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.
ðə tˈaɪɾəl ʌvðə fˈɪlm ɚɹˈoʊz fɹʌm dɪskˈʌʃənz bᵻtwˌiːn də hˈɪɹ ænd dˈeɪvɪd ɡˈʌlpɪlˌɪl ɐbˌaʊt ɐ fˈoʊɾəɡɹˌæf ʌv tˈɛn kˈænoʊˌɪsts pˈoʊlɪŋ əkɹˌɑːs ðɪ ˌæɹɐfjˈʊɹɹə swˈɑːmp, tˈeɪkən baɪ ˌænθɹəpˈɑːlədʒˌɪst dˈɑːnəld tˈɑːmsən ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi sˈɪks.