Latest news with #NatalieAhmat
SBS Australia
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
NITV and SBS to celebrate the significance and spectacle of the 25th Garma Festival
As the Garma Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary this year from 1-4 August, NITV and SBS will deliver comprehensive, multiplatform, and multilingual coverage across the four-day event, giving all Australians a front row seat for all the agenda-setting conversations and an iconic celebration of Yolŋu culture. Taking place in Gulkula, northeast Arnhem Land, the Garma Festival is one of Australia's largest Indigenous gatherings and most significant Indigenous affairs forum. Hosted by the Yothu Yindi Foundation, the event brings together political leaders, policy makers, corporate leaders, and community representatives. It provides a globally recognised platform for debate about issues affecting First Nations people, while also celebrating the culture, ceremony, visual art, dance, music, and storytelling of the Yolŋu people. In 2025, NITV returns to Gulkula as Media Supporter for the tenth year, to provide its unique First Nations focussed coverage of the festival. Together with SBS, it will be sharing all the key forums, major announcements, and highlights like the Opening Ceremony and the daily buŋgul (traditional dance), with a national audience across the network. The event will also be shared with global audiences through the World Indigenous Broadcasting Network. 'Each year, the Yolŋu people open their arms and their hearts to more than 2,500 people at Gulkula, and we're honoured to extend that invitation to all Australians through our coverage of this significant event,' said Tanya Denning-Orman, SBS Director of First Nations. 'This year we will deliver more of the key moments and ceremonial spectacle of the Garma Festival across our platforms than ever before, as we continue to grow and expand our coverage across the entire SBS network, led by NITV as the official Media Supporter. We will ensure you don't miss a moment and are proud to be delivering unparalleled access for every Australian, and around the world. 'This 25-year milestone for the Garma Festival is also an opportunity to reflect on the event's significance, legacy, and impact. We'll also highlight this history and celebrate the many achievements of Yolŋu leaders and the strengths of the region.' Natalie Ahmat from NITV News at Garma Festival Daily live coverage, updates, and highlights – including a two-hour live special on Sunday 3 August from 10am - will be presented by NITV's Indigenous News and Current Affairs team including Head of Indigenous News and Current Affairs, Natalie Ahmat; SBS National Indigenous Affairs Editor and host of The Point, John Paul Janke; NITV News Presenter and Senior Producer, Michael Rennie; and more. In addition to NITV and SBS's live simulcast of key events, SBS News will report from Garma, providing updates on SBS World News and its platforms, with Chief Political Correspondent, Anna Henderson, on the ground. SBS will also provide unique multilingual coverage with representatives from SBS's Chinese and Arabic teams also reporting from Gulkula, with news and insights to feature across the SBS Audio network in more than 60 languages, in addition to NITV Radio. NITV Muy Ngulayg on SBS On Demand will be the home for all Garma Festival content, with audiences able to tune into live streams, as well as catch up on all the forums and speeches, buŋgul, and NITV News' programs. You can visit the NITV Muy Ngulag collection HERE .
SBS Australia
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
NITV's flagship news and current affairs program The Point elevates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' voices, returning with another community-led season filmed on Country and in-studio
Exploring First Nations perspectives on national discussions, The Point premieres Tuesday 3 June on NITV and SBS On Demand, encoring on SBS after World News Late *Images here* *Interviews available* 9 May 2025 National Indigenous Television's (NITV) flagship news and current affairs program, The Point, returns for its tenth season on Tuesday 3 June at 7.30pm on NITV and SBS On Demand, and on SBS following World News Late . Each week, host John Paul Janke, a proud Wuthathi and Meriam man, joins expert panellists, community leaders and decisionmakers to explore issues that matter most to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Marking a decade on air, The Point continues to bring Indigenous perspectives to the centre of national conversations, platforming diverse perspectives from across the continent. This season features one-hour issues-based panel shows, alternating between episodes filmed in community and in studio on Cammeraygal Land in Sydney. The series remains a leading source of original journalism and breaking news. This year, The Point will once again travel across the country to engage local communities and explore real solutions for the future. Locations include Hobart (nipaluna), Darwin (Garramilla), Cherbourg (Barambah), the Torres Strait Islands (Zenadth Kes), and Melbourne (Naarm). Proud Mudburra and Wagadagam woman, and NITV's Head of Indigenous News and Current Affairs, Natalie Ahmat, said: ' The Point is celebrating a decade on air and remains as vital today as when it launched with Stan Grant in 2016. We are incredibly proud of John Paul Janke and the team's tireless work, and we are excited to bring another season of essential viewing to all Australians – particularly in the wake of the Federal Election.' Host of The Point and National Indigenous Affairs Editor, John Paul Janke said: 'I'm thrilled to be working with the team on another timely season of The Point where we travel across the country to elevate community voices. It's important that these local people have a national platform to share their thoughts. Some of the locations we visit are places The Point hasn't travelled to in the last few years, so we're eager to reach more mob than ever before. At a time when disparity still exists between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, we hope The Point helps inform all Australians and supports a deeper understanding of First Nations matters.' Synopses: Episode 1: We Put the 'Blak' in Blacktown (Tuesday 3 June) Originally called 'Blacks Town', the western Sydney suburb is home to the largest urban First Nations population in Australia. Blacktown residents are at the epicentre of rising costs and a shortage of affordable and social housing. The Point examines how urban Mob are getting on the front foot in the big smoke. Episode 2: Treaty Now or Never? (Tuesday 10 June) Australia has never been closer to forging its first treaty with its First Nations peoples, but the way ahead remains uncertain. In Melbourne, The Point examines the 'what' and 'why' of treaty and asks whether Australia is mature enough for a conversation about the past before we forge a vision for a shared future. Episode 3: On the Wild Frontline (Tuesday 17 June) John Paul Janke goes on Country with palawa changemakers who are fighting to preserve Australia's heritage. From old-growth forests to cultural practice and traditional access to land and water, First Nations communities in Tasmania are standing up for the future. Filmed in Hobart on nipaluna Land. The Point is among NITV's comprehensive, multiplatform Indigenous news and current affairs offering. For coverage with a unique First Nations lens, watch The Point, NITV News, Nula, and Living Black, and head online to The Point premieres weekly from Tuesday 3 June at 7.30pm on NITV, and encores on SBS after SBS World News Late. It will also be available to stream free on SBS On Demand, with captions in English and subtitles in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese. For screeners and images, please visit the SBS Screening Room. For a PDF of this media release, click here .
