On December 1, 1942, the U.S. bomber Little Eva was returning to base after a bombing raid over New Guinea. The plane encountered a tropical storm and crashed at Moonlight Creek in the Gulf of Carpentaria, along Australia's far north coast.

The events following were recorded in the journal of an American survivor and in a spectacular "corroboree" (a storytelling dance) created by the Yanyuwa people who searched for Little Eva and her crew.

AEROPLANE DANCE dramatizes the Americans' struggle to survive in an unfamiliar land they considered hostile and desolate.

But the Yanyuwa remember searching a land of plenty, a place peopled not just by the living but also by the spirits of their ancestors. Those who searched for the missing airmen wanted their story to survive. In a rare performance of the "corroboree," the experience of the crash and the ensuing hunt for survivors is evoked.

AEROPLANE DANCE juxtaposes American and Yanyuwa tales of war, with drama, song and dance. It is a film about survival, story telling and the creation of legends.

"Highly Recommended! An exemplary work showing how the modern world has encroached on ancient ways, changing them forever. Excellent!" - Educational Media Reviews Online

"A wonderfully made film, elegantly and intelligently constructed." - Anthropology Today

"An enjoyable and well-composed film...The director did a fine job of not just making a film but telling a film-story of an event, a people, and a culture in transition."-Jack David Eller, Anthropology Review Database