Where The Green Ants Dream
(Wo die grünen Ameisen träumen)
Werner Herzog
Germany/Australia 1984
100 min
In a slightly padded but well-acted and relevant drama, an Australian mining company and a group of Aboriginals go to court to settle a dispute over sacred land that the company wants to mine.
When the Ayers Mining Company sets out to begin construction of its mine with bulldozers and earth-movers, the Aboriginals physically block the work because the site is exactly where the green ants will gather to dream (a 40,000-year-old legend) and it cannot be disturbed.
The company tries the usual means of getting their way — through bribes and arguments — but nothing budges the men who came to defend the land. Once in court, it is quickly apparent that tribal laws and customs and beliefs are very different than Western laws — and how the issue will be resolved is sticky indeed. (Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide)
| Cast |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Release dates |
June 26th, 1984 - Munich, Germany Where the Green Ants Dream premiered May 14th, 1984, at the Cannes Film Festival. | ||
| Video/DVD Release Date | July 24th, 1992 (Xenon Entertainment Group) | ||
| Awards | German Film Award 1984 | ||
| Rating | R - objectionable for children | ||
| Language level | not available | ||
| Distributor | Orion Classics | ||
| Soundtrack |
Richard Wagner, Gabriel Faure, Wandjuk Marika, Klaus-Jochen Wiese, Ernst Bloch Manikay.com offers a 9-minute-long sample soundfile which "contains Rirratjingu clan members in song and dance, and several segments with Wandjuk Marika playing yidaki" (didgeridoo). | ||
| Genre | Drama | ||
| Notes |
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Where to from here?
- Why land is so important to Aboriginal people
- Learn about Native Title and why Aboriginal people have to fight for it
- Explore Aboriginal culture
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