As a celebration of NAIDOC Week 2023, seven Westfield centres across Western Australia and South Australia hosted a ‘silent cinema’ to showcase stories from Story Box Library’s First Nations’ Stories collection in a dedicated zone.

Over two weeks of the mid-year school holidays, families and children were encouraged to visit the silent cinemas, where staff provided headphones and snacks for all to watch short films on a big screen.

A selection of stories from our digital collection were chosen from local publishers such as Fremantle Press and Magabala Books, to promote and highlight WA children’s book publishers.

Running from Sunday 2 July to Sunday 9 July, NAIDOC Week is an opportunity to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Parents, carers, librarians, educators and more are encouraged to explore picture books from our digital collection with children, as an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. 

“Visitors and patrons at the NAIDOC Week Westfield activations found that Story Box Library’s short film, Stories Connect Us All, gave great insight into Aboriginal culture, and enjoyed the fact that NAIDOC Week was being celebrated in such a unique and special way with special stories.”

“Customers loved the NAIDOC activation. The space was warm and inviting with a few customers coming back multiple days to experience the stories properly. We targeted this activation towards kids but found it was popular with all age groups as it was such a nice experience. The educational element of this activation was loved by everyone and is something we would like to build for future years.”

Feedback from the activation at Tea Tree Plaza Westfield

Featured artist from Tea Tree Plaza and Whitford City Westfield centres is ENOKi Lamestreet (@grumpyenoki).

Featured art at Westfield Carousel is titled ‘Walking with Elders’ by Tabatha Davison.


Watch our short film Stories Connect Us All

Giilang' means Story' in Wiradjuri.

What does Story mean to you?

Meet the storytellers of First Nations’ Stories (formerly known as Indigenous Story Time), as they reflect on what Story means to them and their families, and the ways we share our experiences and identities.

Find titles in our growing First Nations’ Stories collection, created and read by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creators, storytellers and more.