TEN CANOES

Australia, long before the arrival of the Europeans. Ten men set out into the swamp to gather magpie goose eggs. Among them is the young Dayindi (Jamie Gulpilil), who desires the youngest wife of his elder brother. To show him the right path, he is told a story from mythical times – a wild and comic tale of forbidden love, abduction, sorcery, mishaps and a revenge that goes wrong. The Australian Rolf de Heer shot “Ten Canoes” in 2006, together with the Yolngu of Ramingining in Arnhem Land, who appear before the camera and whose language the film speaks.

The story is told on two timelines, the frame narrative in black and white, the ancient past in colour. At its world premiere in Cannes in 2006 the film received the Special Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section. “Ten Canoes” was shown at Around the World in 14 Films in Berlin in 2006.

Shown at the 2006 edition of Around the World in 14 Films.

All films 2006 · Film Archive