The title of the film arose from discussions between de Heer and David Gulpilil about a photograph of ten canoeists poling across the Arafura Swamp, taken by anthropologist Donald Thomson in 1936.
The movie's name came from discussions between de Heer and David Gulpilil concerning a photo of ten canoeists rowing over the Arafura Swamp, which was taken by anthropologist Donald Thomson in 1936.