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Wrong Side of the Road SongRites

4 September 2025

In the Playhouse

Cinema

Australia | 1981 | English | Drama | M

This documentary-style classic 80s drama follows the Indigenous bands Us Mob and No Fixed Address as they move from gig to gig. Blending dramatisation with real events, it captures the energy of life on tour while exposing the racism, hostility and harassment the musicians faced.

A classic First Nations rock’n’road movie, delivered with a soaring soundtrack

Wrong Side of the Road has been described as “a road movie, a protest film, a political film, a rock film,” evolving as a collaboration between the filmmakers, the community and the young musicians featured in the film. Although this film has a strong documentary feel, it is a constructed drama, stylistically accomplishing what would otherwise have been an interview situation with talking heads.

Winning the AFI Jury Prize in 1981, Wrong Side of the Road was an emergent work whose themes and content evolved from workshopping the central characters, resulting in a music-driven exposé through which personal stories were woven.

Restored by National Film and Sound Archive of Australia

Presented by Sydney Opera House and National Film and Sound Archive of Australia

Credits

Ned Lander
Director

Graeme Isaac, Ned Lander
Scriptwriters

Cast

Ronnie Ansell
Peter Butler
Les Graham
Chris Haywood
Chris Jones
Carroll Karpanny
Wally McArthur
John Miller
Veronica Rankine
Bart Willoughby

Acknowledgements

Event Sponsor

  • Harbour Trust

The Sydney Opera House thanks Event Sponsor Sydney Harbour Federation Trust and Idealist donors R O Albert Family and Dr Russell & Jane Kift for their generous support of SongRites.

A very special thank you to Yuwaalaraay Wirringgaa artist Lucy Simpson for the creation of our DanceRites artwork.

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