witiyana marika high ground


text-align: center; } var timerIDMain = null; font-style: normal; document.getElementById("SMMain5").style.visibility="hidden"; Moran enlists a reluctant Travis, now a weathered and disillusioned bounty hunter, by threatening to expose his execution of the white cops; and the now adult Gutjuk (newcomer Jacob Junior Nayinggul), convinced that the young man will help smoke out his uncle, Baywara, and bring the mob under control. text-align: center; border-left-style: none; It's here, within a clan presided over by Grandfather Dharrpa — played by the film's co-storywriter, and senior cultural advisor, Witiyana Marika — that the film breathes with a sense of fury and purpose. Johnson and Yolngu Boy screenwriter Chris Anastassiades are quick to upend any notion of a rugged, conciliatory trek, however — the kind where cultural differences conveniently dissolve in the common bond between men. font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; Twelve years later, obdurate, king-and-country-bound police chief Moran (Jack Thompson) is rounding up a posse to hunt down the Aboriginal warrior Baywara (Sean Mununggurr), a rebel leader whose "Wild Mob" has been torching white property — a crime that far exceeds the massacre of an entire Indigenous family in the eyes of the law. font-size: 14px; border-bottom-color: #000000; border-top-style: none; Shot on location in the Northern Territory, in the Indigenous-protected Kakadu national park and in Arnhem Land, High Ground – a “northern action … border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-right: 2px; --> border-right-style: none; } In a bid to save the last of his family, Gutjuk, a young Aboriginal man, teams up with ex-soldier Travis to track down Baywara, the most dangerous warrior in the Territory, his uncle. The film was produced by Maggie Miles, Witiyana Marika, Johnson, David Jowsey, and … margin-left: 0px; text-align:center; document.getElementById("SMMain6").style.visibility="hidden"; } timerRunningMain = true border-right-width: 1px; font-style: normal; padding-top: 2px; 10 7.5 40 41 26. // Set the length of the timer, in seconds High Ground (2020) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. padding-top: 10px; Produced by Bunya Productions with Maggie Miles, director Stephen Maxwell Johnson (who previously explored aboriginal culture in 'Yolngu Boy'), and Yothu Yindi co-founder Witiyana Marika, 'High Ground' manages to honour the familiar path of depicting the tragedy of native owners of the land. Directed by Stephen Maxwell Johnson from a script by Chris Anastassiades and a story by Johnson, Anastassiades and Yothu Yindi co-founder Witiyana Marika, High Ground is a film many years in the making and one certainly worth the wait. Indeed, former bandmember Witiyana Marika serves as co-star, producer, cultural adviser and soundtrack vocalist on High Ground. ... “HIGH GROUND is a both-ways film, First Nations and Balanda. text-align: center; New Aussie film 'High Ground', is a revenge thriller that tells the untold truth of Australia’s history. He is one of a dozen children of the late Rirratjingu clan and community leader (and 'father of Yolngu land rights') Roy D a d aynga Marika (MBE). padding-bottom: 2px; border-top-color: #6d574b; display: block; Director Stephen Maxwell Johnson and musician Witiyana Marika drew on three decades of friendship to create the Northern Territory action thriller High Ground. Earn a little cash or credit. border-right-style: solid; margin-top: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; { High Ground is in cinemas from January 28. } (English and Aboriginal languages, with English subtitles) Share. Travis is a bounty hunter with one last hope of redemption. padding-right: 2px; } Yet there's a distinct sense — with the film's frequent recursion to images of native flora and fauna — of a wider universe indifferent to human squabbles; a world that will endure long after civilisation has vanished into time. width: 200px ; border-bottom-style: solid; var secsMain; border-top-width: 1px; In significant ways, manikay provide a key element for conserving the Ancestral basis of Yolngu culture. The 'open' (publically accessible) nature of manikay also means that they can be freely adapted to performance in non-religious contexts and shared with the outside world. .MainCurrentTab { border-right-width: 0px; In Travis, the film offers an avatar for a certain strand of white Australian history, where a national awakening has come about reluctantly, and lessons are learned the slow and painful way — even as it's underscored by an essential humanity. text-decoration: none; margin-bottom: 0px; High Ground stars renowned Australian actor Simon Baker and was 20 years in the making for the film's executive producer Witiyana Marika, who is also the co-founder of Yothu Yindi - … width: 200px ; Beyond religious ceremony, Witiyana has led many large and small troupes in the staged performance of traditional Rirratjingu songs and dances across Australia and around the world. border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 2px; "Bad men doing bad things, clearing the way for others to follow.". font-style: normal; Within appropriate potions of Ancestral ceremonies, the creation and performance of yuta manikay ('newsong verses'), allows for the referencing of current events and musical trends. font-weight: normal !important; .MainMenu { We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. The only Indigenous survivor is a young boy, Gutjuk, who the patrol bundles up and delivers to local missionaries Braddock (Ryan Corr) and Claire (Caren Pistorious, last seen suffering another problematic white man, Russell Crowe's deranged stalker in Unhinged). border-right-style: none; color:#FFFFFF; Apparel Conversion Chart. color:#6d574b !important; { background-position: left top; background-color: #FFFFFF; border-bottom-color: #000000; Read … border-left-style: none; if (secsMain==0) AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), Listen to the news in Warlpiri, Yolngu Matha and Kriol, Brisbane hospital locked down after doctor tests positive for COVID-19, Former finance minister Mathias Cormann named OECD chief, Ex-boyfriend of Christian Porter's accuser says he has 'clear recollections' of discussions with AG, Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny moved to unknown location from prison, Brittany Higgins settles lawsuit with Linda Reynolds after Minister retracts 'lying cow' comment, PM says he's not worried about AstraZeneca vaccine despite blood clot reports, Australian Osama al-Hasani 'devastated' when told he will be extradited to Saudi Arabia, Man charged with keeping slave in Sydney home, Cheap airfare announcement drives flight booking surge even before the scheme begins, 'I felt it through my whole body': High Ground movie stuns in Arnhem Land, Why this community honours its dead on January 26, Indigenous (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander), Liberal Party donor Haha Liu 'engaged in acts of foreign interference': ASIO, Calls for curfew on men after woman's alleged murder shocks London, NSW top cop held 'high-level' Christian Porter talks, EU pausing AstraZeneca rollout an 'overreaction', experts say, Triple-0 call captures 'never-to-forget' moments leading up to emergency childbirth. border-right-style: none; In contrast to its typically taciturn white men, who deliver the standard assortment of gruff, racist stereotypes, High Ground offers passages set within the Indigenous community that have a rich sense of weight and cultural specificity. Top of Page | Home | Contact if(timerRunningMain) clearTimeout(timerIDMain); (Johnson has a long history of collaboration with Indigenous musicians, going back to his video clips for the band Yothu Yindi, of whom Marika was a founding member.). border-right-width: 0px; border-left-style: none; These scenes have clearly been made with care — the filmmakers received the blessing of the land's traditional owners — and with a view to giving the Indigenous performers a significant point of view in the film. padding-right: 2px; document.getElementById("SMMain3").style.visibility="hidden"; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-top-style: none; ", Moran taunts Travis, in one of the film's more forced — yet no less provocative — moments. margin-right: 0px; width: 200px ; background-repeat: no-repeat; border-bottom-color: #000000; High Ground executive producer Witiyana Marika in Gunbalanya. height: 20px; padding-top: 2px; The Traditional Owners of Cannon Hill, Arnhem Land, and Jawoyn are all executive producers on the film. Wi t iyana Marika (b. .MainMenuDivider { timerRunningMain = false; 11% Spandex. margin-top: 0px; font-weight: normal !important; border-left-width: 0px; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; Marika is a respected Rirratjingu (Yolngu) ceremonial leader and was also senior cultural advisor on High Ground, negotiating the complexities between different Indigenous clans who joined together to work on different lands. Map | Website design by Pagination, Geelong, Keynote Presentation in dialogue with Steven Knopoff. padding-left: 2px; margin-top: 0px; height: 20px; margin-left: 0px; StartTheTimerMain(); Here Galarrwuy alludes both to the continual process of (re)mapping Yolngu concepts onto an ever-evolving and increasingly global reality, and�importantly�to the essential role that songs play in providing a core basis for Yolngu life. border-bottom-color: #000000; background-position: left top; With Simon Baker, Jacob Junior Nayinggul, Jack Thompson, Callan Mulvey. It is precisely this central place of songs in contemporary life (as well as Ancestral ceremony) that will be addressed in this presentation. Together they embark on a manhunt, which unravels a secret that ultimately pits them against each other. text-decoration: none; border-right-style: none; } margin-left: 0px; StopTheClockMain(); text-decoration: none; "You know how civilisations are built, son? border-top-style: none; “High Ground” was shot on location in Kakadu Park and Arnhem Land in Australia’s Northern Territory. border-left-style: none; This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. Near a peaceful lagoon where an Indigenous family are enjoying a meal, a police patrol of ex-soldiers led by sniper Travis (Simon Baker) and his spotter Eddy (Callan Mulvey) are attempting to apprehend a pair of getaways when their search party turns into a shooting gallery, and several of the cops — a little too eager to pull the trigger — slaughter the family in cold blood. background-repeat: no-repeat; ... Johnson’s film – written by Chris Anastassiades and produced by Witiyana Marika… In a remote corner of the wild country, a bloody war rages. Menu. High Ground was highly acclaimed at its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival 2020 and I can see why.Aside from the stunning scenery and mesmerising soundtrack, the cast boasts many great Australian actors, including Jack Thompson, Callan Mulvey, Aaron Pedersen, Ryan Corr and Witiyana Marika. else High Ground Directed by Stephen Maxwell Johnson Written by Stephen Anastassiades Starring Jacob Junior Nayinggul, Simon Baker, Callan Mulvey, Aaron Pedersen, Ryan Corr, Caren Pistorius, Sean Mununggurr, Witiyana Marika, Esmerelda Marimowa, Maximillian Johnson, Jack Thompson In cinemas. High Ground – the new Northern Territory action film from Stephen Maxwell Johnson and his long-time collaborator Witiyana Marika – is a triumph of patience, timing and persistence. border-top-style: none; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-repeat: no-repeat; At times when Yirrmal misses home and longs for a source of strength and meaning he telephones his father who then sings portions of their clan�s songs over the phone. border-left-width: 0px; Though the film's sense of tragedy is occasionally undermined by a recursion to rote, action-movie dialogue — particularly, and unfortunately noticeable during a climactic standoff — the narrative repetition reinforces the stalemate of a historical period in which there's more violence to come; never mind the notion of reconciliation. “I was told by my dad as I grew up,” Marika said. padding-right: 2px; StopTheClockMain(); There are some elements of manikay which are maintained in a fairly conservative, unchanging manner in performance. padding-bottom: 2px; The same meaning-laden metaphors of ceremonial songs have accordingly found their way into Yolngu popular songs, most famously by the Band Yothu Yindi, but also by more recent bands and solo artists including East Journey, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, and Yirrmal Marika. With Moran dispatching Eddy and his tracker Walter (Mystery Road's Aaron Pedersen) in pursuit of Travis and Gutjuk, the film rapidly becomes a series of ugly skirmishes and simmering standoffs — action sequences whose repetitiveness seems designed to evoke the frustrating cycle of violence from which these men can't escape. function InitializeTimerMain() But there is truth in fiction – High ground Inspired by the story of Marika’s growth. font-weight: normal; height: 20px; border-bottom-style: solid; While High Ground director Stephen Johnson is not himself an indigenous man, he has had a long career working with Indigenous creatives, and his long awaited sophomore film, produced by former Yothu Yindi member Witiyana Marika and made in consultation with the local Indigenous clans, continues this genre subversion. Jacob Junior Nayinggul is a newcomer with a magnetic screen presence Source:The Australian margin-right: 0px; Indeed, one of High Ground’s chief virtues is its sense of place and authenticity, and this extends to the way Indigenous culture is depicted. function hidelayersMain() { border-top-width: 0px; In a recent article in The Monthly, former Chairman of the Northern Land Council and Gumatj clan elder Galarrwuy Yunupingu stated that "I have lived my song cycle and I have done what I can to translate the concepts of the Yolngu world into the reality of my life." hidelayersMain(); border-right-color: #6d574b; That has changed, Richmond keeps Gold Coast winless for almost a year in AFLW, An 'all time high' number of twins are being born around the world: study. vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 2px; text-decoration: none; background-repeat: no-repeat; line-height: 14px; padding-bottom: 10px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-size: 14px; This film is a 20 year labour of love by Stephen Johnson and the people of Arnhemland. border-top-width: 0px; Carlo Chatrian, Stephen Maxwell Johnson, Witiyana Marika The Artistic Director, the film's director and the actor on the stage of the Friedrichstadt-Palast. font-size: 14px; Witiyana�s son, Yirrmal has attended school in Geelong for several years. function StartTheTimerMain() As the fiercely resolved warrior Gulwirri (Esmerelda Marimowa) tells Gutjuk, "Your anger is all you have.". border-left-style: solid;