I was very excited to be taking Big Screen to Tennant Creek because…I had never actually been to the Northern Territory before! Even flying into Alice Springs, I was awestruck by the beauty of the landscape (so red) with the magnificent MacDonnell Ranges dominating the skyline.

I didn’t have long to spend in Alice, so after a quick wander around downtown I made my way to the train station to catch the legendary Ghan to Tennant Creek. Trains are probably my favourite way to see the countryside – ground level (i.e. not flying), good pace, plenty of leg room and heaps of interesting people. Talk about multicultural: the women next to me were from Amsterdam and Manchester, the guy behind me from Leeds. The next carriage was full of German people and the one after packed with retired Maltese couples! I had a seat (rather than a sleeper) since I was only on the Ghan for a few hours, and it seemed there were several cars of people doing the whole trip from Adelaide to Darwin the same way.

Arriving at Tennant Creek Station at 10pm, I was very relieved to be met by the lovely Lorna from Barkly Arts, who gave the quick ‘in-the-dark tour’ on the way to the hotel. Tennant Creek is known as the Northern Territory's 'heart of gold', a reputation that refers to its gold mining heritage and also the friendliness of its people. It’s the main service centre for cattle stations in the surrounding Barkly Tablelands. The traditional landowners of this area are the Warumungu people.

My first screenings in Tennant Creek were for Black Screen, which is an AFC screening program that provides Indigenous communities and the broader Australian public with access to Indigenous films. For two nights we showcased short films by Indigenous filmmakers under the stars, by the light of the full moon. Magic! A predominately Indigenous audience of 120+ viewed selected titles from the 2006 NAIDOC week compile, including The Djarn Djarns, Mimi, B.L.A.C.K, Grace, Third Note and Sa Black Thing. Our venue was the Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Culture Centre – a cultural hub in a beautiful setting, an educational centre with a fantastic cafe and gift shop showcasing the Warumungu people’s stories and art. My projectionists from Darwin had an ingenious inflatable screen and a nifty digital projector. On the second day I found out that award-winning Indigenous poet Samuel Wagan Watson was in town for a writers’ workshop. Sam happened to have a copy of his AFC-funded short film A Postman’s Privilege with him. So that night, much to the delight of Sam and his writing students, we showed his film – a Northern Territory premiere!

Our official opening of Big Screen was at Tennant Creek’s Civic Hall on Friday night. I had heard interest in town was pretty high. The lovely people from Barkly Arts put on a fantastic BBQ. A wonderful crowd of over 150 people turned out to see Rolf de Heer’s Ten Canoes, and everyone loved it.

I was back in the Civic Hall on Saturday for our screenings of Storm Boy and Oyster Farmer. My favourite image from the whole trip is of a dozen teenagers giggling and hiding their faces from the screen during Oyster Farmer’s love scenes. They did thank me profusely once the movie was over!

Sunday was my day off…I didn’t manage the 100km trip to the Devil's Marbles, but I did get to the outskirts of Tennant to see the Devil’s Pebbles. I’m told the boulders are a bit smaller, but it’s still a magnificent sight: very red, round boulders piled up haphazardly, like a giant child had been called to dinner and left their toys lying around. Not far from the Pebbles is the historic Tennant Creek Overland Telegraph Station. The area’s first European residents were workers on the Overland Telegraph Line (built in 1872), which established a communication link between Australia and the rest of the world.

The final night of Big Screen on Monday was outdoors next to the Tennant Creek Hotel. Once again my trusty projectionists set up their blow-up screen against the wall of the pub. As the sun set and the stars started appearing, the audience started to drift in from the main street. That night we screened The Tracker to about 70 people, mostly Indigenous. As the moon rose high into the night sky, the credits rolled and everyone slowly left our little outdoor cinema. It was time to pack up and go home. Another fantastic Big Screen festival. Thank you Tennant Creek!

GORDANA BACIC - BIG SCREEN PROJECT COORDINATOR