2025 year in review: Entertainment
In 2025, Indigenous entertainment stories have been defined by major new series, significant documentary releases, and a focus on “The Next Generation” as part of the 50th-anniversary NAIDOC Week celebrations.
Top Screen Stories of 2025
Top End Bub: A highly anticipated sequel series to the hit film Top End Wedding, starring Miranda Tapsell and Gwilym Lee. The series, which premiered in September 2025, follows the couple as they move to the Top End and highlights Indigenous talent both in front of and behind the camera.
The Moogai: This horror-thriller, based on an award-winning short film, became a standout for 2025. It weaves the traumatic history of the Stolen Generation with traditional Bundjalung lore, following a couple terrorized by a child-stealing spirit.
Deep Time: An epic multi-platform project from the ABC that “flipped the script” on Australian history, putting 65,000 years of Indigenous story at the center of the national narrative.
That Blackfella Show: A new 60-minute sketch comedy and music series on ABC iview featuring icons like Ernie Dingo alongside Bridget Brennan and Isaac Compton.
Documentaries and Digital Originals
Her Name is Nanny Nellie: A feature-length documentary following a woman’s quest to reclaim her great-grandmother’s story, sparked by a statue at the Australian Museum.
Kindred: This documentary explores the lives of two Aboriginal friends—filmmakers Gillian Moody and Adrian Russell Wills—who were both adopted by white families and seek to reconnect with their bloodlines.
Digital Originals Shortlist: SBS and NITV announced 10 new Indigenous-led projects for late 2025, including:
The Salt Line: A crime mystery about a Torres Strait Islander detective investigating bones rising from tidal mudflats.
Womb for Improvement: A comedy about queer parenthood involving a “sassy Aboriginal AI”.
Literary & Media Highlights
Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright: Following its Miles Franklin win, Wright remains a dominant literary figure in 2025, with her epic allegorical work tackling climate change and sovereignty.
National Talkblack: This program was a major winner at the 2025 First Nations Media Awards, which celebrated excellence in Indigenous digital and radio broadcasting.
Song of the Crocodile: Nardi Simpson’s multi-generational family saga is cited as a “must-read” for 2025 for its lyrical exploration of Yuwaalaraay culture and resilience.
Key Cultural Events
NAIDOC Week 2025: Marking 50 years of elevating First Nations voices, the year’s theme was “The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy,” which spurred the release of curated watchlists on the ABC and SBS.
Garma Festival 2025: This year’s festival featured a unique cross-cultural performance between Yolŋu dancers and First Nations people from North America, emphasising global Indigenous solidarity.
