Ten Canoes (2006)

Rolf de Heer’s curious mixture of entertainment and anthropology represented the first full-length Australian feature spoken entirely in Indigenous language. This version has English narration set over the Yolngu dialogue. A fusion of Yolngu and Western mythologies, set in Arnhem Land 120 years ago, the story tells a Yolngu tale before the first white contact.

Presenting a tale within a tale, this Australian film follows Dayindi (Jamie Gulpilil), a young Aboriginal warrior, as he wanders the wilderness hunting for eggs. Dayindi hears a story told by his brother Minygululu (Peter Minygululu), which echoes his own situation. A man who lusts after his brother's wife, the character in the tale kills a member of another tribe and faces dire consequences, with the story's ending reverberating in Dayindi's own life.