Black Fire (1972)

The film features appearances by several major political identities of the time, including Country and Western legend Harry Williams and his son Bertie, who was one of the original founders of the 1972 Aboriginal Tent Embassy. Also to be seen in the film is Pastor Doug Nicholls and Monash anthropologist Lorna Lippman. McGuinness playfully injects now historic footage of the Fitzroy Stars Aboriginal community football team into sequences that include a hilarious scene whereby an obviously Aboriginal man (Harry Williams) walks along Bourke Street in Melbourne asking people, "Who discovered Australia?" There is also a satirical take on an Aboriginal debutant quest and a gentle dig at the conservative political approach of Pastor Doug Nicholls. All of this footage is unique material that reveals the state of Aboriginal politics and society in Melbourne at an important historical intersection.