Wap

Audiences can anticipate a challenging and thought-provoking viewing experience with 'Wap'. The film is not a typical documentary or historical drama; it's an artistic re-interpretation of historical materials. Expect a confronting examination of Australia's past, focusing on the voices of the marginalised. The film's approach is designed to provoke reflection on themes of guilt, trauma, and the lasting impact of racist policies, aiming to offer a new perspective on national history.

'Wap' posits the White Australia Policy not just as an immigration restriction but as a symptom of a deeper national guilt stemming from the genocide of Indigenous Australians. The film suggests that the policy's existence and its underlying racism are intrinsically tied to the historical violence and dispossession that have marked white settlement. It uses this connection to explore how systemic racism has shaped Australia's identity and its ongoing relationship with its First Peoples.

The core thematic concern of 'Wap' lies in confronting Australia's historical guilt, particularly concerning the Aboriginal genocide and the enduring legacy of the White Australia Policy. The film seeks to unearth the trauma experienced by Indigenous Australians and those excluded by discriminatory immigration laws. By reinterpreting historical records, it aims to reveal the hidden narratives and unspoken truths that have long been suppressed, forcing a reckoning with the nation's past.

Instead of a conventional narrative, 'Wap' re-frames historical archival material. It aims to give voice to those who were historically silenced or marginalised by the White Australia Policy and the broader colonial project. The film achieves this by allowing the experiences of the dispossessed and deferred to speak, often through the very imagery and rhetoric of the oppressors, thereby exposing an unspoken historical truth and confronting the viewer with the weight of past injustices.

The film 'Wap' directly addresses the White Australia Policy, a series of discriminatory laws that severely restricted non-European migration to Australia until the mid-20th century. This policy is presented as intrinsically linked to the profound guilt surrounding the dispossession and mistreatment of Indigenous Australians since the nation's inception. The film uses this historical context to explore themes of national identity, historical trauma, and the enduring consequences of systemic racism on both the colonised and the colonisers.