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Entertainment
By Nicola Gage

Aboriginal cowboy film dips hat to spaghetti westerns

What happens when you put together a love of spaghetti western films and Aboriginal elders who grew up as stockmen?

You get one of the more quirky offerings from this year's Tarnanthi Festival in Adelaide — a short satirical film about life as an outback cowboy.

The film, called Never Stop Riding, was inspired by the elders' love of spaghetti westerns.

It came about when they told stories to the young men from their APY Lands community about their former lives as stockmen.

Before turning to art, they worked on cattle stations, breaking in horses and mustering cattle.

Aboriginal elder Peter Mungkari looks back on that time with fond memories.

"We were working flat out, riding and rounding and all that, you know," he said.

"Riding the horse and breaking in the horse."

The film provides a glimpse of some of the personalities of those who live in South Australia's remote APY Lands.

It's got all the elements of a classic, from 'wanted' signs and a hostile standoff to a shootout.

Mr Mungkari said the community had a lot of fun putting it together.

"Everybody was laughing and all that, you know, it was really good," he said.

"We're feeling like a cowboy, acting, you know.

"We did it like that when we were boys."

The group has travelled by road to Adelaide to see their work exhibited in this year's Tarnanthi Festival, showcasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art.

It is the first time the film been shown outside of Indulkana.

And being artists, they have other works in this year's Tarnanthi Festival as well, including paintings.

The group now has plans for a sequel.

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