Synopsis

'Bout time to tell you a story, eh? It is longtime ago. It is our time, before you other mob came from cross the ocean, longtime before then. The rains been good and ten of the men go on the swamp, to hunt the eggs of gumang, the magpie goose. One of the men, the young fella, has a wrong love, so the old man tell him a story, a story of the ancient ones, them wild and crazy ancestors who come after the spirit time, after the flood that covered the whole land. It's a good story, this story I'm gonna be tellin' you 'bout the ancient ones. There's more wrong love in this story, and plenty spears too, and plenty wives, too many wives if you ask me. A beautiful young one and a bit of a jealous one and the older wise one and even more wives than that. There's a stranger comes and one of them wives goes missin' and there's a man with a belly big as a mountain. There's sorcery and magic too, and a wrong spear in the wrong body, and more spears and bad spirits. And even that's not everything that's happening in this story. Ahh, you gotta see this story of mine cause it'll make you laugh, even if you're not a blackfella. Might cry a bit too eh? But then you laugh some more, cause this story is a big true story of my people. True thing.

What The Critics Say Glossary Yolngu: The literal translation of Yolngu is simply, "the people", but it is used nowadays as a term to describe the group of Australian Indigenous people (aboriginals) living in or originating from central and eastern Arnhem Land in Australia's Northern Territory.
Balanda: A word meaning "white person(s)", coming from the word "Hollander"...the Dutch were the first white people to come into contact with the Yolngu.
Ramingining: A town of about 800 Yolngu people in the northern part of central Arnhem Land. The town was created in the early 1970s when the Mission of Millingimby became overcrowded. This meant that Yolngu from different areas were brought to live together, some quite a long distance from their traditional lands. There are fifteen or sixteen clans represented in Ramingining and about 8 different language groups.
Arafura Swamp: A large area of freshwater wetlands just south and east of Ramingining. The swamp extends to 130,000 hectares during the wet season, and is home to an incredible variety of bird, plant and animal life, including possibly the largest biomass of crocodiles in the world.
Magpie geese or Gumang: One of the many species of birdlife on the swamp, the Gumang is a black and white native goose which was an important food source in times gone by. Goose Egg Gathering: Also known as Goose Egg Hunting. Expeditions by canoe of up to a week at a time used to be launched onto the swamp towards the end of the wet season, when the magpie geese had laid their eggs. Eggs were collected in numbers and the birds hunted for their meat.
Ganalbingu: The name of one of the clans local to the Arafura Swamp area. Ganalbingu means "magpie goose people". It was hence an important clan in the life of the swamp (and in the making of 'Ten Canoes').
Payback or Makaratta: A formal and ritualised form of punishment or retribution, usually with attendant ceremony. Warriors from the aggrieved tribe throw spears at the perceived culprit until blood is drawn. Sometimes the wound is fatal, sometimes only minor. Occasionally a partner is chosen by the culprit, and both face the spears. Justice is deemed to be done when either one, the innocent or the perceived guilty, is hit. In many areas payback has been further refined to be a simple close-range spearing of the culprit in the leg.
Death Dance: When someone was at the edge of death, ceremony would start. People would gather and initially a dance would be performed for the dying person, to help him begin to make connections with his ancestors in the spirit world. Occasionally a person, still capable but knowing he was going to die, would perform the death dance himself. Ceremony would continue on and off for up to twelve months after the person had died. David Gulpilil - The Storyteller David Gulpilil was born in 1953, in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. He grew up in a tribal lifestyle in an area north east of the world famous Kakadu National Park where his ancestors have lived for thousands of years. In 1969 the British director Nicholas Roeg chose David as the lead in the feature film "Walkabout" filmed on location in Northern Australia.
David Gulpilil is one of Australia's most accomplished exponents of traditional Aboriginal dance and the native wind instrument, the didgeridoo. He has toured his dances Australia wide and internationally and has performed with his troupe in the United States, Great Britain and France. He and a group of his native dancers performed at the Australian Pavilion at the World Expo 1985 in Osaka and also in Tokyo.
In 1987 Gulpilil was awarded the Australia Medal, one of the highest awards to Australian citizens, for his services to the Arts.
Gulpilil has appeared in feature films such as "Mad Dog Morgan" directed by Philippe Mora and also starring Dennis Hopper; "The Last Wave" directed by Peter Weir and also starring Richard Chamberlain; "Storm Boy" directed by Henri Safran; "The Right Stuff" directed by Philip Kaufman; "Dark Age" directed by Arch Nicholson; "Dead Heart" directed by Nick Parsons and starring Bryan Brown; "Serenades" directed by Mojgan Khadem; Wim Wender's feature film "Until The End Of The World"; "Crocodile Dundee with Paul Hogan; "Rabbit Proof Fence directed by Phillip Noyce and "The Tracker" directed by Rolf de Heer and starring Gary Sweet. In 2002, Gulpilil received numerous acting awards for his role in "The Tracker", notably winning Lead Actor at the AFI Awards, IF Awards and the Film Critics Circle Awards. He also won Best Actor at the Tudawali Awards. The Inside Story "Ten Canoes" is Rolf de Heer's eleventh feature film in a career spanning three decades. Born in Holland, Rolf de Heer migrated to Australia with his family in 1959. From eighteen, he spent seven years working at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. In 1977, he was granted entry into Australia's prestigious Film Television and Radio School, completing the three-year course with Diplomas in Production and Directing. De Heer's first film was the 1984 children's feature "Tail Of A Tiger". It was followed by "Incident At Raven's Gate" (1987), "Dingo (1990), Venice Film Festival Grand Special Jury Prize and International Film Critics Prize winner "Bad Boy Bubby" (1993), "Epsilon" (1995), "The Quiet Room" (1996), "Dance To My Song" (1997), "The Old Man Who Read Love Stories" (1999), "The Tracker" (2002) and "Alexandra's Project" (2003). On "Ten Canoes" de Heer had the assistance of a co-director, Peter Djigirr. Known as the "crocodile man" Djigirr is regarded as the local expert on catching crocodiles and locating their eggs for harvest on the Swamp each year. His assistance as co-director was vital during the shoot. He was involved extensively in casting, locations and logistics, and was a key liaison between the Yolgnu community and balanda crew. The credit for getting "Ten Canoes" off the ground must go to Australia's most loved First Nation Elder Statesman and acclaimed Aboriginal actor David Gulpilil whose performing world includes dance, film and theatre. In late 2000, David Gulpilil invited Rolf de Heer to Ramingining, to meet with him among his family, to see his traditional lands and to travel the Arafura Swamp. It was during this stay that Gulpilil first raised the idea of a film being made on their traditional land. Later during filming of "The Tracker", Gulpilil raised the idea again with de Heer. In June 2003, David received a phone call from Rolf; 'could he come up and talk to David about making a film together?' After meeting with David and influential contemporaries, such as Richard Birrinbirrin and Bobby Bunungurr they had the vague idea for a film. It would be set in "old times", maybe a century ago; make it some sort of Aboriginal story that ends, just before its own climax, with the massacre by Balanda of most of the Yolngu characters. That all changed when, on the morning of de Heer's departure, Gulpilil told the acclaimed director, "We need ten canoes." Rolf didn't understand what Gulpilil meant. "We need ten canoes," Gulpilil repeated. Still not understanding what his friend was refering to he asked, "David, we don't even know what the film is really about, how can we need ten canoes?" Gulpilil disappeared and a half an hour later returned and gave de Heer a black and white photograph taken almost seventy years before. Taking one look at it de Heer could see what Gulpilil meant. "You're right, we need ten canoes." The photo in de Heer's hand of the ten canoeists was taken by Dr Donald Thomson, an anthropologist who worked in central and north-eastern Arnhem Land in the mid-1930s, when life for the original inhabitants was still very traditional and culturally little influenced by the coming of white people. There had been wars against the Yolngu people of Arnhem Land, and massacres of them, but they had never been conquered and had thus retained, in very large measure, their traditional lifestyle. Thomson left a legacy of immense importance, a collection of some four thousand black and white glass plate photographs of so many aspects of Yolngu culture. That collection is held in Museum Victoria. The Thomson photos were a great starting point. They were an invaluable reference, and having become part of the local culture, here were images that could be discussed, incident that could be derived from image. Each photo had, in some way, a story that illuminated the whole of the endeavour. Over the next year and a half, Rolf visited Ramingining on numerous occasions. Each time he came, more of the Yolngu would get to know him, and the circle of consultation became wider. There were problems they would have to overcome. The first was that there were several storytelling problems that needed to be overcome. The second was a problem over what should be in the film. The third was a major problem. The Thomson photos, which were somehow being represented in the film, were in black and white, the cultural history of the people was in black and white, but the film was contractually bound to be a colour film. In the end, all their difficulties were overcome including casting and language problems. There are three versions of the film in existence so far: there's the version that has Yolngu languages dialogue with English subtitles and English storytelling by David Gulpilil; there's the version that has both Yolngu languages dialogue and storytelling in Mandalpingu by David, with English subtitles; and there's the Yolngu version, no subtitles, everything in the languages of the people whose film it is. The version being screened in cinemas is one that has Yolngu languages dialogue with English subtitles and English storytelling by David Gulpilil. It truly is a remarkable piece of cinema and a wonderful tribute to the skills of our First Nation People and everyone involved in the production of "Ten Canoes". The Verdict "It's not hard to see why "Ten Canoes' received such acclaim at the 2006 Cannes International Film Festival. Rolf de Heer's "Ten Canoes" is artisticly outstanding, beautifully shot, enchanting, the cast perform well, the subtitles are easy to read and the story is one filled with intrigue. For all that it does have a fault. It is as though the storytelling doesn't know when to stop. That will cause some cinemagoers to feel as though "Ten Canoes" is much, much longer than it's advertised run time would suggest. It labours to find its ending rather like "Rent" did recently. Never the less, there is so much merit in seeing this film. Recommended. 3 1/2 STARS." The Cast

Crusoe Kurddal Jamie Dayindi Gulpilil Dalaithngu Richard Birrinbirrin Peter Minygululu Frances Djulibing Sonia Djarrabalminym Cassandra Malangarri Baker Philip Gudthaykudthay Scott Gaykamangu Peter Djigirr Michael Dawu Bobby Bununggurr Johnny Buniyira Billy Black Steven Wilinydjanu Maliburr Carl Dhalurruma Kathy Gonun Jennifer Djenana Rico Pascoe Jeffrey Buinyinyinwuiny David Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu Lindsay Mace Gaykamangu

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Ridjimiraril Dayindi/Yeeralparil Birrinbirrin Minygululu Nowalingu Banalandju Munandjarra The Sorcerer Honey Boy Canoeist/The Victim/Warrior Canoeist/The Stranger Canoeist/Uncle Canoeist/Warrior Canoeist/Warrior Canoeist/Warrior Canoeist/Warrior Birrinbirrin's Wife #1 Birrinbirrin's Wife #2 Honey Boy/Messenger Wrong Stranger The Storyteller Painted Warrior

The Crew "TEN CANOES" was .......
directed by Rolf de Heer ["Bad Boy Bubby", "Alexandra's Project", "The Old Man Who Read Love Stories" and "The Tracker"]; co-directed by Djigirr ["Ten Canoes"]; film edited by IF Best Editor Award winner Tania Nehme ["The Sound Of One Hand Clapping" and "The Old Man Who Read Love Stories"]; director of photography Film Critics Circle Award winner Ian Jones A.C.S ["Bad Boy Bubby", "The Tracker" and "Alexandra's Project"]; art direction by Beverley Freeman ["Dance To My Song", "The Quiet Room" and "The Tracker"]; produced by Julie Ryan ["The Old Man Who Read Love Stories", "The Tracker" and "Alexandra's Project"]. The Executive Production team includes Domenico Procacci ["The Last Kiss", "Bad Boy Bubby" and "He Died With A Felafel In His Hand"]. Run Time 92 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2006 - Palace Films - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2006 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved