Cracks in the Mask

Cracks in the Mask (1997)

June 6th, 19970h 57min

Documentary
0%

Overview

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.


Make sure to check your pop-up blocker!!

Trailer

Similar Movies

Far from the Trees

Far from the Trees


Released on: 1972-05-19
Documentary

An unprejudiced portrait of Spanish folklore and a crude analysis in black and white of its intimate...

Séfar, A City of Mysteries

Séfar, A City of Mysteries


Released on: 2021-11-20
Documentary, History

Séfar (in Arabic: سيفار) is an ancient city in the heart of the Tassili n'Ajjer mountain range in Al...

The Salt of the Earth

The Salt of the Earth


Released on: 2014-08-29
Documentary

During the last forty years, the photographer Sebastião Salgado has been travelling through the cont...

Son of Torum

Son of Torum


Released on: 1989-02-05
Documentary

In the same vein as Meri's other documentations, this one takes advantage of the glasnost policy to ...

What Was Ours

What Was Ours


Released on: 2016-02-22
Documentary

Like millions of indigenous people, many Native American tribes do not control their own material hi...

Island Home Country

Island Home Country


Released on: 2008-08-02
Documentary, History

A poetic cine-essay about race and Australia’s colonised history and how it impacts into the present...

African Spirit

African Spirit


Released on: 2009-09-14
Documentary

A celebration of the diversity of Ethiopia's culture and wildlife. It journeys from North to South -...

Congo

Congo


Released on: 1972-01-01
Documentary

An experimental ethnographic documentary that criticizes the colonizer view of anthropology.

Metal: A Headbanger's Journey

Metal: A Headbanger's Journey


Released on: 2005-09-14
Documentary, Music

The film discusses the traits and originators of some of metal's many subgenres, including the New W...

40 Under 40

40 Under 40


Released on: 2013-01-15
Documentary

Some of them move. Others make noise. One weighs in at 700 pounds. Collectively, they represent the ...

American Hardcore

American Hardcore


Released on: 2006-09-22
Documentary, Music

Inspired by Steven Blush's book "American Hardcore: A tribal history" Paul Rachman's feature documen...

Australia: The Wild Top End

Australia: The Wild Top End


Released on: 2019-08-08
Documentary

Narrated by Indigenous elder Balang T E Lewis, this inspiring documentary will take you on an advent...

Global Metal

Global Metal


Released on: 2008-06-20
Documentary, Music

In GLOBAL METAL, directors Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn set out to discover how the West's most malign...

Hitler's Evil Science

Hitler's Evil Science


Released on: 2019-05-25
Documentary, History, TV Movie

In 1935, German scientists dug for bones; in 1943, they murdered to get them. How the German scienti...

The Shaman's Apprentice

The Shaman's Apprentice


Released on: 2001-05-27
Documentary

Scientist Mark Plotkin races against time to save the ancient healing knowledge of Indian tribes fro...

Religulous

Religulous


Released on: 2008-10-01
Documentary, Comedy

Commentator-comic Bill Maher plays devil's advocate with religion as he talks to believers about the...

Traces: The Kabul Museum 1988

Traces: The Kabul Museum 1988


Released on: 2003-01-01
Documentary, History

The Kabul National Museum, once known as the "face of Afghanistan," was destroyed in 1993. We filmed...

In the Frozen Tomb of Mongolia

In the Frozen Tomb of Mongolia


Released on: 2014-08-30
Documentary, History, TV Movie

1968 with Tom Brokaw

1968 with Tom Brokaw


Released on: 2007-12-09
Documentary

In 1968, the fury and violence of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago propelled us toward ...

The New Rijksmuseum

The New Rijksmuseum


Released on: 2014-12-14
Documentary

A documentary about the fascinating and complicated process of the rebuilding of Holland's most famo...