Private Project

Mia Mias

Sandra revisits her childhood to bring other stolen children home.
MIA MIAS documents the last great work of Wadandi Elder and artist, Sandra Hill.

  • Tom Allum
    Director
    Audio Editor, Thalu - ABC/NITV. Sound Editor, Only in Oz - National Geographic, Dialogue Editor, Our Law - Netflix. Composer & Audio, Wine Unearthed Podcast - WA South West Tourism. Producer & Sound Designer, Untold WA Podcast.
  • Tom Allum
    Producer
  • Sandra Hill
    Key Cast
  • City of Perth
    Funder
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    arts, public art, indigenous stories, documentary, noongar stories
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 35 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 11, 2021
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Tom Allum

Tom Allum is a filmmaker and sound artist from Fremantle WA. Tom’s practice spans the fields of documentary, podcast, film, TV and visual arts.

After graduating from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in 2011 he founded film outfit Barking Wolf. His work has been distributed across National Geographic/ Discovery International, Netflix, ABC, SBS and NITV.

Tom is driven by the cathartic nature of storytelling and the potential of sound to create euphoria and emotional release. Increasingly, his practice is one of openness, collaboration, exploration and heart.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Mia Mias explores Sandra’s journey to find her way home. Like her art, the film functions as a beacon of truth-telling. It's an encouragement to share, listen and understand.

As a Wadjella (White Man). I had reservations about directing this film. From the start it brought feelings of guilt, denial and anger into the mix. In my first conversations with Sandra I shared this and she shared her own story with me. It was messy, it was heavy, it was long and exhausting. Over time as we talked our connection strengthened and we got to the other side.

My filmmaking process focussed on listening, lots of it. The film came together around that very premise. We broadened it's social message through discussions with of Jim Morrison and Nick Abraham at Yokai.

Mia Mias are homes. They are for coming back to. They are for coming together. I hope this film raises Sandra’s voice for it to be heard far far across the country. I encourage viewers to step closer to the truths of our past so we can better understand how it still shapes the experiences of First Nations peoples today.