The Future Is Born from the Stories We Choose to Carry Forward
- Dr Sarah Ireland
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Gundungurra & Dharug Country, NSW. 17 June, 2026.
Next week, on Larrakia Country, beneath the stars at Darwin's Deckchair Cinema, we will launch our second research documentary, MAYPILAMA: Keel Line of Creation. The film is co-produced by the Molly Wardaguga Institue and the Djäkamirr Co-op in partnership with the Womb to Tomb Foundation and Charles Darwin University.
For me, this launch marks the culmination of a five-year journey alongside Yolŋu leaders, families, researchers and filmmakers working together to reclaim Yolŋu birthing knowledges and create space for Yolŋu communities to determine their own futures through Birthing on Country.
The film tells a story far larger than itself.
It is ultimately a story of knowledge—knowledge that, despite disruption, has been carried across generations. It reflects the enduring connection between birth, Country and identity, and the strength of Yolŋu leadership in shaping a future grounded in cultural identity and self-determination. This is the knowledge that makes or breaks Nations.
Video credit: Official Trailer for MAYPILAMA: Keel Line of Creation. Please watch and leave us a comment of support
Films like this do not emerge from a producer's funding pitch or a single scripted vision. They are built through trusted relationships, through looking to the past to better understand the present, and through a shared commitment to ensuring important stories are not lost.
It has been a privilege to travel this path alongside my fellow filmmakers, Ḻäwurrpa Maypilama and Pat Josse. Together, we are an unlikely trio, yet we have spent years listening, learning and working to bring this story to audiences in a way that honours the people, knowledge and places from which it comes.
Photo credit: Sarah Ireland. The filmmakers behind MAYPILMA- (L-R) Associate Professor Sarah Ireland, Professor Elaine Ḻäwurrpa Maypilama and Pat Josse.
Documentary filmmaking is rarely a straight path. Like intercultural qualitative research, it is iterative, sometimes messy and often unpredictable. Yet its power lies in its ability to preserve memory and, crucially, create shared understanding across time, place, culture and experience.
Over these five years, I have come to understand that stories are not simply told; they are carried by human custodians. Stories move between people, generations and places, gathering strength—or sometimes losing it—along the way. And perhaps that is what MAYPILAMA is really about: that the future is born from the stories we choose to carry forward.
Photo credits: Sarah Ireland. Production shots from the making of the film Maypilama, shot on Yolŋu Country.
We invite you to join us for the launch of MAYPILAMA: Keel Line of Creation at the Darwin Deckchair Cinema, or to host your own community screening.
Help us share this story of Yolŋu strength, knowledge, sovereignty and renewal with audiences far beyond the Country where it began.
Learn more with these links:
Production Partners
Amazing! Looking forward to seeing it.
Katherine x