“This is my story of my story. This film is a history. Only I can tell my history.” David Gulpilil
Molly Reynolds’ superb documentary rises to the challenge of doing justice to the extraordinary life and career of the great veteran Yolŋu actor.
David Gulpilil is an iconic figure of Australian cinema and has been for fifty years. His mesmerising, electrifying presence has leapt off the big screen and changed Australian screen representation in the process.
Integral to the telling of so many legendary screen stories, Gulpilil generously shares his own story with us in My Name is Gulpilil. The actor, dancer, singer and painter takes us boldly on the journey that is his most extraordinary, culture-clashing life.
From his breakthrough performance in Walkabout (1971) to today, Gulpilil is known throughout the world for his unforgettable performances in films including Storm Boy (1976), Mad Dog Morgan (1976), The Last Wave (1977), The Tracker (2002), Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002), Australia (2008), Charlie’s Country (2013) and Goldstone (2016), among many more.
Gulpilil’s films have been a success at festivals, with critics, and the Box Office. He is the only actor in both of the two highest-grossing Australian films of all time, Crocodile Dundee (1986) and Australia (2008), and his films have grossed more than $100 million dollars at the Australian Box Office.
Internationally, his films have been lauded at all of the world’s A-list festivals: Berlin, Venice, Sundance, Toronto and Cannes, where he won Best Actor, Un Certain Regard in 2014 (Charlie’s Country), an award only given a handful of times in the event’s history.
He has worked with some of cinema’s greats, been an inspiration and a role model of visibility for generations.
Early in 2017, Gulpilil was diagnosed with lung cancer. His doctors estimated six months for him but David, being David, was always likely to defy the odds. And he continued to do so with his last great work, My Name is Gulpilil.
★★★★★ “Superb…an unforgettable film.” – Guardian
“David is a gateway to a history that we’ve so far denied and not embraced. He’s an extraordinary figure. In this country, he’s more important than Ned Kelly.” – The Australian
Festivals
Cork International Film Festival
Adelaide Festival (World Premiere)
Darwin International Film Festival
SFF Travelling Film Festival
New Zealand International Film Festival
Santa Barbara International Film Festival
BREC International Film Festival
Screenwave International Film Festival
Awards
- AACTA Awards: Best Documentary
- AACTA Awards: Best Editing in a Documentary
- ATOM Awards: Best Documentary – Biography
- ATOM Awards: Best Documentary – History
- ACS Awards: SA & WA Documentary, Gold Winner
Nominations
- AACTA Awards: Best Sound in a Documentary
- Australian Screen Editors: Best Editing in a Documentary Feature
- ATOM Awards: Best Documentary – Arts