0 
First Contact
| Length: | 54 min |
| Released: | 1983 |
Buy Online Streaming
When Columbus and Cortez ventured into the New World there was no camera to record the drama of this first encounter. But, in 1930, when the Leahy brothers penetrated the interior of New Guinea in search of gold, they carried a movie camera. Thus they captured on film their unexpected confrontation with thousands of Stone Age people who had no concept of human life beyond their valleys. This amazing footage forms the basis of First Contact.
Yet there is more to this extraordinary film than the footage that was recovered. Fifty years later some of the participants are still alive and vividly recall their unique experience. The Papuans tell how they thought the white men were their ancestors, bleached by the sun and returned from the dead. They were amazed at the artifacts of twentieth century life such as tin cans, phonographs, and airplanes. When shown their younger, innocent selves in the found footage, they recall the darker side of their relationship with these mysterious beings with devastating weapons.
Australian Dan Leahy describes his fear at being outnumbered by primitive looking people with whom he could not speak. He felt he had to dominate them for his own survival and to continue his quest for gold.
First Contact is a rare film that holds an audience spellbound. Humor and pathos are combined in this classic story of colonialism, told by the people lived it.
Yet there is more to this extraordinary film than the footage that was recovered. Fifty years later some of the participants are still alive and vividly recall their unique experience. The Papuans tell how they thought the white men were their ancestors, bleached by the sun and returned from the dead. They were amazed at the artifacts of twentieth century life such as tin cans, phonographs, and airplanes. When shown their younger, innocent selves in the found footage, they recall the darker side of their relationship with these mysterious beings with devastating weapons.
Australian Dan Leahy describes his fear at being outnumbered by primitive looking people with whom he could not speak. He felt he had to dominate them for his own survival and to continue his quest for gold.
First Contact is a rare film that holds an audience spellbound. Humor and pathos are combined in this classic story of colonialism, told by the people lived it.
Member of a series:
• Papua New Guinea trilogy
"It's a disturbing film, full of head-on challenges to colonial and racist attitudes. Yet it's a deeply human experience too."
‒Christian Science Monitor
"An astonishing record . . . which captures this clash of cultures with an un-selfconsciousness that is virtually absolute. First Contact has a wistfulness and humor that accompany even its most startling revelation."
‒The New York Times
"The film is a phenomenon, evoking comparable enthusiastic reactions from anthropologists, judges in international film competitions, and packed audiences in Australian and American theaters."
‒American Anthropologist
‒Christian Science Monitor
"An astonishing record . . . which captures this clash of cultures with an un-selfconsciousness that is virtually absolute. First Contact has a wistfulness and humor that accompany even its most startling revelation."
‒The New York Times
"The film is a phenomenon, evoking comparable enthusiastic reactions from anthropologists, judges in international film competitions, and packed audiences in Australian and American theaters."
‒American Anthropologist
Grand Prix, Cinema du Reel, 1983
Red Ribbon, American Film Festival, 1983
Margaret Mead Film Festival, 1983
American Anthropological Association, 1984
Best in Sociology, San Francisco International Film Festival, 1983
Academy Award Nominee, 1984
Red Ribbon, American Film Festival, 1983
Margaret Mead Film Festival, 1983
American Anthropological Association, 1984
Best in Sociology, San Francisco International Film Festival, 1983
Academy Award Nominee, 1984
