“Blackbird” is a narrative drama from Amie Batalibasi, an Australian of Solomon Island descent (Feralimae/Kosi). Set in the late 1800s, it follows the story of Solomon Islander siblings Kiko, age 16, and Rosa, age 24, kidnapped from their Pacific island home and forced to work on a sugar cane plantation in Queensland, Australia in a practice known as blackbirding. Shot entirely on location and in collaboration with communities in Mackay, Queensland, where these historical events took place, Blackbird presents a chapter of Australian history not often told. It is a story that has been repeated throughout the world as sugar, cotton, and other “plantation” agriculture led to the enslavement and other more or less coercive relocation of indigenous and other peoples to these plantations. (Distributed by Ronin Films, 2015, 13 min.).

Join the live stream of the film “Blackbird” and discussion with Food Historian Adrian Miller and Mervyn Tano, President, International Institute for Indigenous Resources Management, as we explore the effect of such relocations on the social, political, demographic, and cultural institutions of both the indigenous and transplanted peoples; and how the mixing, blending and borrowing of food traditions created unique local cuisines.

This is a free event, but registration on the DMNS website is required to get the film and zoom link.