What is Ten Canoes about?
Ten Canoes is a 2006 Australian film directed by Rolf de Heer and Peter Djigirr. It was the first feature film made entirely in Australian Aboriginal languages, telling a story of the Yolngu people of Arnhem Land.
The film weaves two stories. In one, set in the past, a group of men go on a goose egg hunting trip in the Arafura Swamp. During the trip, an elder tells a young man a story from the more distant past about love, jealousy and law.
The cast are Yolngu people from Ramingining. The idea came from a 1930s photograph by anthropologist Donald Thomson showing ten men with bark canoes, which actor David Gulpilil showed to de Heer.
Narration and style
Gulpilil narrates the film, with versions available in English and Yolngu Matha. The story set in the distant past is shown in colour, while the hunting trip is in black and white, echoing Thomson's photographs.
Ten Canoes won a Special Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006, and six Australian Film Institute awards, including Best Film.
The film was praised for showing Aboriginal culture from the inside, with the community closely involved in its making. Jamie Gulpilil, David's son, played one of the lead roles.
Did You Know?
Donald Thomson's photographs of Arnhem Land in the 1930s are held by Museums Victoria.