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Cane Toads - An Unnatural History
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Cane Toads - An Unnatural History
IDFA 1999

Cane Toads - An Unnatural History

Mark Lewis
Australia
1987
46 min
Festival history

Apparently, there are quite a few people in Australia who think that frogs and toads are fascinating animals. Of all the animals that are depicted on jewellery or ornaments, they are the favourites. The makers of CANE TOADS take it one step further. According to them, the Australian cane toad can be considered a metaphor of anything you can think of. From international industrialisation to natural disasters and from genetic engineering to the evolution theory. Obviously, the film has a high content of parody, but the people appearing in it all have their individual stories with reference to toads. A lady feeds them cat food, a truck driver sees it as a challenge to try and run over as many as possible, and a small girl plays with them as if they were pets. Still, what started as a joke gradually gave the filmmakers amazing insights into how the world functions. It all seems exaggerated, but it is common knowledge that every joke has an element of truth in it.

Credits
Director
World Sales
    Radio Pictures
    Radio Pictures
Screening copy
    Radio Pictures
    Radio Pictures