16 07 2020 - Media release NITV and Screen Australia announce The Fight Together
Dean Widders, The Fight Together
National Indigenous Television (NITV) and Screen Australia are thrilled to announce the commission of The Fight Together, which will premiere in 2021.
The film will document how a group of NRL greats came together to invent a new pre-game ceremony in response to the Maori Haka, that could celebrate Aboriginal cultures and help to counter racism in rugby league. Their goal was, and remains, to use the dance to change the hearts and minds of all Australians. The Fight Together follows NRL star Dean Widders' journey to make that happen. His efforts have already culminated in the new Indigenous war cry being added to the start of the 2019 NRL Indigenous All Stars - the first step in Widders' aim to see the Australian Kangaroos perform the dance before their test matches.
Featuring fellow NRL greats, Timana Tahu, Preston Campbell and George Rose, Widders encourages his fellow sportsmen to embrace the dance and make it their own. In their quest to change the hearts and minds of all Australians, the men lobby footy fans, sports people, politicians and prominent Australians, including Stan Grant, Adam Goodes and Russell Crowe, to get on board with a new type of acknowledgement that could bring the country together.
This feature documentary follows Widders exploring story and culture on Country across Australia, but also combines the cinematic surprise of seeing the dance, usually the purview of footballers, being performed by the pre-eminent Bangarra Dance Theatre. Ultimately, the film provides an intimate insight into a passionate man's pursuit of a long-held goal.
Dean Widders said: I'm just trying to reinvigorate people to think about culture and how it makes you stronger. I want these conversations about the dance to lead to bigger and better things, and for people to drive the conversations themselves and do whatever they see the need to do with it. That's been my aim all the way along, to try and encourage other people to take this dance further.
Australia needs to show it has matured and put Aboriginal culture and history in its rightful place. Rugby League and the Kangaroos have a great opportunity to bring people together through this dance.
Director, Larissa Behrendt AO, said: This is a story of the strength of culture and the spirit of determination that speaks to important and timely conversations about reconciliation and the place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in national narrative.
I wanted to make this film because I am drawn to stories where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are agents of change and that show the transformative power of Aboriginal cultures.
SBS Director of Indigenous Content and NITV Channel Manager, Tanya Orman, said: NITV are proud to support The Fight Together and showcase a vital part of Indigenous culture.
"Dean s journey is incredibly inspiring, and a wonderful way to increase the conversation around culture in Australia.
Screen Australia s Head of Documentary, Bernadine Lim, said, "We are proud to support this film from director Larissa Behrendt who has a strong track record of creating considered and thought-provoking documentaries, and this project will showcase Dean Widders leadership in celebrating Indigenous culture and combatting racism."
The Fight Together is an Essential Media production for NITV, produced by Sam Griffin with Executive Producers Brendan Dahill and Paul Wiegard. Principal production investment from Screen Australia, in association with NITV. Financed with support from Screen NSW and the National Rugby League. Distribution by Madman Entertainment.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES Hannah Pemberton
0466 336 207 | [email protected]
Media enquiries Jessica Parry | Senior Publicist
61 2 8113 5833 | 61 428 767 836 | [email protected]
Lidia Williams | Publicist and Events Officer
61 2 8113 1091 | 61 468 784 170 | [email protected]
All other general/non-media enquiries Sydney 61 2 8113 5800 | Melbourne 61 3 8682 1900 | [email protected]
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
01/12/2025
IRVINE, Calif. Wooden Camera has introduced its new Accessory Collection for the Canon EOS C50. The new lineup includes a low-profile, gimbal-ready cage, expand...
01/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for its Dec. 18 Open Commission Meeting that will include a vote on a report an...
01/12/2025
In most years, a graph of annual local TV ad spending is about as predictable as an electrocardiogram of a reasonably healthy patient in a doctor's office. ...
01/12/2025
Many industries have seen big-ticket hardware turn into software. Switchers, though, demand a combination of real-time performance and sheer bandwidth that has ...
01/12/2025
GENEVA Shanghai will host the next quadrennial Radiocommunication Assembly (RA-27) and World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-27), Oct. 11-Nov. 12, 2027. This...
01/12/2025
NEW YORK Just in time for Giving Tuesday tomorrow (Dec. 2), the Broadcasters Foundation of America is seeking out donations to help television and radio industr...
01/12/2025
STOCKHOLM, Sweden Net Insight CEO Crister Fritzson has informed the company's board that he will retire from the video transport and media cloud technology ...
01/12/2025
Arvato Systems' Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) Receives BSI C5 Certification (T...
01/12/2025
Summary This short video gives you an summary of the changes in under two minutes.
--...
01/12/2025
As the festive season approaches, RT Supporting the Arts is proud to showcase a...
01/12/2025
Researchers worldwide rely on open-source technologies as the foundation of their work. To equip the community with the latest advancements in digital and physi...
01/12/2025
Festive specials of Christmas in Kilmainham presented by Marty Whelan, High Road Low Road, Callan Kicks the Year and Keys to My Life
Ring in the New Year with ...
01/12/2025
Architect and television presenter Hugh Wallace, best known to RT audiences as a long-serving judge on Home of the Year, has died at the age of 68.
In a state...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
16 07 2020 - Media release NITV and Screen Australia announce The Fight Together 
