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01/10/1982 Documentary 0h 58m
71
User score

Overview

"First Contact" is a 1983 documentary by Bob Connolly and Robin Anderson which recounts the discovery of a flourishing native population in the interior highlands of New Guinea in 1930 in what had been thought to be an uninhabited area. It is based on the book of the same name by the same authors. Inhabitants of the region and surviving members of the Leahy brothers' gold prospecting party recount their astonishment at this unforeseen meeting. The film includes still photographs taken by a member of the expedition and contemporary footage of the island's terrain. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

  1. Robin Anderson

    Director

  2. Bob Connolly

    Director

Top billed cast

  1. Michael Leahy

    Self (Archival Footage)

  2. Daniel Leahy

    Self

  3. James Leahy

    Self

  4. View more

Full Cast & Crew

Reviews

A review by CinemaSerf
Written by CinemaSerf on 2025-06-21
The opening few quotes of this documentary suggested to me just how the Inca might have felt when Pizarro arrived on their doorstep in the 16th century and made his presence felt amongst natives who had never seen a white man. Those that these people did see were Australian prospectors who had moved inland from their increasingly impoverished local coastal locations on the island of New Guinea in search of gold. What we are now shown is an impressive collection of archive from these virgin territories in the 1930s where little had changed for the lives of the natives for generations. Needles...read the rest
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Status
Released

Original Language
English

Budget
$0.00

Revenue
$0.00

Keywords