First Contact + Q&A PG

This classic film of cultural confrontation is as compelling today as when it was first released 40 years ago.

When Australian brothers Michael, James and Daniel Leahy ventured into the New Guinea highlands in the 1930s, they filmed their experiences meeting a culture that had experienced no contact with people outside of their valleys.

Combining this footage with eyewitness testimony from surviving participants, First Contact provides a fascinating look at colonialism and how initial confrontation can reshape lives forever.

First Contact was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 1983 Academy Awards.

‘First Contact has a wistfulness and humour that accompany even its most startling revelations’ – The New York Times

This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Bob Connolly. 

This title is held in the NFSA collection. 

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