Yolngu Boy

Stephen Johnson
Australia 2001
88 min
www.yolnguboy.com

Caught in a collision between the brave new world of rap, football, street cred and the oldest living culture on earth, Lorrpu, Botj and Milika are three Yolngu teenagers who once shared a childhood dream of becoming great hunters together.

However, things change, dreams become harder to attain. Botj is "walking on the wild side" a lost soul in search of a place. Milika is more interested in football, chicks and hot tracks than any of the traditional knowledge he is being taught. And only Lorrpu seems to care about the dream any more. Their paths are diverging, and he is the only one who can see it.

When Botj goes too far and finds himself on the wrong side of black and white law, Lorrpu must weigh up his own future against saving the future of his friend. He persuades the boys to trek to Darwin to argue Botj's case with Dawu, a tribal leader. Leaving behind their kinship and community, the boys journey through the unforgiving wilderness of North East Arnhem Land to Darwin.

To survive, Lorrpu, Milika and Botj must draw on a combination of the ancient bush knowledge they were taught as boys, Botj's unique street instinct, and most importantly, on the bonds of their friendship. (source: Palace Cinemas)

Cast	John Sebastian Pilakui Sean Mununggurr Nathan Daniels Lirrina Mununggur Makuma Yunupingu Nungki Yunupingu Mangatjay Yunupingu Gurkula Gerard Buyan Garrawurra Lorrpu Botj Milika Yuwan Matjala Dawu Maralitja Man Policeman Lunginy
Release dates	March 15th, 2001 - Australia International debut at the Telluride Film Festival in September 2000 (Colorado, US).
Video/DVD Release Date	August 8, 2001 (video) January 30th, 2002 (DVD)
Awards	People's Choice award at the 2001 Zanzibar International Film Festival Bronze Gryphon Award at the Giffoni Film Festival in Italy Young Actor's Award, Australia 2001
Rating	M 15+ - Drug taking, low level coarse language
Language level	medium
Distributor	not available
Soundtrack	Mark Overton
Genre	Drama / Indigenous, Youth
Notes	Yolngu is pronounced "yol-noo". This movie explains the situtation of today's Aborigines not only to white but also to black people. It was shot entirely in Arnhem Land, Darwin and Kakadu (all in the Northern Territory). Athabasca University provides a lot of background information on both the film and the Yolngu people during their Indigenous Education initiative in January 2002. Murdoch University, Perth, provides a detailled film information page in their reading room. DVD review Study guide from the official website

Where to from here?

• Aboriginal people and sport
• Aboriginal people and their challenges
• Learn more about Aboriginal culture