VHS Tracking Presents:
The Last Wave (1977) with Jessyca Hutchens
Wednesday 11 June 2025 6:30pm
Goolugatup Heathcote

The Last Wave (1977)

Dream is a shadow of something real. Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Peter Weir (Oscar nominated director of Picnic at Hanging Rock, Gallipoli, and Witness) explores a startling world on the brink of apocalypse in The Last Wave, a time and place where Mother Nature and human nature are destined to collide in catastrophic disaster. When lawyer David Burton (Richard Chamberlain) is assigned a case to defend a group of indigenous Australian men, he is unprepared for the nightmares and dreamscapes ahead. Accused of murdering one of their own, the men stand trial amidst suspicious circumstances and, as Burton becomes plagued by unsettling visions, he is drawn to the mysterious Chris Lee (AFI Award winner David Gulpilil) for answers to his torment. As the erratic climate turns dangerous, Burton senses a greater power at play, where tribal customs and the ancient ideas of Dreamtime may be more than just an ominous warning. Featuring atmospheric cinematography by Oscar winner Russell Boyd, The Last Wave is a haunting journey into the depths of the unknown, where dreams and nightmares conspire as one.

Jessyca Hutchens

Dr Jessyca Hutchens is a Palyku woman living and working on Noongar boodja. She is a Lecturer at the School of Indigenous Studies and a Co-Director at the Berndt Museum, at the University of Western Australia. Jessyca is an art historian, curator, and writer who has previously held positions as the Curator at the Berndt Museum, a Curatorial Fellow at the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection at the University of Virginia, the Curatorial Assistant to the Artistic Director for the 22nd Biennale of Sydney, and as a Lecturer in Global Art History at the University of Birmingham.