GANIBARRA

Synopsis

To the Jirrbal people of Far North Queensland the dingo is Ganibarra: kin, totem and teacher. Sonya Takau, a Jirrbal woman and cultural knowledge-holder, and her family share the lifelong relationship they hold with the dingoes of their Country, and the colonial history that set out to sever it. Grounded in Indigenous truth-telling, the film draws the line between the displacement of First Nations people from Country and the persecution, culling and systemic killing of dingoes that followed, and asks modern Australia to answer it with deep listening, accountability and coexistence in place of fear and lethal control.

Directors' Biography

ST Sonya Takau AL Alix Livingstone Directors

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.