50 Years Strong: SBS and NITV Supercharge NAIDOC Week 2025 in a joint 50th celebration
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Big Backyard Quiz Trailer here
Emily: I Am Kam Trailer here
As SBS and NAIDOC Week mark 50 years, NITV and SBS unleash a powerhouse lineup for 2025 to celebrate the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. with curated content for NAIDOC Week 2025 premiering across SBS and NITV from Sunday 6 July to Sunday 13 July.
Recognising the significant contributions of the world's oldest continuous culture, and providing distinctive and authentic Indigenous perspectives, NITV and SBS's extensive line-up for NAIDOC Week's 50th anniversary includes the NAIDOC Awards digital broadcast, a laugh-out-loud entertainment series, timely news and current affairs programs and compelling documentaries for all Australians, exploring the official 2025 NAIDOC Week theme, The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy.
Tanya Denning-Orman, a proud Birri and Guugu Yimidhirr woman and Director, First Nations at SBS, said : 'This year marks a significant milestone as we celebrate 50 years of NAIDOC Week, and also 50 years of SBS as a network. We are proud to honour the strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and cultures through programming across NITV and all SBS platforms, and reflect on the legacy of past leaders and draw inspiration from the next generation. Our content showcases the achievements and voices of First Nations peoples, unapologetically Blak, loud, and proud, premiering new original NITV commissions, and amplifying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices right across the network.
'Once again, Shelley Ware's educational resources through SBS Learn will foster deeper understanding and connection for school children across the country. We're also proud to feature this year's NAIDOC Week poster artwork, 'Ancestral Lines,' created by Ngarbal Gamilaraay artist and NITV graphic designer, Jeremy Worrall, which is a powerful tribute to intergenerational knowledge and cultural strength.'
National NAIDOC Committee Co-Chairs, Steven Satour and Lynette Riley, said:
'NITV has delivered a deadly line-up for NAIDOC Week 2025 — a true celebration of Blak excellence on screen. From groundbreaking documentaries to laugh-out-loud entertainment and thought-provoking current affairs, this programming honours our past, celebrates our present, and champions our next generation.
'As we mark 50 years of NAIDOC Week, we're proud to see our stories told with such strength, pride and creativity. We're especially thrilled to have Barkaa headlining the 2025 National NAIDOC Awards — her voice, her fire, and her message embody the heart of this year's theme: The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy .'
SBS and NITV's impressive multiplatform and multilingual offering includes: Big Backyard Quiz (BBQ), a cheeky new entertainment series hosted by 10 News First's Narelda Jacobs OAM and comedian Steven Oliver that challenges contestants to see who knows the most about the people and history of Australia from a Blak lens. This season's stellar line-up of comedians as contestants includes Meyne Wyatt (The Moogai , We Are Still Here ) , Shari Sebbens (The Moogai , Little J & Big Cuz) , Matt Okine, Nina Oyama, Rhys Nicholson and Emma Holland, all in Episode 1. Also featuring this season will be Ernie Dingo, Rove McManus, Tasma Walton, and Peter Rowsthorn. Big Backyard Quiz is executive produced by Adam Manovic and Daniel Gallahar and was filmed with the support of ScreenWest in Boorloo (Perth).
Big Backyard Quiz premieres on Saturday 12 July at 7:30pm on NITV and SBS On Demand. Emily: I Am Kam (pronounced karma) is a heartfelt documentary about internationally renowned artist, Emily Kam Kngwarray from the Utopia community in the Northern Territory. The film delves into Emily Kam Kngwarray's transformative impact on the international contemporary art world and her enduring legacy, providing a rare opportunity to witness her journey and the profound influence of her art and the power of Emily's work to protect her Country, Alhalker. The documentary is produced by Tamarind Tree Pictures and directed by Danielle McLean (Barrumbi Kids).
Emily: I am Kam premieres on NITV and SBS On Demand on Wednesday 9 July at 8:30pm, and on SBS on Saturday 12 July at 8:30pm, after its world premiere at Sydney Film Festival this month. Weekly flagship Indigenous news and current affairs programs Living Black , and The Point will also premiere special NAIDOC Week episodes. Living Black is Australia's longest running Indigenous current affairs television program, featuring inspiring and influential people talking about their lives and careers. Walkley Award-winning journalist Karla Grant explores the issues affecting First Nations peoples through candid interviews and powerful investigations. For this NAIDOC Week episode, she interviews legendary Australian tennis icon Evonne Goolagong Cawley AC MBE. Fifty years after winning the Australian Open, Evonne is still firmly entrenched in the sport. Keen to hear her insights, Karla travelled to Darwin to attend the National Indigenous Tennis Carnival where she spoke to Evonne about her extraordinary life and career, and how her foundation is on the lookout for the next generation of tennis stars.
Living Black, featuring Evonne Goolagong Cawley AC MBE and hosted by Walkley Award-winning Executive Producer Karla Grant, premieres on Monday 7 July at 8:30pm. The Point is the home of First Nations perspectives, with the team travelling the country to hear from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians. Join proud Wuthathi and Meriam man and SBS and NITV National Indigenous Affairs Editor, John Paul Janke, as NAIDOC celebrates 50 years. In this episode, The Point sits down with emerging leaders who continue in their ancestor's footprints. What is it like to carry a name like Mabo, Dodson, or Bayles?
The Point will premiere a NAIDOC-themed episode on Tuesday 8 July at 7:30pm, hosted by National Indigenous Affairs Editor John Paul Janke. The 2025 National NAIDOC Awards will take centre stage in Boorloo (Perth), honouring the outstanding achievements of First Nations people across the continent. Hosted by 10 News First's Narelda Jacobs OAM and Mark Coles Smith, this year's NAIDOC Awards are set against the backdrop of Whadjuk Noongar Country in Boorloo (Perth). The awards shine a spotlight on those who lead with strength, creativity, and Cultural pride. NITV, as the home of Indigenous storytelling on national television and digital media, is the Principal Media Partner and will be on the ground to capture all the colour, celebration, and community spirit — from Blak carpet arrivals and powerful performances to exclusive interviews with this year's winners and changemakers.
The 2025 National NAIDOC Awards will air on Saturday 5 July at 7:30pm (WST) (9:30pm AEST) on SBS On Demand, and NITV's Facebook and YouTube channel, and distributed to First Nations Media Australia (FNMA). Ablaze is an incredible biographical documentary from opera singer Tiriki Onus, who finds a 70-year-old silent film believed to be made by his grandfather, Aboriginal leader and filmmaker Bill Onus. As Tiriki travels across the continent and pieces together clues to the film's origins, he discovers more about Bill, his fight for Aboriginal rights and the price he paid for speaking out.
Ablaze premieres on NITV and SBS On Demand on Sunday 6 July at 8:30pm. To kick off NAIDOC Week, SBS's Elder in Residence, Widjabul Wiabul woman Rhoda Roberts AO, will deliver her third annual SBS Elder in Residence Oration, creating a historical record of Indigenous thought leadership while addressing current challenges and futures aspiration. The SBS Elder in Residence Oration provides a platform for First Nations voices to be amplified, offering a space for reflection, connection, and learning for all Australians.
The 2025 SBS Elder in Residence Oration premieres on NITV and SBS On Demand on Sunday July 6 at 6:30pm.
In addition to the above content, a dedicated hub of iconic and award-winning First Nations content will be available to STREAM FREE on SBS On Demand and will air across the network's channels. SBS will share news and information in more than 60 languages across the network this NAIDOC Week. Multilingual and multiplatform coverage throughSBS Audio shares First Nations perspectives, celebrates cultures, knowledges and history, and showcases SBS's unique ability toconnect the newest Australians with the world's oldest living continuous culture.TheSBS Audio offering includesvideos, podcasts and articles in Filipino, Vietnamese and Urdu, and a special NAIDOC Week explainer video in Arabic, English, Greek, Mandarin, Punjabi and Vietnamese.
Additional highlights of the multiplatform offering across the SBS network during NAIDOC Week include: NITV News – Covering NAIDOC events from across the week and sharing the latest news from the oldest living culture, join Mudburra and Wagadagam woman Natalie Ahmat, Yorta Yorta and Gunditjmara man Michael Rennie, and Worimi woman Breanna Holden for NITV News . Supported by a team of journalists, watch NITV News for stories from an Indigenous perspective, culminating on Friday 11 July with a special edition of Nula at 5.30pm, featuring NAIDOC marches and community gatherings from around the country.
Monday to Thursday, 7-10 July at 6.30pm and Friday 11 July at 5:30pm on NITV and 3:00pm on SBS and SBS On Demand Throughout the week, SBS Food is proud to present NAIDOC themed episodes of The Cook Up with guest host Nornie Bero ( Island Echoes with Nornie Bero) , premiering weekdays from Monday 7 July to Wednesday 9 July at 7:00pm. Nornie will share stories and create incredible dishes with guests including entertainer Jay Wymarra, the 'Bush Tukka Woman' Samantha Martin, comedian Andy Saunders, and journalist Rae Johnston (Going Places with Ernie Dingo and The Secret DNA of Us ) . SBS World Movies will host a curated collection of acclaimed Australian cinema telling Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' stories from Monday 7 to Friday 11 July at 9:30pm. This includes Sweet As, Mad Bastards , Walkabout, Bran Nue Dae and The New Boy . Students around Australia can discover more through SBS Learn's popular NAIDOC Week education resource, authored by proud Yankunyjatjara, Kokatha and Wirangu woman Shelley Ware. This is the seventh National NAIDOC Week curriculum-aligned education resource developed by Shelley for SBS Learn. It is a valuable and culturally informed online teaching guide featuring activities, discussion prompts and videos to enable teachers to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into primary and secondary classrooms all year-round. As part of NAIDOC Week and aligning with this year's theme of The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy , NITV will launch a selection of Jarjums branded interstitials with First Nations children sharing their stories of culture and language. The NAIDOC Week Collection, including Shelley Ware Guest Curate s and more, will live on the NITV Muy Ngulayg hub, a dedicated streaming hub on SBS On Demand that provides a platform for First Nations storytelling including First Nations films, documentaries and TV series from Australia and around the world that illuminate inner knowledge, traditional culture and lore.
SBS's National NAIDOC Week activation proudly continues the work set out in SBS's Elevate Reconciliation Action Plan 2022-2026. This plan outlines SBS's commitment to reflecting, exploring and embedding First Nations stories, knowledges, cultures and languages across the network, and to connecting the oldest continuous culture on Earth with the newest Australians.
For a PDF of this media release, click here
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