The winner of the Special Jury Prize at Cannes and, along with director Rolf de Heer, the recipient of overwhelming acclaim at the 2006 Australian Academy Awards, Ten Canoes takes the audience on an unmatched trip through times ancient and current. The setting for this unforgettable experience is the Arafura Swamp of Northern Australia, long before contact with the outside world. The film is a story within a story about forbidden love and, as the western world would say, boundaries. It is a universal story that is all the more profound coming from a perspective both ancient and foreign. There never was a better look at ourselves.
- Ron Wilkinson, Monsters and Critics.

Watching the film, there is a sense of journeying into unknown territory. The themes of culture, tradition and mysticism linger, as they accentuate both our differences and similarities. The biggest surprise is the humour. With David Gulpilil's often irreverent and occasionally mischievous narration, the dialogue (in Ganalbingu language) is revealing and at times hilarious. We are taken into a world that we have never seen before. The performances from non-actors are outstanding and the remote, crocodile infested settings spectacular. May Ten Canoes find a wide and receptive audience.
- Louise Keller, Urban Cinefile.