Private Project

GANIBARRA

  • Sonya Takau
    Director
  • Alix Livingstone
    Director
  • Sonya Takau
    Producer
  • Alix Livingstone
    Producer
  • Jess Milne
    Producer
  • Ramon Watkins
    Producer
  • Jess Milne
    Director of Photography
  • Sonya Takau
    Key Cast
    "Jirrbal Rainforest Woman "
  • Phyllis Grant
    Key Cast
    "Jirrbal Rainforest Elder"
  • Robert Grant
    Key Cast
    "Jirrbal Rainforest Elder "
  • Enid Grant
    Key Cast
    "Western Kuku Yalanji / Kalkadoon Elder "
  • Dr Ernie Grant
    Key Cast
    "Senior Jirrbal Rainforest Elder "
  • Uncle Jack Muriata
    Key Cast
    "Girramay Rainforest Elder "
  • Grandad Willie Masina
    Key Cast
    "Senior Jirrbal Rainforest Elder "
  • Casey Leecheu
    Key Cast
    "Cultural Camp child"
  • Daniel Leecheu
    Key Cast
    "Cultural Camp child"
  • Shane Hunter
    Key Cast
    "Cultural Camp child"
  • Layla Miller-Freeman
    Key Cast
    "Cultural Camp child"
  • Kennedy Hudson
    Key Cast
    "Cultural Camp child"
  • Abadiah Hudson
    Key Cast
    "Cultural Camp child"
  • Jukawarra Sharp
    Key Cast
    "Cultural Camp child"
  • Ramon Watkins
    Story Producers
  • Jess Milne
    Story Producers
  • Cam McGrath
    Sound recording
  • Ramon Watkins
    Editor
  • Antonio Centonze CSI
    Colourist
  • Nick Bolton
    Executive Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes 13 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 31, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 AUD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Sonya Takau, Alix Livingstone

SONYA TAKAU – Emerging Director

Sonya Takau is an Aboriginal emerging director and Founder of Dingo Culture, an indigenous-led platform dedicated to cultural storytelling, Traditional Knowledge recording, and advocacy for the protection of the Australian dingo. Her screen work centres Aboriginal perspectives, positioning the dingo as a culturally and spiritually significant being embedded within law, kinship, and Country.

Through Dingo Culture, Sonya has led the Traditional Knowledge Recording Project, working with Elders and Traditional Owners across Queensland to ethically document cultural knowledge and protect Indigenous Intellectual Cultural Property. Her advocacy has amplified Aboriginal voices within government consultation and policy processes, contributing to growing recognition of the need for culturally informed, non-lethal approaches to dingo management.

Sonya’s debut short film “Ganibarra”, marks her formal entry into directing, translating years of community-led advocacy into a powerful screen language grounded in cultural authority and lived experience. With a strong foundation in trust, ethics, and cultural responsibility, Sonya is developing a slate of documentary and narrative projects that invite collaboration with filmmakers committed to respectful, impactful Indigenous storytelling.

ALIX LIVINGSTONE

FOUNDER AND CAMPAIGN DIRECTOR

Alix Livingstone is an emerging producer and director and the Founding Director of Defend the Wild, a conservation organisation dedicated to protecting Australia’s apex predators and their ecosystems. Her work centres on telling stories that highlight the complex relationships between people, apex predators, and Country, amplifying Indigenous voices and knowledge in conservation storytelling.

Alix is also highly experienced in fundraising and campaign development, enabling her to bring challenging, socially impactful projects to life. She has led high-profile public awareness campaigns, including Defend the Wild’s Dingo campaign, featured on ABC's 7.30, and the #DropCroc campaign, showcased on Channel 10's The Project. These campaigns demonstrate her ability to translate compelling storytelling into tangible public engagement and policy impact.

Driven by a commitment to collaboration and community engagement, Alix continues to create work that amplifies Indigenous voices, inspires action for Australia’s apex predators, and reframes public perceptions about their ecological and cultural significance.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Sonya and I met for the first time in 2022, when a colleague and I travelled through Cardwell to speak with her about Dingoes as a culturally significant animal to her and her culture. Our connection was instantaneous, grounded in shared passion and values, and our friendship blossomed. We have been working together ever since, achieving meaningful outcomes for Dingo protection.

One night, Sonya shared her vision to undertake a Traditional Knowledge Recording Project - to hear directly from Aboriginal people about the relationship they share with Dingo. She explained that most of the recorded stories around this special relationship had been documented by non-Indigenous people, and she wanted to change this. As she spoke, I scribbled notes, knowing this project needed to happen - and we agreed we would make it so.

Four years on, with an amazing core crew by our side, we have returned to the beginning - with Sonya and her family. Sonya’s important vision is what led us to direct this film together.
Ganibarra is an invitation for Australia to reimagine our relationship with dingoes, cutting through the hysteria, headlines and sensationalism to understand who - and what - they really are. Dingoes are Australia’s most maligned animals, and yet for First Nations people across the continent, they hold profound cultural significance, woven into story, dance and Totems. They are the Boss of Country. Dingo Songlines connect nation to nation, while ongoing colonial killing continues to damage these sacred pathways.

Ganibarra sets out to re-write their story from the perspective of those who have lived alongside them for thousands of years.
Grounded in truth-telling, Ganibarra confronts the dominant narratives that have justified generations of killing, while making space for deeper listening and accountability.

For Sonya Takau and her family, Dingo is kin. Sonya has dedicated her life to their protection, raising the Indigenous voice for Dingo and sharing her infectious passion for Caring for Country. Shot as an intimate portrait, Ganibarra explores the experience of displacement from Country and the parallel journeys of First Nations people and dingoes in the wake of colonisation.

Following Sonya and her family, the film offers hope and calls us to action - to prioritise coexistence over killing, understanding over fear, and respect over indifference.

Special Thanks:

To Sam Muriata, Abe Muriata who gave their permission and support for the use of Uncle Jack Muriata's interview in the film.

To Uncle Richard Masina and other members of the Masina family who gave their permission and support for the use of Grandad Willie Masina's interview in the film.

Tablelands Community Justice Group
Margaret Freeman
Fallon Freeman
Sherie Miller-Freeman

Indigenous Camp Support:
Simon Muriata - Girramay Rainforest Man
Sarah Cronin - Jirrbal Rainforest Woman
Girringun Aboriginal Corporation & Process Unite