Ileksen: Politics in Papua New Guinea (Gary Kildea & Dennis O’Rourke, 1978)

Documents Papua New Guinea’s first general election in 1977. The film records a broad cross-section of candidates who, without an extended media network at their disposal, rely on relentless campaigning, ingenuity and personal charisma to attract votes. Emphasizing the divide between coastal people and highlanders, Ileksen looks at the election campaign, election day and the political maneuvering that goes with the formation of a government.