Interview with Maggie Miles – Journey Home, David Gulpili

This year, the Byron Bay International Film Festival (BBFF) will be screening an extraordinary film, Journey Home, David Gulpilil – an intimate and deeply reflective film, that walks alongside family and community as they honour ceremony, memory, and culture, offering the audience and a rare, moving insight in the meaning of returning home to country.

Directed by Maggie Miles and Trisha Morton-Thomas, the film follows the final wish of the late screen icon David Gulpilil, one of Australia’s most revered actors, as he is laid to rest in his homeland.

Seven spoke to Maggie Miles about this epic project.

What was it that drew you to making this film?

I knew that Witiyana Marika was going to go the cultural send-off for David and I understood that for many of us outside the family, the laying to rest of this great Yolngu actor offered a window into what is regarded as the oldest surviving culture on the planet.

That’s pretty cool, and Trish and I wanted to see that, and figured many other people would too. Then, stage upon stage of the journey, we did experience exactly that, a window into a remarkable culture, because the events on David’s homeland, performed as an affirmation of him and of Yolngu culture, were simply extraordinary.

Did you ever meet/work with David?

I met David quite a few times. I saw Walkabout when I was in lower high school, in a village in the middle of England, and have never forgotten it.

I always had this impression of Australia as a culturally rich, fascinating, and adventurous place, so when I had the opportunity to come here I didn’t hesitate. As a young person finding my way, I gravitated towards the Northern Territory and I found it an enlivening place.

I lived in Darwin through the 1990s and worked in film and theatre. One of the projects was a film called Yolngu Boy. Our film company Burundi Pictures was a co-producing entity on Yolngu Boy, I was casting director and worked closely on the production with Dr Patricia Edgar and Gordon Glenn who both did an amazing job producing.

During our casting workshop, we had about 20 young men and women trying out for the roles, and David came in as a mentor. He was amazing. Everyone was captivated by him, he danced and sang and completely ignited the young actors in the room.

The last time I saw David was when he and Witiyana Marika were together at the Adelaide Film Festival and a shot from their greeting is in our film.

That was the last time that both Witiyana and myself saw him, and when Witiyana sealed his promise to David, that when the time came, he would perform the ceremony to start David’s journey home. And that’s exactly what Witiyana did, as you will see in the film.

Did you ever feel like an intruder in this space?

When I first came to Australia, it was just before 26 January 1988. I knew very little at that time. I wish I’d been aware of the Sydney Harbour Bridge Walk, I would’ve been there. As a young person I worked out very quickly that I was an ally. I moved around Australia and gravitated towards Darwin and very quickly met members of the band Yothu Yindi. They were just starting out and I lived in a sharehouse with one of their founding Balanda members, Stewie Kellaway and his partner Andrea, Stewie now manages King Stingray.

So I met Dr M Yunupingu RIP and also that’s where I met Witiyana Marika. Our company supported the making of Yothu Yindi’s early film clips, ‘Treaty’, ‘Djapana’ and ‘Tribal Voice’, and strong friendships were forged that ultimately led to us to filming the send-off that Witiyana did for David Gulpilil from South Australia after he passed away, and was being returned to his country.

Was it tricky getting everything right as far as the local culture goes?

We worked extremely closely with members of David Gulpilil’s family, which include representatives from many clans. They are mostly Yolngu families. We worked with Jida Gulpilil, David’s eldest son, Joyce Malakuya Malibirr, David’s eldest niece, and Lloyd Garrawurra, David’s eldest grandson, and a key group of cultural advisors from the Gapuwiyak community, this includes Peter Guyula, Alfred Yangipuy Wanambi and their families.

Then there were many family members who advised us and who welcomed us as we followed the story of David’s return to country and got deeper and deeper into witnessing very private, and very sacred ceremonies.

It was an honour to be involved in the process of documenting what happened and crafting it as an entertaining, action-packed ride for audience members who are curious. Because alongside culture were logistics.

There were planes, boats, long treks through the bush, helicopters… as Lloyd tells us in the film ‘It was like Mission Impossible

Were you ever overwhelmed by the gravity of what was going on around you?

There were moments when we were all hit by the waves of emotion, and the power in the strength of feeling and strength of culture. But then there are the practicalities.

The shoot was bare bones, it was a small crew, and the events, of course, went for longer than originally planned because more and more family were coming to pay their respects.

We were operating on a tight budget early on, and only had our crew for about ten days. As we were invited deeper and deeper into the family’s private ceremonies, the last events took place in the middle of the Arafura Swamp, an area only accessible via a crocodile-infested tidal river, with no boat of our own, no vehicle on the other side, no running water, no bathroom, no kitchen … only the equipment, food, water and swag-tents we could carry in.

Then after a couple of days out there, most of our crew had to go because we had no funds left and they had other jobs to go to, so myself and DOP Allan Collins stayed and the two of us were filming together side-by-side for the last five days.

When we weren’t filming I was thinking about where to get wood for the fire, where to get a bit more water (that was a story!), and how to keep Allan’s spirits up so that he could just keep shooting.

It was so great. A once-in-a-lifetime adventure and one that audiences can vicariously experience because when you see the film, as we’ve heard from many people, you feel like you’re there.

This was a gift from the families, the invitation to attend and to share in this amazing moment, to see how they honoured one of Australia’s great screen legends.

Why do you personally feel this is a story that is important to be told?

Because of the family’s generosity, and their close collaboration, I think this is such a vital story and in many ways it’s the ultimate climate story, which is one of the most pressing considerations of today.

This is an experiential film and Yolngu culture suggests we contemplate the connections between everything. As cultural storyteller Danzal Baker AKA Baker Boy, tells us in the film, David was returned to the earth because he belonged to the earth. Just think about that for a while.

If we all in some way belong to the earth, what does that tell us about how we should live on it.

What was the defining moment for you during production?

Having Hugh Jackman accept the family’s invitation to narrate the film because of his love for David was an amazing moment. Then thinking about the shoot, staying on the homeland for the last five days was something I will never forget.

Yes we were exhausted, yes we were hot – this is late September – yes there were a million mozzies, yes we were soaking wet when it rained, yes it was hard doing all the data-transfer in a small swag tent with a little torch surrounded by onions, water bottles, tins of food, a little shovel, and all the equipment … but we were on David’s extraordinary country…

It was paradise.

Journey Home, David Gulpilil screens at the Byron Bay International Film Festival

Saturday, 18 October, 7.30pm at Palace Cinemas, Byron Bay
Thursday, 23 October, 7pm at Palace Cinemas, Ballina
Sunday, 26 October, 7.30pm at Palace Cinemas, Byron Bay

The 19th Byron Bay International Film Festival will return from Friday, 17 October until Sunday, 26 October at cinema venues across the Northern Rivers region. Find out more at bbff.com.au.