PNG 40th Anniversary National Film and Sound Archive Events
Australians have long crossed the Torres Strait to make films in Papua New Guinea. Between 1906 and 1975, the territories of Papua and New Guinea were Australian protectorates, and cinema played an important role in promoting the colonial agenda to an audience at home and abroad.
In the 1930s, gold prospectors penetrated the highland areas of central New Guinea with maps and bulky 35mm camera equipment only to find a population of one million people living in its mountainous valleys. Following the Pacific War, Australians were increasingly keen to learn more about their northern neighbours and the Film Australia Collection provides a unique insight into the history of PNG at this time through the lens of the government filmmaker.
In the early 1970s, a new generation of young, politically aware Australian filmmakers arrived in PNG to document the extraordinary period of change preceding independence in 1975.
To mark the 40th anniversary of independence, the National Film and Sound Archive are presenting a season of films from all these eras, including significant Australian filmmakers and historians to personally present these films and discuss their historical, social and political context, including Michael Waterhouse, Gary Kildea, Andrew Pike, Les McLaren and Bob Connolly.