Groundbreaking NITV documentary series ‘Our Law’ expands across Australia from Thursday 9 May
The much anticipated second instalment of the powerful observational documentary series Our Law, which explores the relationship between police and First Nations peoples, will premiere on National Indigenous Television (NITV) and SBS on Thursday 9 May from 8.30pm.
Expanding from Western Australia and crossing state lines into New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and the Torres Strait for series two, the audience rides along with Aboriginal officers on the frontline in jurisdictions right around Australia as they attempt to change the system from within and break the cycle of Indigenous incarceration.
This eight-part docu-series continues to break new ground, privy to frontline police operations, squad-car conversations, high stakes decision making and the powerful personal journeys of First Nations police officers and recruits around Australia.
In series two, Leroy Rundle and Ace Kiernan, who appeared as Western Australian police cadets in series one, face new challenges in their roles as a Recruit and a Custody Officer. The series also follows Sergeant Alan Kickett from Western Australian Police; Aboriginal Community Liaison Officers (ACLO) Melissa Muter, Scott Mieni and Narelle Dickson from NSW Police Force; Sergeant Melissa Peters from Victoria Police; and Senior Constable Patricia Pedro, Constable Jarwin Blackman, and Constable Laurie Bateman from Queensland Police Service, as they work in various communities. The series is once again narrated by acclaimed Australian actor Deborah Mailman.
With its unique truth-telling, Our Law follows multiple stories and cameras are granted intimate and candid access as they follow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander police out on the beat in a diverse range of locations and communities around Australia, each with its own unique history, culture and policing needs. These locations include Perth and Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, Nambucca Heads and Redfern in New South Wales, Ballarat in Victoria, Caboolture and in Queensland, Thursday Island in the Torres Strait and more.
The original creative team returns for the second series, including director Perun Bonser (Star Dreaming, Noongar Footy Magic), and producers Taryne Laffar of PiNK PEPPER (KGB, On Country Kitchen) and Sam Bodhi Field of Periscope Pictures (Behind the Blue Line, Virtual Whadjuk).
NITV’s Head of Commissions, Marissa McDowell, said: “Our Law has unprecedented access as it follows 11 members of police services across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, the Torres Strait and Western Australia. The series demonstrates the importance of Indigenous police working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to build trust and bridge the gap of communication. This is a documentary for all Australians, so that Indigenous peoples are seen and heard, including those who work in the police system and those who engage with police. NITV has worked with the Our Law team to bring this vital series to a national audience.”
Series Director, Perun Bonser, said, “It is my hope that the series seeds critically important national conversations, which must take place now, if we are to establish a system of law that is fair for everyone. The responsibility of building a relationship between the police and Indigenous communities is on all of us.”
Screen Australia’s Head of First Nations, Angela Bates said: “The First Nations Department is proud to support Our Law’s evolution over the last few years, a series that highlights the importance of First Nations police officers and cadets in breaking down barriers, creating awareness and understanding, and healing deeply fractured relationships. It skillfully navigates and weaves together the compelling journeys of these officers, while giving voice to the communities being policed. We’re looking forward to watching season two, the stories and conversations that will come out of it, and the impact it has on Australian audiences”.
Screenwest CEO, Rikki Lea Bestall said: “Screenwest is proud to have supported Our Law from its inception as a groundbreaking half hour documentary to a full series and now a second series. PiNK PEPPER and Periscope Pictures are forces of nature who, together with director, Perun Bonser have once again produced a compelling series which will undoubtedly encourage deeper cultural understanding and healing amongst our First Nations community, the Australian Police and all Australians.”
Production Credit: Our Law is a PiNK PEPPER Pty Ltd and Periscope Pictures Pty Ltd production for NITV. Principal production investment from Screen Australia’s First Nations Department, in association with NITV. Financed with support from Screenwest and Lotterywest.
Our Law Series 2 airs weekly on NITV and SBS on Thursday 9 May from 8.30pm with a double episode.
Our Law is also available to stream for free on SBS on Demand, with all episodes being released on 9 May. Captions in English and subtitles in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese will be available on SBS On Demand. The series will also be available with audio description for blind and low vision audiences.
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