Editing Rabbit-Proof Fence (section)

==Reception==

===Public reception===
The film stirred controversy in Australia relating to the government's historical policy of removing mixed-race Aboriginal children from their families in Aboriginal communities and placing them in state institutions. They became known as the [[Stolen Generations]].<ref name="Fickling">{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2002/oct/25/artsfeatures |location=London, UK |work=The Guardian |first=David |last=Fickling |title=Film: The stolen ones |date=25 October 2002}}</ref><ref name="Byrnes">{{cite web |last=Byrnes |first=Paul |title=Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002): Curator's notes |url=http://aso.gov.au/titles/features/rabbit-proof-fence/notes/ |work=Australian Screen Online |publisher=National Film and Sound Archive |location=Canberra}}</ref>

[[Eric Abetz]], a government minister, announced the publication of a leaflet criticising the film's portrayal of the treatment of Indigenous Australians, and demanded an apology from the filmmakers. Director [[Phillip Noyce]] suggested that instead the government should apologise to the numerous Indigenous people affected by the removal policy.{{refn|name=Fickling}}

Conservative commentators, such as [[Andrew Bolt]], also attacked the historical accuracy of the film. Bolt criticised the numerous disparities between the film and Pilkington Garimara's novel. This angered the author, who said that Bolt had misquoted her.{{refn|name=Fickling}} The academic [[Robert Manne]] in turn accused Bolt of historical denialism. Screenwriter Christine Olsen wrote a detailed response to Bolt's claims.{{refn|name=Byrnes}}

Olsen attributed the angry response among some of the public to the fact that it was based in events that were "demonstrably true" and well-documented.{{refn|name=Fickling}} However, the filmmaker said that the film was meant primarily as a drama rather than a political or historical statement. Noyce said, "If drama comes from conflict, there's no greater conflict in Australian history than the conflict between Indigenous Australians and white settlers."{{refn|name=Fickling}}

The historian [[Keith Windschuttle]] also disputed the film's depiction of events. In his work ''The Fabrication of Aboriginal History'', he wrote that Molly and the two other girls had been removed for their own welfare, and that the two older girls had been sexually involved with white men. Noyce and Olsen rejected these criticisms, stating that Windschuttle's research was incomplete.<ref name="Maddox & Munro">{{cite news |last1=Maddox |first1=Garry |last2=Munro |first2=Kelsey |date=15 December 2009 |title=Director, historian at odds over film |url=https://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/film/fighting-over-the-fence/2009/12/14/1260639169624.html |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |access-date=14 February 2018}}</ref> Pilkington Garimara denied Windschuttle's claims of sexual activity between her mother and local whites, stating that the claims were a distortion of history.<ref name="Perpitch">{{cite news |last=Perpitch |first=Nicolas |title=Historian's Aboriginal claims a distortion, says author |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/archive/in-depth/historians-aboriginal-claims-a-distortion-says-author/story-e6frgd9f-1225810390871?sv=507bb1d5bd9ed1c40b455a21979faae6 |work=The Australian |date=15 December 2009 |location=Sydney}}</ref>

===Critical response===
The film received positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]]'s score is 88% based on 145 reviews. The site's Critics' Consensus states, "Visually beautiful and well-acted, ''Rabbit-Proof Fence'' tells a compelling true-life story".<ref>{{rotten-tomatoes|rabbitproof_fence|Rabbit-Proof Fence}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has an aggregated score of 80 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{Metacritic film|title=Rabbit-Proof Fence}}</ref>
 
[[David Stratton]] of [[Special Broadcasting Service|SBS]] awarded the film four stars out of five, commenting that ''Rabbit-Proof Fence'' is a "bold and timely film about the stolen generations."<ref>{{cite news | title=Rabbit-Proof Fence (review) | work=[[Special Broadcasting Service|SBS]] | url= http://www.sbs.com.au/films/movie/1073/Rabbit-Proof-Fence |first=David |last=Stratton | access-date=14 February 2013}}</ref>

===Box office===
''Rabbit-Proof Fence'' grossed $16.2 million worldwide, including $3.8 million in Australia.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0252444/ |title=Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) |publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=21 August 2020}}</ref>