A relatively simplistic yet moving and necessary look into how Indigenous youth are being left behind and mistreated by our education and junevile detention departments.

I fucking hate colonialism.

I am a product of colonialism and currently live in a country founded from colonialism.

FUCK WHITE SUPREMACY THAT HAS DESTROYED SO MANY INDIGENOUS CULTURES. FUCK THE SYSTEM THAT TARGETS AND INCARCERATES INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES.

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NZIFF Screening: City Gallery. Wellington, Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Manages to depict an awfully broken schooling system without ever raising its voice. What an incredible boy Dujuan is; trapped in a system built to fail him, but he’s passionate, joyous and caring. We have to listen, so why aren’t we?

I love this. Maya Newell and co. (I love how she shot down the auteur theory during the q&a) have created an essential document for our country.

You know something isn't right when a white teacher is reading a book about the Dreamtime to Aboriginal children and she says "I don't get any of this stuff".

defund the police
reform education
and please stop killing aboriginal people

tearin up watching this like a goddamn baby

A second watch doesn’t diminish its power at all, if anything it made me even more heartbroken and even more angry.

Another must-see documentary for this moment. Absolutely gutting and powerful—a story that was long overdue to be told.

Full review on the MIFF blog.

"Alienation has always been a formative aspect of growing up. Many children from a variety of backgrounds lack a robust sense of belonging, and struggle to navigate their angst over being perpetually misunderstood. But in Australia, Indigenous children are institutionally marginalised, forced from their familiar way of life and into a society that’s seemingly designed to punish – but not understand – them.

This is the struggle at the heart of In My Blood It Runs, which focuses on Dujuan Hoosan, a talented and rebellious Arrernte child from the Hidden Valley camp in Alice Springs, who’s just turned ten – the minimum age of criminal responsibility in Australia. The film offers viewers tender portrayals of youth tempered with a simmering undercurrent of rage, contrasting Dujuan’s customs and connection to his homeland with the failure of Australian mandatory-education institutions to accommodate him.

such an intelligent young man trapped within the four walls of colonialism: white education, white language, white justice system and white culture. this would be very eye-opening to those who aren't familiar with how our institution treats our indigenous communities but i already knew that the institution was created so that people like us can collapse and be forced to work under the white man and white government. this country want us to lose our culture and lose our respect for the land in which we have inhibited for millennia. this country wants anything from us except what we are born with. this country only wants us to slave away or suffer in silence. educate yourself in how colonisation has treated our people because that's one of the best ways to retaliate and decolonise; knowledge is power.

essential viewing if you want to learn more about the systematic oppression of Indigenous Australians, some beautiful and tender moments in this, definitely check it out if you can

In My Blood It Runs perfectly depicts the effects that education and connection to the places around you has on adolescence. At first, this documentary seems like it simply follows Dujuan around as he lives out his daily life, but it's much more than that. Watching this documentary for a second time allows you to grasp a deep understanding of what Dujuan is going through, and makes you empathise with the hardships he faces.

absolutely amazing documentary! so incredibly gorgeous and well shot.

i seriously can’t (but i suppose i can, unfortunately) believe this isn’t fiction most of the time. the australian education, welfare and justice systems can be so so cruel.

such an underrated, haunting and powerful portrait of a modern indigenous australia fighting to stay alive

sincere review incoming:: this was really good! got to see the olive kids screening at nova! afterwards, rachel edwardson answered questions about documentary as a form that heals and interferes at the same time. and it took them 7 years to make! so cool

Such a poignant and relevant story for all people to watch, not just Australians. 

It really does justice to shedding light on the oppressive systems of white patriarchy, and how inhumane they are even today.

The fact that this was released in 2019 shocks me to my core. 

Anyone interested in political films, Black Lives and expanding your view past the central issue of American history while learning an incredibly raw story of a real boy living his life - this one is for you.

Highly, highly, highly recommend.

Some movies this year I’ve seen tried to capture the mistreatment of minority people in devastatingly honest ways, and In My Blood It Runs is one of the best, painting a picture of the aboriginal people of Australia and how they're not treated fairly by their government, their schools, their fellow Australians & the world. The world is failing Dujuan and I really hope that he grows up and continues being who he is. Incredible filmmaking in a documentary that feels as close to real life as you can get. It's hard to hate a movie that's filled with this much humanity.

The documentary is straight to the point without any flowery bits. Using a ten-year-old, already well immersed in his culture, and not carrying any baggage (innocence), is an excellent way to gain support for the "cause".

From colonisation, the resilience of Aboriginal people has been tested in every way possible, but Aboriginal people continue to fight for a better future. Do what you can to end the suffering, the dispossession and the killing.

I benefit from colonialism and I have to help those that don’t! This is what Australians, maybe even everyone, should be seeing, not those articles written by blue check “”””””””””journalists””””””””””, sponsored by big banks that fund land grabs in south east Asia. This is the pure, raw situation and this is what should get out there!

Beautifully made, keeps just the right distance from the subject so you can both see the world through his eyes and objectively see the forces that he contends with. Simply sets out the importance of land, place, language and culture for young First Nations people, and boys in particular. This work is an ideal starting point for advocacy on how all that now needs to be properly acknowledged in Australian law and society.

powerful little film that feels like a universe in itself

Australia is baffed isn’t it