Movies

Araatika! Rise Up (The Fight Together)

Synopsis

Araatika! Rise Up follows Dean Widders’ personal journey to share his culture with the world.

In 2012, a group of First Nations NRL players, including Dean Widders, Preston Campbell, Timana Tahu and George Rose, with help from dancer and choreographer Sean Choolburra, came together to develop a pre-game ceremony that would be a response to New Zealand’s much loved, universally recognised and hugely respected Haka.

Rather than simply taking an existing dance, the players came up with a series of movements that reflected cultural symbols – the clan, the warrior, the boomerang, the spear. They concluded their new dance with a moment of reflection – to them, this emphasised that the silences are just as important, or even more important, than the spoken words.

The film also follows Widders' own personal family story and features interviews with his mother and father.

Trailer

Details

Cast
Dean Widders
Sean Choolburra
Stephen Page
Stan Grant
Adam Goodes
Michael O'Loughlin
Release dates
11 August 2021 - Melbourne International Film Festival (premiere)
26 January 2022 - Premiere on TV (NITV and SBS)
Video/DVD release date
2 February 2022
Rating
MA 15+ - Mature accompanied

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Cite this page

Korff, J 2022, Araatika! Rise Up (The Fight Together), <https://stage.creativespirits.info/resources/movies/araatika-rise-up-the-fight-together>, retrieved 8 December 2024

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