'' Where the Green Ants Dream '' ( ) is a 1984 film directed by Werner Herzog . Based partly on the '' Milirrpum v Nabalco Pty Ltd '' case and making use of professional actors as well as Aboriginal activists who were involved in the case , it was a mix of facts and fiction . The ant mythology was claimed as Herzog 's own , but some natives did consider the green ant as the totem animal that created the world and humans . Wandjuk Marika noted that the ant dreaming belief existed in a clan that lived near Oenpelli in the Northern Territory . The film is set in the Australian desert and is about a land feud between a mining company called Ayers ( based on Nabalco ) and the native Aborigines . The Aborigines claim that an area the mining company wishes to work on is the place where green ants dream , and that disturbing them will destroy humanity . The film was entered in the 1984 Cannes Film Festival
1984 Cannes Film Festival
1984 Cannes Film Festival
Where the Green Ants Dream