Image copyright © by Marcus Trahan

Rabbit-Proof Fence

(Australia, 2002)

A true story of three aboriginal sisters in 1931, torn from their family by the astonishingly racist policies of the Australian government that meant to completely breed the black blood out of the population. They were taken to a prison camp where they were to be trained as servants, all for their own good, and allowed to marry other quadroons and octoroons if they were pale enough, but apparently not to breed at all if they were too black. They escape and follow the rabbit-proof fence 1200 miles to their home. Two of them make it. They stay free long enough for the oldest to have two children … and are again taken back to the camp, where they escape again, and are brought back again. At the end of the film we see the very, very old ladies who lived this incredible story. Heartbreaking and shocking, as the Australian government did not abolish these policies until 1970, and still refuses to apologize for it.