High Ground | Film Screening + Q&A
Schedule
Sun, 31 May, 2026 at 04:00 am
UTC+10:00Location
Mccoy Cct , Canberra, ACT, Australia, Australian Capital Territory 2601 | Canberra, CT
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Join us for a Q&A with director Stephen Johnson following the screening.Set in Arnhem Land following World War I, High Ground follows Travis (Simon Baker) former soldier turned policeman and a young Aboriginal man, Gutjuk (Jacob Junior Nayinggul). They team up to track down Baywara (Sean Mununggurr), a warrior blamed for terrorising white settlements.
As the pursuit unfolds, buried atrocities and competing loyalties surface, complicating the idea of justice. Balancing action with moral inquiry, the film interrogates colonial violence and memory through landscape, character and confrontation, offering a tense reckoning with Australia’s frontier history.
Featuring Aaron Pedersen, Ryan Corr and Jack Thompson, Chris Anastassiades’ screenplay offers a fictionalised retelling of a true story. The film is shaped with guidance from elder and Yothu Yindi founding member Witiyana Marika, who also appears in the film.
‘A muscular, unsettling frontier thriller that confronts Australia’s past with uncommon directness.’ — Luke Buckmaster, The Guardian Australia
Digital screening from the NFSA collection.
2020 | DCP | AUS | D: Stephen Johnson
Closed Captions available
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Where is it happening?
Mccoy Cct , Canberra, ACT, Australia, Australian Capital Territory 2601Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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