High Ground (2020 film)

After fighting in World War I as a sniper, Travis, now a policeman in northern Australia, loses control of an operation that results in the massacre of a group of Yolngu people in Arnhem Land in 1919. After his superiors insist on burying the truth, Travis leaves in disgust, only to be forced back twelve years later to hunt down Baywara, an Aboriginal warrior whose attacks on new settlers are causing havoc. When Travis recruits mission-raised Gutjuk, the only known massacre survivor, as his tracker, the truth of the past is revealed and Travis becomes the hunted.

File:MJK 69587 High Ground (Berlinale 2020).jpg]]

• Jacob Junior Nayinggul as Gutjuk
• Simon Baker as Travis
• Callan Mulvey as Eddy
• Jack Thompson as Moran
• Caren Pistorius as Claire
• Ryan Corr as Braddock
• Aaron Pedersen as Walter
• Sean Mununggurr as Baywara
• Witiyana Marika as Grandfather Darrpa
• Esmerelda Marimowa as Gulwirri
• Maximillian Johnson as Bruce
• David McMahon as Court

The film includes the depiction of a fictionalised version of a real historical massacre known as the Gan Gan massacre that occurred in 1911, when over 30 men, women and children were killed by police and settlers.{{cite web | last1=Gumurdul | first1=Julie Narndal | last2=Rademaker | first2=Laura | last3=May | first3=Sally K. | title=How historically accurate is the film High Ground? The violence it depicts is uncomfortably close to the truth | website= The Conversation | date=9 February 2021 | url=http://theconversation.com/how-historically-accurate-is-the-film-high-ground-the-violence-it-depicts-is-uncomfortably-close-to-the-truth-154475 | access-date=18 April 2022}}{{cite web | title=Gan Gan | website=Colonial Frontier Massacres in Australia, 1788-1930| publisher= Centre for 21st Century Humanities, University of Newcastle (Australia) | url=https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colonialmassacres/detail.php?r=715 | access-date=18 April 2022}}

Although described as a Western, revisionist Western or "meat pie western" in many sources,{{cite web|last=Groves|first=Don|url=https://www.if.com.au/simon-baker-callan-mulvey-jack-thompson-reach-high-ground/|title=Simon Baker, Callan Mulvey, Jack Thompson reach 'High Ground'|work=IF Magazine|date=5 November 2018|access-date=12 December 2020}}{{cite web| last=Goodsell| first=Luke|title= High Ground: Yolngu Boy director Stephen Maxwell Johnson and elder Witiyana Marika reunite for Northern Territory Western |publisher=ABC News|date=27 January 2021|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-28/high-ground-review-arnhem-land-stephen-maxwell-johnson/13089162|access-date=28 January 2021}} Johnson prefers the term "Northern", because it is a fictionalised retelling of a true story, and the film respectfully and meticulously documents Aboriginal culture, in close consultation with the Yolngu people, upon whose history it is based.{{cite web|url=https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/deep-dive-qa-high-ground-director-stephen-maxwell-johnson| website= NFSA| title=Deep Dive: High Ground: Q&A with Stephen Maxwell Johnson| first= Johnny |last= Milner| date= March 2021| format = Audio (52 mins) + text | access-date=17 April 2022}} Johnson said "We really feel it's a film that immerses the audience in a time and place and that perhaps hasn't happened in this way before", and producer Witiyana Marika called it a "northern action thriller".{{cite web | title=High Ground: creating an outback thriller that resonates | website=Screen Australia | date=3 February 2021 | url=https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/sa/screen-news/2021/02-03-high-ground-outback-thriller-resonates | access-date=20 April 2022}}{{cite web | last=Revell | first=Jack | title=Stephen Maxwell Johnson's 'High Ground' Is a powerful truth about our Indigenous past | website=The Latch | date=12 January 2021 | url=https://thelatch.com.au/high-ground-movie/ | access-date=20 April 2022}} Johnson also said "There's a thriller aspect to it. It's not a Western, it's a Northern".{{cite web | last=Lemke | first=Laetitia | title=High Ground, Australian 'frontier western' starring Jacob Nayinggul and Jack Thompson, to premier at Brisbane International Film Festival| website= ABC News| publisher= Australian Broadcasting Corporation | date=30 September 2020 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-01/nt-high-ground-movie-premier-arnhem-land-brisbane-film-festival/12717348 | access-date=20 April 2022}}

The story is based on a multitude of real-life past events, most of which are still in the living memory of people who were consulted in the making of the film. Johnson and his team strove to make it a balanced film – he uses the Yolngu language word makarrata{{efn|See Makarrata Commission.}} – in order to convey the story as a missed opportunity, where mistakes were made by both settler and Indigenous people, who were all flawed human beings. He describes it as a "deeply human story".

{{blockquote| At the heart of High Ground is the tragic story of Frontier encounters and the missed opportunity between two cultures, black and white... Faced with the myth of terra nullius, the aim with the film is to create a new mythology and present a different perspective on how this country was made. It explores the themes of identity and culture and the attempts that were made to preserve and progress culture in the face of an overwhelming threat. High Ground is a story with mythic proportions with complexity and no easy answers... But above all it is a story about the finding of one's roots. My aim has been to entertain and immerse an audience in an environment teeming with unexpected threats, and to take them on a ride through an aspect of our history that is under-represented and hopefully encourage them to rethink the Australian story.}}

The film was shot on location in the Kakadu National Park and in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. Some was shot near Gunbalanya, which probably inspired the mission.

The film was a High Ground Pictures production. It was financed by Screen Australia, Maxo Studios, Screen Territory, Film Victoria, Bunya Productions and Savage Films.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2018/film/global/simon-baker-playtime-high-ground-australian-film-international-sales-1203018728/|title=Playtime acquires Australian action film 'High Ground' with Simon Baker | last=Keslassy| first=Elsa| work=Variety| date=2 November 2018|access-date=14 June 2020}}

Director Stephen Johnson's friend Witiyana Marika served as co-producer and senior cultural adviser, and also played the part of Grandfather Dharrpa, while another good friend, Chris Anastassiades, who had also collaborated on Yolngu Boy, wrote the screenplay. Although the story was set in Bininj country in West Arnhem Land, while the 26 clans of Yolngu people live in East Arnhem Land, the film was cast from across Arnhem Land and includes people drawn from the many peoples of the land.{{cite interview | title=High Ground – Director Stephen Maxwell Johnson | website=Film School Radio |interviewer-first=Mike |interviewer-last= Kaspar | first1= Stephen Maxwell |last1=Johnson| date=12 May 2021 | url=https://filmschoolradio.com/high-ground-director-stephen-maxwell-johnson/ |format= Audio (16 min.) + text| access-date=19 April 2022}}

The film premiered at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival on 23 February 2020 with a gala screening, and was selected for the Berlinale Special section.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/global/berlinale-2020-gala-player-high-ground-with-simon-baker-sells-to-samuel-goldwyn-exclusive-1203511526|title=Berlinale Gala Player 'High Ground' With Simon Baker Sells to Samuel Goldwyn (EXCLUSIVE)|date=22 February 2020|last=Keslassy|first=Elsa|work=Variety|access-date=14 June 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/high-ground-film-review-1203511993/|title='High Ground': Film Review|date=23 February 2020| last=Lodge| first=Guy| work=Variety| access-date=14 June 2020}}{{cite news| url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/movies/people-weren-t-ready-australian-massacre-aired-at-berlin-premiere-20200224-p543r9.html|title='People weren't ready': Australian massacre aired at Berlin festival|last=Bunbury|first=Stephanie|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=24 February 2020|access-date=14 June 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/high-ground-review-1280665| title=High Ground: Film Review Berlin 2020.| last=Dalton| first=Stephen| work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=23 February 2020|access-date=14 June 2020}} The film was originally slated for release in Australia on 9 July 2020;{{cite web|url=https://bunyaproductions.com.au/2020/03/bunyas-high-ground-official-australian-release-date-revealed/|title=Bunya's High Ground official Australian release date revealed|work=Bunya Productions | date=11 March 2020|access-date=14 June 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417151142/https://bunyaproductions.com.au/2020/03/bunyas-high-ground-official-australian-release-date-revealed/|archive-date=17 April 2020}} this was later changed to early 2021,{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/highgroundfilm/posts/2383490395285801|title=High Ground will be coming to Australian cinemas early 2021.

|date=8 July 2020|access-date=8 July 2020|via=Facebook}} until a further announcement on 1 October 2020 revealed the Brisbane International Film Festival would host the Australian premiere.{{cite web|url=https://biff.com.au/biff-2020-an-unmissable-season-of-cinema/|title=BIFF 2020 – An Unmissable Season of Cinema|publisher=Brisbane International Film Festival|access-date=8 August 2020}} It was also shown in the Adelaide Film Festival from 17 October, with several extra sessions added to the original schedule.{{cite web | title=High Ground | website=Adelaide Film Festival | date=20 December 2020 | url=https://adelaidefilmfestival.org/event/high-ground-2/ | access-date=28 January 2021}}

The film was released theatrically in Australia on 28 January 2021 by Madman Films.{{cite web|url=https://www.madmanfilms.com.au/high-ground/|title=High Ground – In Cinemas January 28|publisher=Madman Films|access-date=12 December 2020}}

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, High Ground holds an approval rating of {{RT data|score}} based on {{RT data|count}} reviews, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The site's critical consensus reads, "A gripping action story as well as sobering commentary on colonialism, High Ground is a vividly engrossing attempt to grapple with Australian history."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/high_ground_2021|title=High Ground (2020)|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango|access-date={{RT data|access date|df=dmy}}}}

The Film Critics Circle of Australia named High Ground the Best Australian Film of 2021,{{cite web | last=Vann-Wall | first=Silvi | title=High Ground, Nitram take top gongs at the FCCA awards | website=ScreenHub Australia | date=3 February 2022 | url=https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/news/fcca-awards-2021-1481620/ | access-date=19 April 2022}} and it earned eight AACTA Award nominations.{{cite web | title='High Ground', 'The Newsreader' lead early AACTA Award nominations | website=IF Magazine| first=Jackie |last=Keast | date=31 October 2021 | url=https://if.com.au/high-ground-the-newsreader-lead-early-aacta-award-nominations/ | access-date=19 April 2022}}

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{{Reflist}}

• {{cite interview | title=Interview: Stephen Maxwell Johnson & Witiyana Marika | website=Glam Adelaide | date=3 January 2021 | url=https://glamadelaide.com.au/interview-stephen-maxwell-johnson-witiyana-marika/|interviewer-first=Jordan| interviewer-last= Ellis| first1= Stephen Maxwell |last1=Johnson|author1-link=Stephen Maxwell Johnson|author2-link= Witiyana Marika |first2=Witiyana |last2=Marika }}

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• {{IMDb title|9286908}}
• {{Rotten Tomatoes|high_ground_2020}}
• [https://bunyaproductions.com.au/high-ground/ High Ground website at Bunya Productions]
• [https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/the-screen-guide/t/high-ground-2019/33969/ Screen Australia The Screen Guide: High Ground]

{{Films and television series about Aboriginal Australia}}

Category:2020 films

Category:2020 action thriller films

Category:Australian action thriller films

Category:Australian films about revenge

Category:Films about Aboriginal Australians

Category:Films set in the 1910s

Category:Films set in the 1920s

Category:Films set in the 1930s

Category:Films set in the Northern Territory

Category:2020s English-language films

Category:English-language action thriller films

Category:2020s Australian films

Category:Australian Western (genre) films