Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

Titles tagged with ‘rituals’

10 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year

Agnes Abbott: Hard Worker documentary – 2006

An Eastern Arrernte woman’s journey from mustering cattle to performing at the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

The Cremation of a Balinese Chief at the Hotel Bali home movie – c1930

This Balinese cremation was apparently the first such ceremony to be witnessed and filmed by a white man.

Journey Out of Darkness feature film – 1967

In 1901 Constable Peterson arrives in Central Australia to arrest an Arrernte man who has committed a ritual killing.

Loved Up – Lore of Love documentary – 2005

This film about people in love is a refreshing break from the usual heavy-handed anthropological treatment of Indigenous subjects.

Man Without Pigs documentary – 1990

The first Papua New Guinea man to become a professor returns to his small village to celebrate, but inadvertently creates antagonism when rituals aren’t adhered to.

The Picture Woman short film – 1997

Over a series of seemingly unrelated images, a woman speaks in voice-over of taking a photo of herself every other day.

Smoking the Baby documentary – 2001

Smoking the Baby demonstrates an Indigenous ritual that helps children and mothers fend off illness.

Taking Pictures documentary – 1996

Taking Pictures examines ethnographic filmmaking in Papua New Guinea and explores filming across cultural boundaries.

Trobriand Cricket: An Ingenious Response to Colonialism documentary – 1976

This anthropological documentary covers the unique innovations made by the Trobriand Islanders of Papua New Guinea to the game of cricket.

Wrap Me Up in Paperbark documentary – 1999

At the heart of this documentary is the struggle to reclaim a mother’s remains and return her to the country and people from whom she was taken.