Talking Pictures Frances Calvert  

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TALKING BROKEN (1990)

A portrait of the Torres Strait Islanders

'Broken' is the creole spoken by the Torres Strait Islanders in far north Australia. Although they appear to keep up with 'the system', the hidden language of the authorities will always remain a mystery.

With humour and intelligence, various Islanders talk openly about subjects as wide-ranging as independence, culture, tourism, adoption, sex and sorcery. Yet it becomes clear that not all Islanders are aware of their vulnerability in the face of outside forces. more...


CRACKS IN THE MASK (1997)

'Back then, the white man came, saw ... and collected. 100 years on, two Torres Strait Islanders pay a visit to some museums... and illuminate the cracks in their own history'.

CRACKS IN THE MASK is a moving documentary about the fate of Torres Strait art and artefacts in European museums.

Ideal for use in secondary and tertiary institutions for cultural studies, museum studies, anthropology, art, indigenous peoples, globalisation, colonial history but also of interest to a wide general audience. more...

 

CURRENT PRODUCTIONS:


WELCOME MONEY
(writer, director, co-producer)
- a documentary about attitudes to consumerism in the former GDR.


THE TOMBSTONE OPENING
(writer, director, co-producer)
- a documentary that centres on the unique ceremony of farewelling the spirit of the dead in Torres Strait


HADDON'S HEROES
(writer, director, co-producer)
- a whimsical drama documentary about Torres Strait Islanders' active response to Europeans in the era of early film and attempts to rejuvenate their contemporary culture.