First Contact (Australian TV series) explained

Genre:Reality television
Documentary
Director:Ronan Sharkey
Dora Weekley
Presenter:Ray Martin
Narrated:Hugo Weaving
Composer:Matteo Zingales
Russel Thornton
Country:Australia
Language:English
Num Seasons:2
Num Episodes:6
Executive Producer:Rachel Perkins
Producer:Darren Dale
Jacob Hickey
Editor:Steven Robinson
Mark AtkinASE
Cinematography:Nicola Daley
Bonnie Elliott
Micah Walker
Runtime:≥ 52 minutes
60 minutes (inc.adverts)
Company:Blackfella Films
Channel:SBS One

First Contact is an Australian reality television documentary series that aired on SBS One, SBS Two and NITV.[1] It documents the journey of six European Australians who are challenged over a period of 28 days about their pre-existing perceptions of Indigenous Australians.[2] [3]

Overview

First Contact shows some of the cultural divisions that exist between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and highlights the lack of awareness many non-Indigenous Australians have about Indigenous Australians and the various different cultures and lifestyles they currently maintain. A stated premise is that 60% of European Australian have never had any contact with Indigenous people, a statistic that may explain the prevalence of the racist, unsympathetic and generally prejudicial attitudes that are often directed towards Indigenous Australians.[4]

In making their 'first contact' with Indigenous Australia, the selected six participants are taken to Aboriginal communities both in the city and the country, and are even processed into a regional prison at Roebourne in Western Australia, where social problems are particularly acute, resulting in incarceration of large numbers of Indigenous Australians, often for quite minor offences. The relationships between Indigenous people and local police in Roebourne are notoriously poor.[5] [6] [7]

Production

First Contact was filmed and set in New South Wales, home to the largest Indigenous Australian population of any state/territory, the Northern Territory, where Indigenous Australians make up a higher percentage of the population than in any other state or territory and Western Australia.[8] [9]

Discussion

After the series aired, First Contact was the topic of an Insight episode, hosted by Stan Grant and featuring a discussion involving many of the people who were involved in the show.[10] [11]

Series overview

No.Original air Consolidated Australian viewers (Mainland Capitals)
118 November 2014508,000[12]
219 November 2014401,000[13]
320 November 2014452,000[14]

The show is estimated to have had a cumulative reach of 1,847,000 Australian viewers.[15]

Episodes

Season 1 (2014)

No.TitleDirected byOriginal air date

Season 2 (2016)

No.TitleDirected byOriginal air date

Cast

(As themselves)

Six Participants 2014

Major Indigenous Contributors 2014

Six Participants 2016

Major Indigenous Contributors 2016

Mother Nature

Adaptations

The series was adapted for Canadian television by APTN, which premiered First Contact in 2018.[17]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About First Contact . . 9 January 2015 .
  2. News: Galvin. Nick. In First Contact, Ray Martin explores his Aboriginal ancestry and passion for photography. 24 November 2014. The Sydney Morning Herald.
  3. Web site: First Contact (DVD / Digital Download) . . 7 January 2015 .
  4. Web site: Ten things we learnt from First Contact . Galvin . Nick . . 21 November 2014 . 7 January 2015 .
  5. Web site: Royal Commission Into Aboriginal Death In Custody Report of the Inquiry Into The Death of John Peter Pat . Johnston QC . Elliott . Deaths in Custody Watch Committee WA . 30 March 1991 . 7 January 2015 .
  6. Web site: Chapter 5: An Aboriginal death in custody : the case of John Pat . Grabosky . P N . . 7 January 2015 .
  7. Web site: Aboriginal/Police Relations in the Pilbara: A study of perceptions . Criminology Research Council . 7 January 2015 .
  8. Web site: 4705.0 - Population Distribution, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2006 . . 15 August 2007 . 7 January 2015 .
  9. Web site: 3238.0.55.001 - Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, June 2011 . . 30 August 2013 . 9 January 2015 .
  10. Web site: SBS lets down the audience after First Contact no-show . Knox . David . TV Tonight . 22 November 2014 . 9 January 2015 .
  11. Web site: First Contact Insight special: Sandy 'couldn't be here tonight' after furore over racist comments . Galvin . Nick . TV Tonight . 20 November 2014 . 9 January 2015 .
  12. Web site: Tuesday 18th November 2014 . Media Spy . 19 November 2014 . 7 January 2015 .
  13. Web site: Wednesday 19th November 2014 . Media Spy . 20 November 2014 . 7 January 2015 .
  14. Web site: Thursday 20th November 2014 . Media Spy . 21 November 2014 . 7 January 2015 .
  15. Web site: 'Racist' Australians hard to crack after reality show First Contact has mixed success . News Limited . 21 November 2014 . 9 January 2015 .
  16. Web site: First Contact . . 7 January 2015 .
  17. https://globalnews.ca/news/4440862/first-contact-aptn/ "‘First Contact’: TV docuseries seeks to shatter Indigenous Canadian stereotypes"