Mabo is a 2012 Australian film focusing on Eddie Mabo's fight for the recognition of Aboriginal Land Rights. It premiered on the ABC on the 10th of June, 2012. Notable for being the first well funded and widely broadcast film to deal with Aboriginal Land Rights, without it being an allegory told through white, lower-class larrikins.
The director also made Bran Nue Dae, which too deals with Aboriginal rights but through song.
Mabo contains examples of:
- As You Know - several characters exposit on things they should both know, including the Aboriginal Protection Act.
- Bio Pic
- Foregone Conclusion - every Aussie knows the ending - Eddie succeeds, dies of cancer and though it's not shown, his grave gets graffitied by racists.
- Scenery Porn - The Torres Strait Islands, within universe to Eddie, but oddly averted considering the director's previous work, Bran Nue Dae.
- Stock Footage - Footage of real news reports, interviews and protests is interspersed with the actors.
