Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black)

Director Matthew Thorne,Derik Lynch / 2022 / Australia

Viewer Advice: Contains stroboscopic imagery, strong impact suicide themes within First Nations communities.


The winner of the Berlinale’s Silver Bear Jury Prize (Short Film) and Teddy Award for Best Short Film depicts a Yankunytjatjara man’s search for belonging.

Fed up with life in Adelaide, Derik Lynch returns to Country in Aputula, a remote community in the Northern Territory, seeking spiritual healing. The journey triggers memories of his childhood and of his struggle to reconcile his identity as a queer man, an artist and an initiated Anangu community member. With stunning cinematography, rhythmic editing and a powerful voiceover, the film – co-directed by Lynch and Matthew Thorne – weaves together past and present in a deeply moving examination of homecoming, storytelling and self-acceptance.

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