First Nations Rom-Com Debuts at Sydney Film Festival

When Siena Mayutu Wurmarri Stubbs wanted to tell a love story from her home in Yirrkala, she knew exactly what it would look like: football, gossip, and the brave moment when romance goes public.

Her short film Maŋutji (Catching Eyes) captures the budding romance between two young football players in northeast Arnhem Land. The title itself is a playful nod to Yolŋu culture, where "maŋutji" means both "eye" and serves as slang for "crush."

The film marks Stubbs's debut as both writer and director. Written and performed entirely in Yolŋu-Matha, it stars model Cindy Rostron and local football star Denzel Marika as the loved-up leads Muthali and Rakay.

Producer Libby Collins couldn't contain her excitement about finding the perfect cast. Rostron learned Yolŋu-Matha in just three days for the role, while Marika, a local Rirratjiŋu man and "gun footballer," proved to be a natural on camera.

The film even includes a charming tribute to Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet, reimagining the famous fish tank scene with a Yolŋu twist. It's one of Collins's favorite moments in the short.

Maŋutji is one of five First Nations films screening together at the festival as part of the Proper Loved Up collection. Each team received $152,000 in grant funding from Screen Australia, NITV, ABC, and various state governments after a nationwide call for Indigenous love stories.

The film is also competing for the Sydney Film Festival's best live action short and best First Nations film awards. But for Collins and Stubbs, the real victory is bringing their community's story to the big screen.

The Ripple Effect

While the cost of producing films in the Northern Territory remains a barrier for local filmmakers, Maŋutji proves what's possible when communities get the support they need. Collins emphasized the film could only have been made in Yirrkala, using real examples from Stubbs's life in the community.

"For one day for it to be more accessible to be able to tell our stories, where we come from, is the dream," Collins said. "Because we don't want to tell them anywhere else."

The film celebrates how romance unfolds in remote communities, where love becomes a community affair and going public with your feelings takes real courage. In Yirrkala, as Stubbs explains, if the community knows you're allowed to date someone through Gurrutu (Yolŋu kinship) and you're seen together in public, everyone knows you're official.

Now audiences in Sydney and beyond will get a glimpse into this world, told authentically by the people who live it.