wiluna. As of January 2015 it was being placed into care and maintenance due to low global prices for lead. Wiluna and the Mid-West region are the site of Western Australia's most advanced uranium mining projects. Three projects are in the approval process, with

2250-474: The societal conflict. In its classification of films by genre, the American Film Institute limits the genre to historical films such as Ben-Hur . However, film scholars such as Constantine Santas are willing to extend the label to science-fiction films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Wars . Lynn Ramey suggests that "Surely one of the hardest film genres to define is that of

2300-627: The world, such as India where it's flourishing Bollywood industry produced the landmark Mughal-E Azam (1960), which is widely considered as one of the greatest films of all time and a milestone in Asian epics. This boom period of international co-productions is generally considered to have ended with Cleopatra (1963), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) and Doctor Zhivago (1965). Nevertheless, films in this genre continued to appear, with one notable example being War and Peace , which

2350-624: Was Gone with the Wind (1939), also an epic, with ten awards. Wiluna, Western Australia Wiluna is a small town in the Goldfields-Esperance region (since 2021) of Western Australia . It is situated on the edge of the Western Desert at the gateway to the Canning Stock Route and Gunbarrel Highway . It is the service centre of the local area for the local Martu people , the pastoral industry,

2400-478: Was explored by Lawrence Wells in 1892. Gold was discovered in the area in 1896, and within a few months over 300 prospectors were in the area. The town of Wiluna was gazetted in 1898, the name Wiluna being the Wati (Aboriginal language) name for the area. By the 1930s, the town had a population of over 9,000 people, but World War II severely affected the gold mining industry, and many mines were shut down. By 1963

2450-448: Was released in the former Soviet Union during 1967–1968. Epic films continue to be produced, although since the development of CGI they typically use computer effects instead of an actual cast of thousands. Since the 1950s, such films have regularly been shot with a wide aspect ratio for a more immersive and panoramic theatrical experience. Epic films were recognized in a montage at the 2006 Academy Awards . The enduring popularity of

2500-561: Was the furthest away from Perth that the narrow gauge Western Australian Government Railways system reached. The Wiluna branch was connected to the main Northern Railway at Meekatharra . The branch opened to Wiluna on 2 November 1932. The line was closed on 5 August 1957. The Indigenous people who have always lived in the region come from different tribal groups. Accomplished hunters, crafts people, pastoralists, bush mechanics and people with many other skills exist today within

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