The Highlands Trilogy
An astonishing documentary series which was filmed over a ten year period in the highlands of Papua New Guinea.
First Contact (1982)
01 October, 1982
First Contact is a 1983 documentary by Bob Connolly and Robin Anderson which recounts the discovery of a flourishing native population in the interior highlands of New Guinea in 1930 in what had been thought to be an uninhabited area. It is based on the book of the same name by the same authors. Inhabitants of the region and surviving members of the Leahy brothers' gold prospecting party recount their astonishment at this unforeseen meeting. The film includes still photographs taken by a member of the expedition and contemporary footage of the island's terrain. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Joe Leahy's Neighbors (1988)
01 January, 1988
Joe Leahy and his complicated relationship with the Guniga people in the Papua New Guinea highlands.
Black Harvest (1992)
04 April, 1992
Joe Leahy is the half-caste son of one of the first explorers of the Papua New Guinean interior. The documentary explores his relationship with the tribes that work his coffee plantation and explores what happens when the coffee market situation becomes more difficult.