''True Colours'' is an Australian

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

miniseries broadcast from 4 July 2022 on SBS TV and NITV. The four-part

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

was created, written and directed by

Erica Glynn Erica Glynn (born 1964) is an Indigenous Australian filmmaker, known for directing, producing and writing documentaries and other films. Early life, education and family Glynn was born in 1964. She is the daughter of photographer Freda Glynn, ...

and

Steven McGregor Steven McGregor is an Australian filmmaker, known for his work on ''Redfern Now'', ''Black Comedy'', '' Sweet Country'', and numerous documentaries, including ''My Brother Vinnie''. Early life and education McGregor grew up near the leprosariu ...

, and stars Rarriwuy Hick as a detective in a remote community in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

Synopsis

''True Colours'' tells the story of detective Toni Alma, who is assigned to investigate a suspicious car accident in Perdar Theendar, the

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

community she left as a child. The story touches on the place of Indigenous Australian art and the practices of the global art world, and explores Aboriginal culture.

Cast

* Rarriwuy Hick as Detective Toni Alma *

Warren H. Williams Warren Hedley Williams (born 27 December 1963) is an Aboriginal Australian singer, musician and songwriter from Hermannsburg, Northern Territory, Hermannsburg in Central Australia. As of 2013 he worked as a Radio personality, broadcaster on Cent ...

as Samuel Alma *

Luke Arnold Luke Arnold is an Australian actor and author, best known for playing John Silver in the Starz drama series '' Black Sails''. Early life Arnold was born in Adelaide, South Australia and went to primary school there until his family moved to S ...

as Nick Gawler * Errol Shand as Bull * Emilie de Ravin as Liz Hindmarsh * Trisha Morton-Thomas as Theodora * Ben Oxenbould as Gingerbread Man *

Miranda Otto Miranda Otto (born 16 December 1967) is an Australian actress. She is the daughter of actors Barry and Lindsay Otto and the paternal half-sister of actress Gracie Otto. Otto began her acting career in 1986 at age 18 and appeared in a variety of ...

as Isabelle Martin

Episodes

Production

The four-part

was created, written and directed by

and

Danielle MacLean Danielle MacLean is an Australian filmmaker. She is known for her writing on television series such as '' Little J & Big Cuz'', ''8MMM Aboriginal Radio'' and ''Redfern Now''. Early life MacLean is of the Luritja and Warumungu peoples of the No ...

also wrote for the series, which was produced by

Greer Simpkin David Jowsey is an Australian film producer, co-founder of Bunya Productions. He is known for producing many films made by Indigenous Australian filmmakers. Bunya Productions' co-owners are Indigenous filmmaker Ivan Sen, and Jowsey's wife Gre ...

, David Jowsey and Penny Smallacombe for SBS Television and NITV. It was filmed entirely on location in the

Macdonnell Ranges The MacDonnell Ranges, or Tjoritja in Arrernte, is a mountain range located in southern Northern Territory. MacDonnell Ranges is also the name given to an interim Australian bioregion broadly encompassing the mountain range, with an area of .< ...

, east of Alice Springs / Mparntwe, including in the community of Amoonguna. Hundreds of works by artists from

Central Australia Central Australia, also sometimes referred to as the Red Centre, is an inexactly defined region associated with the geographic centre of Australia. In its narrowest sense it describes a region that is limited to the town of Alice Springs and i ...

feature in the series, which represents

Arrernte Arrernte (also spelt Aranda, etc.) is a descriptor related to a group of Aboriginal Australian peoples from Central Australia. It may refer to: * Arrernte (area), land controlled by the Arrernte Council (?) * Arrernte people, Aboriginal Australi ...

culture and

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

Release and reception

''True Colours'' premiered simultaneously on SBS Television and National Indigenous TV on 4 July 2022 as well as on

SBS on Demand SBS is a national public television network in Australia. Launched on 24 October 1980, it is the responsibility of SBS's television division, and is available nationally. In 2018, SBS had a 7.7% audience share. As of 2022, SBS is the lowest ...

, running over four consecutive nights on television. Critics gave the series favourable reviews, with

TV Week ''TV Week'' is a weekly Australian magazine that provides television program listings information and highlights, as well as television-related news. Content ranges from previews for upcoming storylines of popular television programs, particu ...

'' calling it "authentic and powerful".

References

External links

* English-language television shows Special Broadcasting Service original programming 2022 Australian television series debuts {{Drama-tv-prog-stub