Join In the Circle of Life Film Premiere
A 5-Day Online Journey with Aboriginal Elders
January 20 – 24, 2026
Available in the following languages: English, Czech, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian.
PREMIERE DATE
JANUARY 20, 2026
The Vision
Our vision for the 12-film documentary series is to honor Indigenous resilience, illuminate sacred wisdom held for humanity and Earth, and invite healing across communities facing trauma and colonial erasure.
About the film
Across the continent now called Australia, ancient songlines remain alive with ancestral memory. This film walks with First Nations Elders, healers and artists as they navigate the history of colonization through the enduring strength of their culture.
Through ceremony, language, and kinship with Country, we witness the living presence of the oldest continuous culture on Earth. It is an invitation to face our shared history and remember our place within the circle of life.
The Guardians
Guest Speakers & Indigenous Wisdom Keepers
Olw Talks Global Gathering Schedule
A Journey of Remembering, Healing, and Reimagining
DAY 1
|
Live @ 1 pm PST / 8 am AEDT
Opening the Circlew/ Zaya and Maurizio Benazzo
Live @ 1:10 pm PST / 8:10 am AEDT
FILM COMMUNAL SCREENING
Live @ 2:30 pm PST / 9:30 am AEDT
In Conversationw/ Joe Williams
Recorded @ 3:30 pm PST / 10:30 am AEDT
Time: A Poemw/ Dr (Uncle) Paul Gordon
DAY 2 | JAN 21, 2026 / JAN 22, 2026 (AUS)
Live @ 1 pm PST / 8 am AEDT
We Al-li: Culturally Informed Trauma Integrated Healingw/ Judy Atkinson, Caroline Atkinson
- Trauma is held in bodies, lands, and lineages
- Healing grounded in culture, Country and community
- On Loss and Grief
Live @ 2:10 pm PST / 9:10 am AEDT
Healing the Bloodlines Withinw/ Kylie Marjambi, Jarmbi Miles
- Honoring intergenerational pain and resilience carried through lineage
- Making space for what was silenced, withheld, or forgotten
- Inviting cultural and ancestral reconnection as a form of repair
Recorded @ 3:10 pm PST / 10:10 am AEDT
When Breath Meets Firew/ Jarmbi Miles
DAY 3 | JAN 22, 2026 / JAN 23, 2026 (AUS)
Recorded @ 1 PM PST / 8 AM AEDT
A Sound That Knows Its Way Homew/ Dhinawan Baker
Recorded @ 1:05 PM PST / 8:05 AM AEDT
Short Film: BAMAw/ Jahvis Loveday
- Through years and years of memories I have captured with my family, I bring to you BAMA, an indigenous film starring my little brother Elijah Loveday.
Live @ 1:10 PM PST / 8:10 AM AEDT
Culture, Identity, and Intergenerational Storyw/ Dhinawan Baker, Jahvis Loveday
- Identity is shaped through living connection to culture and Country
- Practicing culture keeps memory, law, and belonging alive
- Cultural knowledge lives on when it’s shared across generations
Recorded @ 2:45 PM PST / 9:45 AM AEDT
Short Film: Bangay (Spear) Lorew/ Jahvis Loveday
- Baŋgay Lore (Dyirbal for “spear”) is a deeply personal short film that follows a young Aboriginal dancer navigating the painful divide between celebrating culture on stage and being denied the right to live it in everyday life, revealing how cultural expression, hunting rights, and identity must coexist if our families and jarjums are to remain strong.
DAY 4 | JAN 23, 2026 / JAN 24, 2026 (AUS)
Recorded @ 1 PM PST / 8 AM AEDT
Being Sung Back into Place: Lore, Country, and Relational Healingw/ Dr (Uncle) Paul Gordon
- Lore is not taught — it’s lived, remembered, and sung into being
- Country holds the memory of who we are and where we belong
- Healing begins by restoring right relationship with land, story, and self
Live @ 2:15 PM PST / 9:15 AM AEDT
On the Stolen Generations and Mental Healthw/ Matt Scott, Shirley Scott
- Naming the deep impacts of removal, silence, and survival
- Honoring stories of grief, strength, and cultural continuity
- Centering community-led pathways to healing and mental wellbeing
RECORDED @ 3 PM PST / 10 AM AEDT
Dinawan's Connection DanceDAY 5 | JAN 24, 2026 / JAN 25, 2026 (AUS)
LIVE @ 1 PM PST / 8 AM AEDT
In the Circle of Life Communal screening
LIVE @ 2:20 PM PST / 9:20 AM AEDT
The Dreaming Pathw/ Prof. Paul Callaghan
- Walking with ancestral wisdom in everyday life
- The Dreaming as a living guide for balance, belonging, and purpose
- Remembering who we are through story, land, and inner listening
RECORDED @ 3:20 PM PST / 10:20 AM AEDT
Closing Song: Dhunggarrw/ Uncle Paul Callaghan
WISDOM OF THE ANCESTORS 12–FILM SERIES
The Eternal Song
The Eternal Song
LAND: EARTH
92 Minutes • WATCH NOW
Mauri
LAND: AOTEAROA (NEW ZEALAND)
70 Minutes • WATCH NOW
If an Owl Calls
Your Name
LAND: Esk’etemc, Gitxsan, and Wet’suwet’en (CANADA)
92 MINUTES • WATCH NOW
In the Circle of
Life
LAND: BUNDJALUNG & WIRADJURI (AUSTRALIA)
75 Minutes • COMING JANUARY 20-24
Little Singer
LAND: DINÉ BIKÉYAH (ARIZONA)
Sila
LAND: KALAALLIT NUNAAT (GREENLAND)
COMING 2026
‘Āina
LAND: MOKUPUNI HAWAI’I
COMING 2026
Guarani-Kaiowá
LAND: MATO GROSSO DO SUL (BRAZIL)
COMING 2026
Katô: Dreams of Dark Earth
LAND: DAJE KAPAP EYPI (BRAZIL)
COMING 2026
Maasai
LAND: OLOSHO LE MAA (KENYA)
COMING 2027
Haida
LAND: HAIDA GWAII (CANADA)
COMING 2027
Ifá
LAND: TSENACOMOCO (VIRGINIA)
COMING 2027
The Eternal Song
LAND: EARTH
Mauri
LAND: AOTEAROA (NEW ZEALAND)
If an Owl Calls
Your Name
LAND: UNIST’OT’EN YIN’TAH (CANADA)
In the
Circle of Life
LAND: BUNDJALUNG & WIRADJURI (AUSTRALIA)
Sila
LAND: KALAALLIT NUNAAT (GREENLAND)
Little Singer
LAND: DINÉ BIKÉYAH (ARIZONA)
‘Āina
LAND: MOKUPUNI HAWAI’I
Guarani-Kaiowá
LAND: MATO GROSSO DO SUL (BRAZIL)
Mundurukú
LAND: DAJE KAPAP EYPI (BRAZIL)
Maasai
LAND: OLOSHO LE MAA (KENYA)
Haida
LAND: HAIDA GWAII (CANADA)
Ifá
LAND: TSENACOMOCO (VIRGINIA)
Sign up below for the Global Film Premiere of In the Circle of Life Plus a 5-Day Online Journey with Aboriginal Elders
January 20 – 24, 2026
SAND is a nonprofit organization under section 501.c.3 of the US tax code. Its headquarters are on the unceded ancestral territories of Coastal Miwok and Southern Pomo Land in Sebastopol, CA. We thank the past, current, and future Indigenous stewards of this territory.
