Filmed between 2025 and 2026, Photographer and filmmaker Harry Cunningham follows Nyima Tucker, a young Gnarluma, Banjima, and Yamatji woman navigating life between city and country.
Born in the Pilbara, where her ancestral roots run deep, Nyima was raised in Karratha before moving to Perth at 16. Living between these two worlds modern and ancient, urban and remote, separated by 1,500 kilometres of desert she grapples with identity, belonging, and the ever-calling of home.
Nyima embraces modern life she loves photoshoots, creating social media content, dressing up, and going out, with dreams of traveling the world like many young women her age. At the same time, she holds a deep connection to her culture and family. Yet the film also reveals a more complex reality: for many Indigenous people, connection to country is not always something fully experienced or easily accessed.
Through an intimate, first-hand lens, the film offers a rare insight into the lived experience of a young Indigenous woman growing up in Australia today.
As Nyima returns home for the first time as an adult, she encounters her country in new ways, including the rock art of Murujuga seeing up close for the first time—an experience that both connection and distance, and a growing connection to her culture.
Nyima is thoughtful, sharp, and disarmingly funny. She loves her family, her culture, and her country. Without trying to be, she emerges as a role model, simply through her honesty and the way she moves through the world as herself.
At a time when Indigenous stories are often told through the perspectives of older generations, Growing Up Nyima amplifies a younger voice- capturing the resilience, nuance, and lived reality of a new generation navigating both city and country, and offering a sense of hope for the future of Indigenous Australia.
#GrowingUpNyima #westernaustralia #IndigenousStories #DocumentaryFilm #pilbara #murujuganationalpark #woodsidegasplant
One of the highlights of 2025 was screening The World’s Longest City at Murdoch University alongside an incredible panel:
Associate Professor Martin Anda: Centre for Water, Energy and Waste, Murdoch University
Dr Jane Chambers: Director, NatureLink Perth & Senior Lecturer in Environmental and Conservation Sciences
Hon Dr Brad Pettitt: MLC, Leader of the Greens WA in the Legislative Council and moderated by Associate Professor of Philosophy & Academic Chair of Philosophy Anne Schwenkenbecher.
Grateful for the conversation, the audience, and the chance to share this film in an academic setting that genuinely engages with the issues it raises.
“The World’s Longest City follows photographer and filmmaker Harry Cunningham as he takes the audience on a journey across the edge of Perth, Australia’s fastest-growing metropolis and the longest city in the world. The documentary investigates the profound impact of Perth’s urban sprawl, raising crucial questions: How did Perth become the world’s longest city? What forces have driven this rapid expansion, and what are the long-term consequences of such growth?
As Cunningham travels through Perth’s sprawling suburbs, he interviews a diverse range of individuals, including residents, academics, developers, indigenous elders and environmental scientists. As Harry travels he explores the effects of relentless development on the environment, the city’s infrastructure, and the social fabric of its communities.
By weaving together Perspectives from environmental, anthropological, Indigenous, developer, residential, and government viewpoints- The World’s Longest City uncovers the hidden costs of continuous expansion. It shows how the dream of endless growth is altering not just the physical landscape, but also the very essence of what makes Perth unique. Ultimately, the film asks a critical question: What kind of legacy is Perth leaving for future generations.”
The film is available at @harrycunninghamfilms or via my website.
📸: @aaronlothian
#theworldslongestcityfilm #urbansprawl #perthurbansprawl #worldslongestcity #perthfilm #perthfilmmaker #perthfilmnetwork
Film now available online- link in bio. Growing Up Nyima – Between Two Worlds is a film in collaboration with @nyimatucker a young woman of Ngarluma, Banjima, and Yamatji heritage, as she moves between the worlds of city and country. Born in the Pilbara and raised in Karratha before relocating to Perth at sixteen, Nyima’s journey captures the tension between modern life and ancestral connection.
Across the 1,500 km that separate these landscapes, she grapples with questions of identity, belonging, and the meaning of home. In November 2025, after years away, Nyima returns to her roots for the first time as an adult, confronting the landscapes and memories that shaped her.
Growing Up Nyima – Between Worlds is a moving exploration of culture, family, and the ever‑calling of home.
📅 Event Schedule
6:00 pm – Doors open
6:15 pm – Conversation with Nyima Tucker & filmmaker Harry Cunningham
6:45 pm – Film screening (40 min)
7:25 pm – Q&A with Nyima & Harry
#GrowingUpNyima #aboriginalpride❤️💛⚫ #IndigenousStories #DocumentaryFilm #pilbara
I’m pleased to announce that I’m a finalist for the 2025 Iris Awards. Join me for the opening event:
IRIS AWARDS Finalist ⚫️
Powered by Ted’s Cameras
Opening: 3rd of October
5-6PM: Exclusive Preview (refreshments included) | $15
6PM+: Public Event | Free Entry
RSVP ESSENTIAL - visit @perthcentreforphotography to RSVP ⚡️ link in bio
Presented by the Perth Centre for Photography @cheap_tongue Cnr James St + Beach St Walyalup.
@perthcentreforphotography
Major PCP partners @teds_cameras@joes.printing@cits_wa
Venue Partner @caseframes@cheap_tongue
SHOTOKAN 松濤館 | 2025 USKU International Karate Championship
ノーサム Northam, Western Australia
On Sunday, 24 August 2025, the Avon Valley Shotokan Karate Club hosted the USKU International Karate Championship in Northam at the Recreation Centre, bringing together practitioners from Japan, South Africa, Australia, India and Malaysia.
Northam, a historic town 100km east of Perth, lies in the heart of WA’s Avon Valley. Known for its rolling hills, farmland, and the Avon River, it is both a gateway to the Wheatbelt and a cultural hub for the region.
Beyond the Avon Descent, hot air ballooning, and heritage buildings, Northam is also home to a strong martial arts community. Dojos such as Avon Valley Shotokan, Toodyay Karate Club, Northam Wado Ryu, and Goomalling Wado Ryu keep karate alive in the valley.
Shotokan traces back to Okinawa and was shaped by Master Gichin Funakoshi, who introduced the art to Japan in the early 20th century. “Shotokan” comes from his pen name Shoto and kan (hall), a nod to the quiet pine forests he loved and to the place of study where karate’s discipline is forged.
More than a sport, Shotokan is a philosophy. Its pillars, kihon (fundamentals), kata (forms), and kumite (sparring), cultivate timing (maai), focus (kime), and awareness (zanshin). The dojo kun reminds us: seek perfection of character, be faithful, endeavour, respect others, and refrain from violent behaviour.
Competition is not about defeating an opponent, but about confronting one’s own limits with courtesy and courage.
In Northam, athletes from juniors to seasoned black belts stepped onto the tatami with the same bow of respect used worldwide. Coaches, referees, and WA karate legends upheld Shotokan’s standards, while the crowd witnessed the precision and restraint that define the style.
Even in Northam, an isolated town just 100km inland from one of the world’s most isolated cities, the tradition continues today.
#Shotokan #松濤館 #Karate #AustralianKarate #WesternAustralianKarate #ShotokanKarate #KarateAustralia #USKU #MartialArtsAustralia #KarateLife #KarateDojo #Kenbainbridge #KarateChampionship #AvonValley #NorthamWA #PerthKarate #northam
“I started this journey with a simple question: How did Perth come to be the world’s longest city?”
The World’s Longest City is a photography exhibition, photobook and documentary that explores Perth’s rapid suburban expansion and its implications. Stretching over 150 kilometres from Mandurah in the south to Two Rocks in the north, Perth exemplifies the effects of urban sprawl. Photographer Harry Cunningham travelled this vast corridor, documenting the sprawling suburbs and examining the visual and environmental impacts of unchecked growth. What does sprawl look like at ground level, and what are the consequences of such expansion? Through symbolic urban imagery of barren streetscapes, mass-produced houses, and endless roads, the series challenges viewers to rethink Perth’s everyday, often overlooked, scenes. As an issue deeply intertwined with Perth’s identity, “The World’s Longest City” raises broader concerns about the city’s development, priorities, and long-term livability. Cunningham’s work encourages reflection on the values shaping Perth’s growth and the consequences of its current trajectory.
Photobook available: /books
Documentary Tickets:
/films
Thanks @perthdesignweek@activateperth
#UrbanSprawl #PerthUrbanSprawl #CityExpansion #UrbanLandscape #ContemporaryPhotography #AustralianPhotography #WorldsLongestCity #PerthDesignWeek #perth #PhotographyForCollectors #ArtCollectors #PerthArtScene #contemporaryphotography
“The World’s Longest City” Official Opening: 25th March, 6-9pm | 410 Murray Street, Perth
Join us for the official opening of “The World’s Longest City” a photography exhibition launching in @perthdesignweek that explores Perth’s rapid suburban expansion and its implications. Stretching over 150 kilometres from Mandurah in the south to Two Rocks in the north, Perth exemplifies the effects of urban sprawl. Photographer Harry Cunningham travelled this vast corridor, documenting the sprawling suburbs and examining the visual and environmental impacts of unchecked growth. What does sprawl look like at ground level, and what are the consequences of such expansion? Through symbolic urban imagery of barren streetscapes, mass-produced houses, and endless roads, the series challenges viewers to rethink Perth’s everyday, often overlooked, scenes. As an issue deeply intertwined with Perth’s identity, “The World’s Longest City” raises broader concerns about the city’s development, priorities, and long-term livability. Cunningham’s work encourages reflection on the values shaping Perth’s growth and the consequences of its current trajectory.
Thanks to @activateperth and @joes.printing .
RSVP:
Official Opening: 25th March, 6-9pm | 410 Murray Street, Perth
#UrbanSprawl #PerthUrbanSprawl #CityExpansion #UrbanLandscape #ContemporaryPhotography #AustralianPhotography #WorldsLongestCity #PerthDesignWeek #UrbanAesthetics #PhotographyForCollectors #ArtCollectors #PerthArtScene #contemporaryphotography
