You can’t be what you can’t see. THROUGH THE FIRE is a hybrid music-documentary by We Are Warriors founder, Nooky, celebrating his own upbringing as a self-proclaimed Warrior. Told through Nooky’s lens, THROUGH THE FIRE unpacks the uncomfortable truths faced by First Nations people, but more importantly, shifts the narrative to one of bravery, resilience and Blak excellence.

The music documentary harnesses the prolific power of Indigenous achievements across music, fashion, sport and beyond. It aims to inspire and empower Indigenous youth by connecting them with Indigenous role models, so they can see it to be it.

From birth, the odds are stacked against Indigenous Australians. And a lack of representation means a lack of role models. We Are Warriors is an Indigenous-owned and operated organisation here to change that.

We were asked to develop a socially-conscious, politically-charged brand to empower Indigenous youth to succeed. By putting a spotlight on Blak excellence, we show younger generations of Indigenous kids the sky’s the limit. Collaborating with allies, organisations and the world’s biggest brands, we encouraged them to join the movement, shift the narrative and become anti-racist Warriors.

In the past, other organisations have solely focused on attempting to change how non-Indigenous Australians saw Indigenous youth, challenging their negative perceptions. However we saw the way forward as two pronged. Rather than just asking non-Indigenous Australians to change the way they saw Indigenous youth, we also wanted to change how Indigenous youth saw themselves. To do this, we needed to make Indigenous success stories more visible, enabling them to see it, so they could be it. That was the core objective of THROUGH THE FIRE, to give life to the stories that will help reshape perceptions.

We Are Warriors was created to help Indigenous youth see it to be it. Having faced his own uncomfortable truths, founder Nooky saw the need to give Indigenous kids something to aspire to – to unlock their inner Warrior. Our brief was to bring this mission to life, by putting a spotlight on Nooky’s story so the next generation of Indigenous Australians can see people like them achieving success.

THROUGH THE FIRE is the story and the origins of WAW. The song called 'We Are Warriors' is the graphic account of the WAW origins and narrative. The music documentary tells the story of the black cockatoo – significant to Nooky’s birthplace of Nowra. The white cockatoo – facing adversity, pain and torment – flies through the fire to emerge a black cockatoo, bringing rain and lessons of perseverance, resurrection and resilience.

THROUGH THE FIRE is a music documentary that tells the story and mission of Indigenous social enterprise, We Are Warriors. It blends traditional storytelling techniques with cinematic documentary filmmaking and bold music video moments. Creating an inspiring and empowering film for its audience and soundtracked by an anthemic new song by We Are Warriors founder and Yuin musician, Nooky.

We filmed conversations with Warriors and Nooky. Those stories became the foundation of the writing sessions for Through the Fire. We worked with Nooky to surface the visual language, scenes and cadence needed to bring the We Are Warriors story to life through film.

Warrior voices guide the storytelling both on screen and off. We hear and see an incredible story of strength and resilience, captured by a production team led by Nooky and Co-Director and EP Kieran Satour, and a camera team led by cinematographer Tyson Perkins.

THROUGH THE FIRE premiered at Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum on 26 January 2023. Known as Australia Day, or Invasion Day, this date is one of the country’s most polarising. We Are Warriors launched on this day in 2022 in an effort to turn a day of loss and sorrow for the Indigenous community into one of power and positivity. A year later, THROUGH THE FIRE reinforces WAW’s powerful message.

Going forward, the Powerhouse Museum wants to make We Are Warriors part of its plans for future growth and has expressed interest in acquiring content featured in the launch for its permanent collection.

In Australia, only 6% of youth are Indigenous, yet account for 49% of juvenile detainees – 22 times the rate of non-Indigenous kids. This is the highest incarceration rate on earth.

We Are Warriors was created to connect Indigenous youth with relatable, First Nations role models, so they can see people like them achieving success. By inspiring Indigenous kids to unlock their potential and realise their greatness, we’re helping the next generation “see it to be it.”

THROUGH THE FIRE premiered on January 26. Known as ‘Australia Day’ or ‘Survival Day’, the date serves as a reminder to First Nations people of the invasion of their lands, and the genocide and generations of oppression that followed.

The removal of “C” in the spelling of “Blak” is a response to a harmful history of a derogatory term beginning with that letter being used as a slur against Indigenous Australians.