Anthropology (3/6)

LANGUAGE OF LIGHT, THE

2023 (M) 171 min

Intimate portraits of seven ground-breaking Australian photographers, each with a significant body of work and each with a different photographic style. more

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LAST OF THE NOMADS, THE

1997 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min

THE LAST OF THE NOMADS tells the moving story of Warri and Yatungka, the last of the Mandildjara people to be living a traditional nomadic lifestyle in the remote Gibson Desert of central Australia. more

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LEMPAD OF BALI

1980 (G) 56 min

A re-release of an acclaimed documentary classic by John Darling - A film about the life and death of the 116-year-old Balinese Master-Artist. more

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LIFE IS A VERY STRANGE THING (English language version)

2018 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 80 min

Frédéric, a former high school rebel, ethnomusicologist, and multinational executive, returns from decades abroad, to a France that is both familiar and on edge. A quirky and moving portrait by outsiders, exploring what it is to be French in the 21st century. A delightful film by Les McLaren and Annie Stiven. more

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LIFE IS A VERY STRANGE THING (French language version)

2018 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 80 min

Frédéric, a former high school rebel, ethnomusicologist, and multinational executive, returns from decades abroad, to a France that is both familiar and on edge. A quirky and moving portrait by outsiders, exploring what it is to be French in the 21st century. more

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LOCKHART FESTIVAL [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1974 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 33 min

A classic documentary about an Aboriginal dance festival organised by the Lockhart River community in far north Queensland. more

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LORANG'S WAY

1979 (G) 69 min

Part 2: TURKANA CONVERSATIONS - A multifaceted portrait of Lorang, the head of the homestead. more

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LOVE MARKET, THE

2009 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 52 min

Four young girls, aged 8 to 18, from hill tribes in North Vietnam, survive by selling artefacts to tourists and living in the hope of an escape to a brighter and better life outside Vietnam. A film by Shalom Almond, director of MY LONG NECK, also about the impact of tourism on traditional life styles. more

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LURUGU [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1973 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 56 min

The revival of an initiation ceremony for young men on Mornington Island in north Queensland. more

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LURUJARRI DREAMING

2013 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 28 min

An animated exploration of Goolarabooloo history and culture, focusing on a nine-day Lurujarri Heritage Trail walk led by Elders from the community, north from Broome along the Dampier Peninsula in north-western Australia. more

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MACDOUGALL TAPES, THE

2017 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 261 min

Extended conversations with David and Judith MacDougall about their years with the Film Unit of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, Canberra, 1975-1987. During this time, the MacDougalls made a series of eleven documentary films that were acknowledged world-wide as landmark achievements in ethnographic cinema. more

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MAKING A BARK CANOE [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1969 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 16 min

Two men make a bark canoe in the swamps of coastal Arnhem Land – a process simply observed by filmmaker Roger Sandall. more

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MALBANGKA COUNTRY [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1975 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 29 min

The Malbangka family leaves the social problems of Hermannsburg in central Australia to return to their own traditional land and set up their own independent settlement. more

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MAN ON THE RIM - DVD 1

1989 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 224 min

An 11 part film series which was first released in 1989 and represents one of the major achievements in the field of pre-history, archeology and anthropology. DVD 1 consists of 4 episodes: First Footsteps | Hunters & Gatherers | Into the Deep Freeze | Flaming Arrows. more

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MAN ON THE RIM - DVD 2

1989 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 224 min

An 11 part film series which was first released in 1989 and represents one of the major achievements in the field of pre-history, archeology and anthropology. DVD 2 consists of 4 episodes: Changing the Menu | The Cutting Edge | The Powerhouse | Pure & Simple. more

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MAN ON THE RIM - DVD 3

1989 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 168 min

An 11 part film series which was first released in 1989 and represents one of the major achievements in the field of pre-history, archeology and anthropology. DVD 3 consists of 3 episodes: Roads Without Wheels | The Feathered Serpent | The Last Horizon. more

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MAN WITHOUT PIGS

1990 (G) 59 min

MAN WITHOUT PIGS offers a rare insight into the dynamics of village life in Papua New Guinea. The film explores the antagonism aroused when conflict between traditional custom and Western values occurs in an isolated community. more

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MESSAGE FROM MUNGO

2014 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 70 min

WINNER! UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION OF VICTORIA MEDIA AWARDS in the Category of "Promotion of Indigenous Recognition". The story of the interaction between Scientists and the Custodians of Indigenous Heritage at Lake Mungo, one of the world's richest archaeological sites. more

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MINISTER WITHOUT MONEY

2005 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 28 min

Minister Without Money portrays Dr John Waiko's political rise and fall fourteen years after the first film about Waiko, Man Without Pigs (1990) which focused on the significance of Dr Waiko's achievement as the first Indigenous scholar to gain the title of Professor in Papua New Guinea. more

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MIRACLE OF THE LITTLE PRINCE, THE

2018 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 90 min

The story of how communities are keeping endangered languages alive with the help of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's Little Prince – from North Africa to Tibet, and the Arctic circle to Latin America. A feature documentary by Dutch filmmaker, Marjoleine Boonstra. more

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MORE THAN A FISH KILL

2024 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 38 min

Two beloved rivers and more than 30 million dead fish bring artists, scientists and First Nations custodians together to turn ecological disasters into a journey of cultural healing. more

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MOURNING FOR MANGATOPI [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1974 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 53 min

An elaborate Tiwi mourning ceremony, performed as an affirmation of traditional culture. more

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MR STREHLOW'S FILMS

2001 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min

The life and work of one of Australia's most eminent and controversial anthropologists, T.G.H. (Ted) Strehlow. more

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MY LONG NECK

2013 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 53 min

Maja is proud of the 16 coils of brass around her neck that distinguish her as a Long Neck Kayan woman from Burma. But after 20 years of living on display and constantly being photographed in a tourist village in northern Thailand, the rings are becoming more of a trap than a source of pride. more

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MY MOTHER'S VILLAGE and the Sri Lanka series

2014 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 256 min

In the late 1970s, anthropologist Sharon Bell and cinematographer Geoff Burton made three landmark documentaries about village life in Sri Lanka, observed over a two-year period, released in 1980. Decades later their son, Aaron Burton, reconnects with the communities to share experiences and aspirations with the next generation. more

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ONCE A QUEEN

2005 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 50 min

A universal story of a rural community with big aspirations ... Grafton in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales, and its inspired annual celebration of its rich history. more

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OONDOORRD: Married Turtle [from the CAAMA Collection]

2009 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 22 min

The hunt for the special Oondoorrd or female turtle in the mating season, in the ocean off the West Kimberley region of Western Australia. more

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PETYARRE and ATNANGKERE (Our Cave) (From the CAAMA Collection)

2016-7 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 40 min

Two related short documentaries by Viviana Petyarre, featuring artist Gloria Petyarre and her family's search for a cave to which they are culturally connected. For millennia, the Atnangkere Cave has been a Dreaming centrepiece for the Alyawarre people of Atneltye (Boundary Bore), Utopia, north of Alice Springs in central... more

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PRIESTESS/THE STOREKEEPER, THE

1983 (G) 30 min

Available only in the collection of four films made by Solrun Hoaas on Hatoma Island: THE HATOMA FILMS. more

PUTUPARRI and the Rainmakers

2015 (M) 97 min

Against the backdrop of Australia's tangled colonial and Indigenous history, Putuparri and the Rainmakers explores one man's struggle to fulfill his destiny. more

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RED BOWMEN, THE

1978 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 58 min

The record of a ceremony called Ida which is performed every year by villagers of the Waina-Sowanda district of West Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea. A film by Chris Owen. more

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RIDDLE OF THE BRADSHAWS, THE

2002 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 53 min

This story of the Bradshaw rock paintings or Gwion Gwion as they are known to the Aboriginal traditional owners, unfolds in the vast and beautiful Kimberley region of Australia's far north west. more

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RINGBALIN - BREAKING THE DROUGHT

2014 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 32 min

A powerful documentary about the healing of Australia's greatest river and its diverse peoples through ancient ceremony of culture and spirit. more

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RINGTONE

2016 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 30 min

In the Yolngu community of Gapuwiyak in the Northern Territory, individual ringtones on mobiles reveal rich insights into lives and relationships. Ringtone features individuals talking directly to camera, revealing the stories behind their own ringtones as well as the pleasures and perils of their new connectivity. more

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SACRED VANDALS

1983 (G) 55 min

Available only in the collection of four films made by Solrun Hoaas on Hatoma Island: THE HATOMA FILMS. more

SINCE THE COMPANY CAME

2000 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min

A Solomon Islands community struggles with some unexpected consequences of a logging operation. The men of Rendova Island embrace the chance to be part of the modern economy; but the women are concerned for the forests and traditions that sustain their families. As Rendova's forest rapidly disappears, the loggers set their... more

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SOME ALIEN CREATURES

2005 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 74 min

A film about the famous experimental, co-educational boarding school in South India, the Rishi Valley School, founded by the influential Indian thinker Krishnamurti. more

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SONS OF NAMATJIRA [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1975 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 47 min

A group of celebrated Aboriginal artists and their relationship with the outside world. more

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SPEAR IN THE STONE [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1983 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 34 min

An age-old tradition of making spear-heads from special stones in Arnhem Land. more

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STILL OUR COUNTRY

2015 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 88 min

A poetic celebration of country and culture, Still Our Country documents the swiftly changing lives of the Yolngu people of Ramingining in the Northern Territory. This evocative carnival of images and sounds makes a bold declaration of identity and offers a hopeful promise of a future. more

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STOCKMAN'S STRATEGY [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1984 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 51 min

An insight into the transfer of knowledge and experience on the Collum Collum cattle station in north-eastern New South Wales. more

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SUNNY AND THE DARK HORSE [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1987 (PG) 86 min

Country folk know of pleasures that townsfolk never know ... The story of an Aboriginal stockman and his family and their growing passion for "picnic racing" on bush tracks in New South Wales. more

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TAKEOVER [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1979 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 87 min

The story of an Aboriginal community under threat from a distant bureaucracy. A film by David and Judith MacDougall. DIGITALLY RE-MASTERED FROM ORIGINAL FILM MATERIALS! more

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TAKING PICTURES

1996 (G) 56 min

Taking Pictures focuses on several Australian film makers and the internationally renowned documentaries they made in Papua New Guinea in the 1970s-90s. Juxtaposing clips of the films with interviews of the filmmakers, it reflects upon the Western tradition of inquiring into and recording other people's lives, raising questions... more

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TALES FROM THE DALY - Nauiyu Nambiyu [from the CAAMA Collection]

2010 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 20 min

A journey into the stories and spectacular landscapes of the Daly River region in the north-west of the Northern Territory. more

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TALKING LANGUAGE with Ernie Dingo [from the CAAMA Collection]

2014 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 132 min

There are around 250 languages with 600 dialects spoken on this land. Today it is estimated around 30 of those languages are still strong and spoken daily, while over a hundred are critically endangered. more

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TEMPUS DE BARISTAS

1993 (G) 100 min

TEMPUS DE BARISTAS explores the character and prospects of three mountain shepherds of eastern Sardinia. more

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THREE HORSEMEN [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1982 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 51 min

Three generations of Aboriginal stockmen on a cattle station in far north Queensland. more

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TO LIVE WITH HERDS

1972 (B&W) (G) 70 min

This classic, widely acclaimed film on the Jie of Uganda, produced by the renowned ethnographic filmmaking team of David and Judith MacDougall, examines the effects of nation building in pre-Amin Uganda on the seminomadic, pastoral Jie. more

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TOMBSTONE OPENING, THE

2012 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 29 min

Releasing the spirit of Ephraim Bani, a great cultural custodian, in Torres Strait's unique ritual. more

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TRANSFER OF POWER, A [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1986 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 21 min

Replacing the engine in an old car: the work of "bush mechanics" on a cattle station in northern New South Wales. more

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TROBRIAND CRICKET

1979 (G) 52 min

"Trobriand cricket" refers to a unique version of the ball-and-bat sport cricket played by the Trobriand Islanders. They were first exposed to the game by Christian missionaries, who thought the game would discourage war among the natives. However, the game was quickly adapted to Trobriand culture by expanding the number... more

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TUPAIA'S ENDEAVOUR

2020 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 119 min

A first contact story, told from a Pacific point of view. Tupaia was a Polynesian high-priest, star-navigator, and artist who joined Cook's Endeavour expedition in Tahiti in 1769 as a navigator, and had a profound impact on Cook's journey and survival. This film cements Tupaia's role as a central figure in Pacific history. more

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TURKANA CONVERSATIONS

1989 (G)

A trilogy of award-winning films on semi-nomadic camel herders of north-western Kenya. more

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UNDER THE PALACE WALL

2014 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 53 min

An observational film by David MacDougall. A 16th century palace overlooks the Indian village of Delwara. It is now a luxury hotel, remote from the world of the villagers. more

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WAITING FOR HARRY [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1980 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 56 min

Tensions behind the scenes of a ritual event in central Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. more

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WALBIRI FIRE CEREMONY, A - Ngatjakula [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1977 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 19 min

Ngatjakula is one of the most spectacular ceremonies of central Australia, employing fire, and several days of singing and dance, to resolve conflicts and re-affirm social order among the Warlpiri (Walbiri) people. more

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WEDDING CAMELS, THE

1979 (G) 108 min

This film explores the relationships between wedding negotiations, dispersed kin groups bound together by reciprocal livestock obligations, and the significance of these marital alliances in a harsh environment. Unfolding events reveal the delicate balance between the economics of the domestic groups involved and the self-respect... more

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WESTERN DESERT WOOMERA: Fashioned With Stone Tools [from the AIATSIS Collection]

1981 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 11 min

A documentary about the making of a spear-thrower by two Pintupi men of the Lake McDonald area in the central west of the Northern Territory. The film demonstrates their use of stone tools. more

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WHEN THE SNAKE BITES THE SUN

1985 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 57 min

A film by Michael Edols. Available on DVD and Vimeo-on-Demand as part of the ASPECTS OF A LIFE collection. more