1st Nations & Cinematographer Discover Shared Croatian Heritage in Outback Australia
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“Whom the dawn awakened, in the struggle for the beauty of the world”
COUNTRY MAN: an ethnographic film. Out in the Australian Outback, Peter Pecotic set off on a personal search, to follow in the footsteps of his father, who had migrated from Croatia, and tracing the quieter, often overlooked stories of settlers from Korčula in the Dalmatian coast whose relatives made their way to northern Australia.
He had also been invited to view a First Nations art exhibition on its way to Sydney, a cultural thread that pulled him deeper into country and story.
Somewhere in the desert, things shifted.
He met Warumungu artist Joseph Williams (Jungarayi / Yugi), who was on his own path of discovery, trying to uncover the truth of his father’s past. What neither of them expected was the overlap.
Joseph’s father, too, had come from Croatia. The same Dalmatian region. Two separate journeys. One unexpected point of connection.
What followed wasn’t forced or ceremonial. It was immediate. A grounded, instinctive friendship formed in the middle of country, shaped by shared questions, layered histories, and something harder to name: recognition.
Joseph/ Yugi: “I’m sharing a bit about country and my mum’s people from up here, trying to show that we’re well connected to our lore and our country. I think people could learn a lot from the film.”
This story is also about contributions from Australia’s rich European migrant history of the 50’s
Some of Peter’s extended relatives from Croatia, with a rich European ancestry of culture, values, and traditions, finally settled in northern Australia, bought with them their contribution to Australia’s spirit of ‘mateship’ – an historical concept embodying equality, loyalty, and friendship, often described as a “spirit” of solidarity.
“As much as I am teaching him about our culture and our practice and our way, our struggle and our story, he is telling me his. So now we are going in a sincere cultural exchange.”
Peter Pecotic
Peter explaining on film to an outback mate, where he had travelled to reach Yugi.
This ethnographic film is a non-fiction documentary that focuses on documenting the cultural practices, rituals, and daily lives of a group of people, to provide an in-depth, immersive, and often scientific understanding of a culture. This film was shot on a smart phone, emphasising observations, context, and authenticity over sensationalised storylines.
Shot through the lens of a longtime film maker, Peter weaves the vast Australian red dust with spotted rich green waterholes, circling back into Sydney urbanisation.
At one pivotal point – a defining moment- Peter waits for Yugi to come to Sydney, for Yugi to unexpectedly meet his Croatian relatives of forty years – for the first time. A surprise for both Yugi and Peter. It came out of nowhere, from a random Facebook post, and his lost family found him.
“For me, I learnt to never give up if you’re lost. If you’re trying to find your people or your parents, keep looking, because I found mine.”
Joseph / Yugi
Yugi in Bondi Beach Sydney
Standing on the beach in South Bondi, Yugi sees a huge rock in the distance pulling him to explore further – maybe a sacred site- a sea god.
The plaque reads:
“This rock weighing 235 tons was washed from the sea during a storm on the 15 July 1912”.
Countryman Yarning Circle has evolved from this film, created by Peter Pecotic and Joseph Williams (Jungarayi/ Yugi) – transformative cohort training sessions, as story-led experience exploring reconciliation, diversity, and the intersection between Indigenous and non-Indigenous lives, and how we find common ground. A valuable tool for bilateral trade, inside and out of Australia.
Reach out to Peter Pecotic to discuss Country Man Yarning Circle Program suitable for corporations, organisation, NGO’s, schools, government departments + communities
Australian Indigenous-owned production company, is co-founded by Warumungu artist Joseph Williams Jungarayi and strategist Peter Pecotić. It is the team behind Countryman, a documentary now used in cultural awareness workshops and international cultural diplomacy. Registered with Supply Nation, Turningpoint AP is committed to projects that support truth-telling, cultural understanding, and systemic change.
Shot through the lens of a longtime film maker, Peter weaves the vast Australian red dust with spotted rich green wate
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