"He was a man who danced between two worlds, carried stories across continents and, on his final journey, returned to the land that made him. Before his death in November 2021, actor David Gulpilil made one final request: to be laid to rest in his ancestral home, deep in remote East Arnhem Land. Honouring that wish became a monumental undertaking and the subject of a documentary releasing across Australia next week called Journey Home, David Gulpilil."
"It was a profound repatriation spanning more than 4,000 kilometres, unfolding over almost a year and beginning in Murray Bridge, South Australia, where Gulpil was receiving treatment for terminal lung cancer. Planes, boats, vans and helicopters were variously commandeered to transport Gulpil's casket along the way; there were also long stretches on foot. It traced a path through landscapes that had shaped the actor's life and legacy, and culminated in the place of his birth: Gupulul, on Yolu country,"
"Capturing this epic journey were film-makers Trisha Morton-Thomas and Maggie Miles, who have interwoven archival footage into the documentation of Gulpilil's one-way ticket home, as he called it, and the 10-day funeral rituals, called Bapurru, held in Ramingining and Gupulul, that lay him to rest. Filming was both emotionally and logistically demanding, the directing duo say. Gulpilil was repatriated from Murray Bridge, South Australia, to be laid to rest in his homeland in East Arnhem Land."
"We were thigh-deep in mangrove mud you'd have a snowball's chance in hell of getting out if a crocodile decides you're dinner Trisha Morton-Thomas, co-director We're all thinking on our feet the whole time, Miles says. You've got this balance of filming extraordinary culture and emotion and really challenging logistics to think about. How we're going to get from A to B? Have we got enough water? Is everyone"
David Gulpilil died in November 2021 and requested to be buried in his ancestral homeland in East Arnhem Land. The repatriation covered more than 4,000 kilometres and unfolded over almost a year, beginning in Murray Bridge where he was receiving treatment for terminal lung cancer. Planes, boats, vans, helicopters and long stretches on foot transported his casket through landscapes that shaped his life and legacy. The journey culminated in Gupulul on Yolu country on 20 September 2022, almost ten months after his death. Filmmakers Trisha Morton-Thomas and Maggie Miles interwove archival footage and documented the 10-day Bapurru funeral rituals held in Ramingining and Gupulul.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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