739902
739902

Cracks in the Mask

1997-06-06 en 57m
Documentary
A century ago the Torres Strait Island were the subjects of the famous Cambridge Anthropological Expedition - the resulting depletion of their cultural artifacts left them with nothing but a history of remembered loss. The only people in the Pacific to make elaborate turtleshell masks have none left - they are all in foreign museums. In a quest to reclaim the past, Ephraim Bani, a wise and knowledgeable Torres Strait Islander, travels with his wife to the great museums of Europe where his heritage lies. The film, an SBS Independent production, shows that the thickest of masks cracks when a descendant of the original owners enters a museum.

Author

Ephraim Bani

Assistant Sound Editor

Julia Oehring

Sound

Karen Boswall

Writer

Frances Calvert

Assistant Editor

Lars Pienkoss

Script Consultant

Karen Margolis

museum anthropology cultural conflict indigenous australians repatriation ethnography

Status

Released

Countries

  • Australia

Companies

  • SBS Independent
  • Talking Pictures
  • SF DRS/ SRG SSR idée suisse
  • WDR