Deborah Mailman in The Sapphires: Stolen children

This clip from The Sapphires (Wayne Blair, 2012) features a key moment in the film where we discover the reason behind the fraught relationship between Gail (Deborah Mailman) and her cousin Kay (Shari Sebbens), who has been living in Melbourne for 10 years and has had little contact with the family.

An emotional Gail recalls to band manager Dave (Chris O’Dowd) the story of how Kay was stolen from the family in the 1950s by the government.

This story about the Stolen Generations is an important inclusion in the film. It shows the devastating and lasting impact that such government interventions had on Aboriginal families and communities.

The Sapphires is based on the 2004 stage play of the same name by actor, writer and producer Tony Briggs, which in turn is based on the true story of a group of young Aboriginal women who travel to Vietnam during the war in the late 1960s to entertain the troops.

Briggs’ mother and aunt were both members of the original Sapphires and, after the stage show was a hit, he adapted the story for a feature film.

Mailman also starred in the original stage production of The Sapphires as Cynthia.