Synopsis

Raw, heartfelt, sometimes painstaking but often funny, In My Own Words follows the journey of adult Aboriginal students and their teachers as they discover the transformative power of reading and writing for the first time in their lives.

"They don't think they can do it, but I know they can", says indefatigable class organiser Mary.

Erica Glynn's documentary focuses on a classroom in Brewarrina, a rural northwest NSW town with a majority Aboriginal population. Research reveals that 45–65% of Aboriginal adults are functionally illiterate.

Learning your ABCs as an adult can be a painstaking undertaking but for a group of blackfellas in the small Australian outback town of Brewarrina having a caring friend by your side makes all the difference in the world, in fact it can lead you to discover the transformative powers of reading and writing for the first time in your life.

Filming every day of the 13-week course, Glynn captures the woman and men, the poverty and hardship, behind this sobering statistic.

Trailer