

First Contact
"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.
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7.1/10
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- Status
- Released
- Budget
- —
- Box office
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- Language
- English
- woman director
Top billed cast
Behind the camera
Director
Produced in
Australia, Canada, United States of America
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Release dates
United StatesUS
- PremiereChicago Film Festival1 Oct 1982
Frequently asked questions
First Contact was released on 1 October 1982.
Audience reviews
1- C
CinemaSerf
6/21/2025
The opening few quotes of this documentary suggested to me just how the Inca might have felt when Pizarro arrived on their doorstep in the 16th century and made his presence felt amongst natives who had never seen a white man. Those that these people did see were Australian prospectors who had moved inland from their increasingly impoverished local coastal locations on the island of New Guinea in search of gold. What…
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