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âI donât pretend,â Gulpilil says of his performances. âI donât have to go and act. I just jump in and stand there and the camera sees me.â
But with fame came alcohol, drugs, a jail term for assaulting his partner, homelessness in the Darwin long grass and falling out for a time with his community in Ramingining. Diagnosed with lung cancer in 2017, he was given six months to live.
But, fragile at 67, Gulpilil made it first to a reception at Government House then to the premiere, hosted by the Adelaide Film Festival, attended by 1500 people at Festival Theatre.