Story

After the publication of his story in 1856, recounting his extraordinary 32 years living with the Wadawurrung people, William Buckley dies far from the Country he once called home.

His spirit — his moorup — journeys back across the oceans to Country, drawn by the distant voice of a young girl calling to him from beside a fire. As he returns through memory, spirit and landscape, Buckley witnesses the devastating impacts of colonisation unfolding across the land and people that had become his family.

Directed by James Vegter

Produced by
RooH Productions
Registars
Magic Lands Alliance

Starring
Cassie Puruntatameri
Alinta Dingley
James Vegter
Andrew Clark

MOORUP’S CALL

Psychological Period Drama | Short Film | 13 mins

Completed: 2026
Release: TBA 2026

Moorup’s Call is a 13-minute psychological period drama developed in collaboration with First Nations communities on Wadawurrung Country.

The short film was created to explore and demonstrate a similar art direction, visual language, atmosphere and historical world being developed for the feature film Magic Lands: Ngarram – Where Two Worlds Collide.

Through its landscapes, period environments, costume, production design and cinematography, Moorup’s Call provides an early cinematic expression of the world envisioned for Magic Lands: Ngarram, while remaining a standalone story in its own right.

Guided by Elders, cultural advisors and community members, the film explores themes of culture, identity, memory, loss and connection to Country, reflecting the broader approach to culturally informed and respectful storytelling at the heart of the Magic Lands project.