Joe Leahy's Neighbors

19881h 30min

Joe Leahy and his complicated relationship with the Guniga people in the Papua New Guinea highlands.

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The Highlands Trilogy(3)

An astonishing documentary series which was filmed over a ten year period in the highlands of Papua New Guinea.

First Contact (1982)

6.5

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.