"A breakthrough of major significance in ethnographic film" (Film Quarterly), Two Laws is the story of an Aboriginal community from the remote Northern Territory of Australia told through their own eyes and through their own narrative traditions. With dramatic, sensual visuals and dreamlike pacing, the Aboriginal filmmakers trace the history of their struggle to reclaim their lands and the problems faced living under "Two Laws"--one a centuries-old Aboriginal code, the other the brutal rule of law imposed by European settlers. This approach offers a completely different logic to documenting history and culture, and the result is a fascinating film that not only pushes past the boundaries of documentary, but challenges the stilted style of ethnographic film typically found on television. In Aboriginal with English subtitles.

Carolyn Strachan/Alessandro Cavadini---Australia---1981---140 mins.