Cracks in the Mask (1997)

Cracks in the Mask

1997

Documentary

Synopsis

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.

Credits

Director

Frances Calvert

Cast

Anita Herle as Self

Anthony Shelton as Self

Antonia Lovelace as Self

Charles Hunt as Self

Ephraim Bani as Self / Narrator

Jacques Hainard as Self

Markus Schindlbeck as Self

Petharie Bari as Self