Director: Darlene Johnson
Writer: Darlene Johnson
Cinematographer: Simon Smith
Cast: Frances Djulibing
Running Time: 52 min
While films like Rabbit-Proof Fence have shed light on the persecution of Australia’s indigenous people and brought mainstream celebrity for indigenous actors, filmmaker Darlene Johnson examines the intersection of cinema and indigenous life from the perspective of tribal people. Born into the Dunghutti tribe of New South Wales, Johnson dwells in a world where Hollywood fantasies intersect with gritty realities.
In the documentary film River of No Return, Johnson follows a charismatic Yolngu woman named Frances Djulibing, whose youthful daydream, inspired by Marilyn Monroe (who starred in Otto Preminger’s 1954 feature of the same name), of being an actress turns into a reality when prominent Australian director Rolf de Heer cast her in his film Ten Canoes.
Djulibing’s world changed forever. Her life previously had been defined by hardship and struggle; as a young woman she was abducted by a man from a neighboring tribe and forced into marriage. Seeing herself on the big screen imbues her with the confidence to leave an abusive relationship and to obtain a restraining order against her husband—inspiring other women of the tribe to do so as well. Finally, at 45 years old, Djulibing returns to live on her mother’s tribal land and burial place, a sacred area known as Nangala.
But Djulibing’s thirst for an acting career remains, and with the help of local white authorities she finds an Aboriginal performing arts center where she can act. Her path is a lonely one, requiring her to challenge both the traditions of her people and the prejudices against indigenous people.
Cosponsored by the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection.
