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– is a stirring portrayal of Yolngu elder and yidaki (didjeridu)
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reality expansion entitled 'TMS ENQ SGD 8HC@JH %HQ 6PLWK
In fact, more broadly, there was a strong shift in how and
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worked particularly well to showcase impressive musical
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The affective potential of this coupling of music and cinema
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#NBTLDMS@QX NE #Qŭ& 8TMTOHMFT R +HED, Paul Williams’ highly Sen’s film quite literally gives
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of the title, premiered across three different theatres, with each stories. If songs allow these
introduced by special guests including members of Yunupingu’s women to preserve and pass
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and language, then The Song
most commercially successful Aboriginal artist to date – high Keepers – and the filmmaking
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lighted the importance of acknowledging his work in the public tradition more generally – is a
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documentary was announced well before its subject’s death
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the festival would hold the screening. The decision to proceed
was made after careful consultation with Yunupingu’s family
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Indigenous people living in remote communities.
A beautiful elegy for a very private man, and a testament
to the powerful bonds of his family and community, Williams’
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Yunupingu himself. It provides fascinating insights into his
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solo album, &TQQTLTK, a complex and powerful debut that
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garnered widespread critical acclaim. 'XULQJ WKH WRXU 6HQ
created and operated impressive visual projections that ac
companied Yunupingu’s live performances, and she collected
exclusive footage and interviews with his family for her short
documentary 2SNQHDR 3GQNTFG 2NMF UHOHDVHG LQ 6HQ
later worked as the associate producer and cinematographer
for the ABC’s 2010 TRSQ@KH@M 2SNQX SURĺOH RQ <XQXSLQJX This spread, clockwise from left: The choir
PERFORMING 0UNTJINA THE WOMEN PREPARE TO SING
‘You’re the Voice’.

In a similar way, Williams’ documentary features many
interviews with family members and musical collaborators,
emphasising the networks of support and creative partner
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show Taratata in 2009. In the scene, Yunupingu has been
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