Tudawali (1987)

The film traces the life of Tudawali from the moment he's selected to play the lead in Jedda, right through until his premature death at around age 40 from severe burns. It also portrays the stark contrasts between Tudawali's home outside Darwin, and his life in Sydney, where he did most of his filming for movies and TV series. This powerful and important story also stars Charles 'Bud' Tingwell and serves as a vital document on Australian film history and Aboriginal culture. According to some reviewers, Tudawali is Ernie Dingo's finest acting performance. Tudawali is a powerful and important story: we're now over fifty years on since Jedda, and many attitudes toward Aboriginal people-particularly in the Northern Territory and Queensland-have not changed.