50 Years Strong: SBS and NITV Supercharge NAIDOC Week 2025 in a joint 50th celebration 12 June, 2025
Media releases
Interviews Available
Images here
Big Backyard Quiz Trailer here
Emily: I Am Kam Trailer here
As SBS and NAIDOC Week mark 50 years, NITV and SBS unleash a powerhouse lineup for 2025 to celebrate the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. with curated content for NAIDOC Week 2025 premiering across SBS and NITV from Sunday 6 July to Sunday 13 July.
Recognising the significant contributions of the world's oldest continuous culture, and providing distinctive and authentic Indigenous perspectives, NITV and SBS's extensive line-up for NAIDOC Week's 50th anniversary includes the NAIDOC Awards digital broadcast, a laugh-out-loud entertainment series, timely news and current affairs programs and compelling documentaries for all Australians, exploring the official 2025 NAIDOC Week theme, The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy.
Tanya Denning-Orman, a proud Birri and Guugu Yimidhirr woman and Director, First Nations at SBS, said: This year marks a significant milestone as we celebrate 50 years of NAIDOC Week, and also 50 years of SBS as a network. We are proud to honour the strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and cultures through programming across NITV and all SBS platforms, and reflect on the legacy of past leaders and draw inspiration from the next generation. Our content showcases the achievements and voices of First Nations peoples, unapologetically Blak, loud, and proud, premiering new original NITV commissions, and amplifying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices right across the network.
Once again, Shelley Ware's educational resources through SBS Learn will foster deeper understanding and connection for school children across the country. We're also proud to feature this year's NAIDOC Week poster artwork, Ancestral Lines,' created by Ngarbal Gamilaraay artist and NITV graphic designer, Jeremy Worrall, which is a powerful tribute to intergenerational knowledge and cultural strength.
National NAIDOC Committee Co-Chairs, Steven Satour and Lynette Riley, said:
NITV has delivered a deadly line-up for NAIDOC Week 2025 - a true celebration of Blak excellence on screen. From groundbreaking documentaries to laugh-out-loud entertainment and thought-provoking current affairs, this programming honours our past, celebrates our present, and champions our next generation.
As we mark 50 years of NAIDOC Week, we're proud to see our stories told with such strength, pride and creativity. We're especially thrilled to have Barkaa headlining the 2025 National NAIDOC Awards - her voice, her fire, and her message embody the heart of this year's theme: The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy.
SBS and NITV's impressive multiplatform and multilingual offering includes:
Big Backyard Quiz (BBQ), a cheeky new entertainment series hosted by 10 News First's Narelda Jacobs OAM and comedian Steven Oliver that challenges contestants to see who knows the most about the people and history of Australia from a Blak lens. This season's stellar line-up of comedians as contestants includes Meyne Wyatt (The Moogai, We Are Still Here), Shari Sebbens (The Moogai, Little J & Big Cuz), Matt Okine, Nina Oyama, Rhys Nicholson and Emma Holland, all in Episode 1. Also featuring this season will be Ernie Dingo, Rove McManus, Tasma Walton, and Peter Rowsthorn. Big Backyard Quiz is executive produced by Adam Manovic and Daniel Gallahar and was filmed with the support of ScreenWest in Boorloo (Perth).
Big Backyard Quiz premieres on Saturday 12 July at 7:30pm on NITV and SBS On Demand.
Emily: I Am Kam (pronounced karma) is a heartfelt documentary about internationally renowned artist, Emily Kam Kngwarray from the Utopia community in the Northern Territory. The film delves into Emily Kam Kngwarray's transformative impact on the international contemporary art world and her enduring legacy, providing a rare opportunity to witness her journey and the profound influence of her art and the power of Emily's work to protect her Country, Alhalker. The documentary is produced by Tamarind Tree Pictures and directed by Danielle McLean (Barrumbi Kids).
Emily: I am Kam premieres on NITV and SBS On Demand on Wednesday 9 July at 8:30pm, and on SBS on Saturday 12 July at 8:30pm, after its world premiere at Sydney Film Festival this month.
Weekly flagship Indigenous news and current affairs programs Living Black, and The Point will also premiere special NAIDOC Week episodes.
Living Black is Australia's longest running Indigenous current affairs television program, featuring inspiring and influential people talking about their lives and careers. Walkley Award-winning journalist Karla Grant explores the issues affecting First Nations peoples through candid interviews and powerful investigations. For this NAIDOC Week episode, she interviews legendary Australian tennis icon Evonne Goolagong Cawley AC MBE. Fifty years after winning the Australian Open, Evonne is still firmly entrenched in the sport. Keen to hear her insights, Karla travelled to Darwin to attend the National Indigenous Tennis Carnival where she spoke to Evonne about her extraordinary life and career, and how her foundation is on the lookout for the next generation of tennis stars.
Living Black, featuring Evonne Goolagong Cawley AC MBE and hosted by Walkley Award-winning Executive Producer Karla Grant, premieres on Monday 7 July at 8:30pm.
The Point is the home of First Nations perspectives, with the team travelling the country to hear from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians. Join proud Wuthathi and Meriam man and SBS and NITV National Indigenous Affairs Editor
