An accidental trilogy at best, if it is one at all, observes de Heer whose restless creative energies have led to his reputation in the media as a bit of a maverick, an esteemed but elusive auteur with a body of work that is tricky to define.

The three films that carry indigenous stories have each emerged from a different time and space. The Tracker (2002) came into being after de Heer read about the brutal hidden history of the Australian frontier. Ten Canoes (2006) came about when he saw the possibilities of making a film in language and in country with the Ramingining community in Arnhem Land. Charlie's Country came about ''because David was in jail''.

The news that Gulpilil had been sent to prison for a drunken episode of domestic violence was distressing yet also something of a relief for de Heer. ''Towards the end of 2011, I learnt that David was in jail. My first thought was, 'tragedy averted'.

''Whatever the rights or wrongs of his imprisonment, whatever the reason, I was grateful for it because it probably saved David's life.''

The circumstances of each film are vastly different and it could be argued that there isn't a clear connection between the films, were it not for the towering presence of Gulpilil. Even though he did not appear as planned in Ten Canoes, the unmistakable voice of his mischievous narrator guides us through in voiceover.

It was one of those intense, bright Canberra winter mornings when I met de Heer for our interview. It was at least the 30th occasion that we had talked, mostly over the phone, about his work. He had been in Canberra to introduce Charlie's Country at a screening at Parliament House. It was very well received.

So why had he made this new film with Gulpilil?

''The exercise was to make a film that helps him find his way, but that also gives him a chance to get on with what he wants to do, and a film that would really celebrate, probably for the first time, his extraordinary talent because it's not yet been seen to best effect, not even in The Tracker.''

Gulpilil did not wish to accompany de Heer to the Cannes film festival for the screening of Charlie's Country in official selection in May.

Where is the actor now? Back in his traditional lands and so far away from the red carpet that it took five days for de Heer to reach him by phone to tell him he had won Best Actor in Un Certain Regard.

Charlie's Country is the fourth film of de Heer's to screen in the official selection at Cannes. The Quiet Room (1996) and Dance Me to My Song (1998) were screened in competition, while Ten Canoes won the special jury prize in Un Certain Regard in 2006.

The internationally recognised indigenous actor has long been held in great affection by the Australian public. He first appeared in a haunting role in Nicolas Roeg's Walkabout, at the dawn of the revival of the local film industry. He has received many accolades and was the subject of a prize-winning portrait. Yet Gulpilil has long had trouble with substance abuse and alcohol, to which he was introduced by other actors.

De Heer has for some years been concerned about his friend, and written articles about how he perceives his predicament, caught between cultures and comfortable in neither.

Gulpilil was instrumental in persuading de Heer to at least consider making a film in his homeland, but it was not possible to follow through.

''David had left his community of Ramingining in 2004, because of a tribal dispute I was never quite allowed to know the details of. From that time on, David lived largely in the long grass in Darwin.''

They saw less and less of each other. From time to time there was news of his friend. ''None of it sounded very good.''

For Charlie's Country, de Heer determined that Gulpilil had to be front and centre, and dominate the screen. He would anyway. ''It was something I was sort of aware from the beginning: just put the camera on David and it works.''

The strength of Gulpilil's presence was the starting point, ''a long, unwavering close-up'' of the actor, taking in the dignity and grace of his bearing and close-ups of the face that conveys so much, wordlessly. Even after the prison barber has had his way with Gulpilil and shaved off his wild greying locks and beard, that face radiates presence.

When de Heer first met Gulpilil, he thought, ''F---, I have to direct this bloke!'' He didn't know what to say to him and felt there was nothing he could say, but that was 14 years ago, when Gulpilil was cast to appear in The Tracker.

So, does the fact that they continue to work together mean that they get on very well?

''No, we don't get on very well.

''It's hard work being with David. I love him [and] he loves me, but it's hard work being with him. It's the cultural gulf. It's David's mercurial character.''

Of course, there are things they share?

''No doubt about that.''

Before the shoot for The Tracker, the two went bush together in Gulpilil's homelands and spent a few days camping out, hunting, fishing and talking. In very different circumstances, they went bush again before Charlie's Country. The visits proved ''powerfully restorative'' for Gulpilil.

Charlie's Country was shot by Ian Jones, the cinematographer who worked with de Heer on both The Tracker and Ten Canoes, and the rest of the crew is largely the regular group of compatible co-creatives. Peter Djiggir, who co-directed Ten Canoes, co-produces and performs again and some members of the Ramingining community are also represented.

The cast has a teasing hint of familiarity about it. Many actors have returned from past de Heer films. There is an appearance by Gary Sweet, the infamous fanatic in The Tracker, selling alcohol (over the counter), and Damon Gameau, who was the follower in the same film, is seen side on as a hospital nurse. Jamie Gulpilil, who was the lead in Ten Canoes, appears briefly as a trainee constable. Like many auteurs, de Heer has built a singular cinema that maps a country all its own.

So what next for de Heer? Ten Canoes was preceded by a drama about marriage breakdown, followed by a black-and-white silent comedy, which was followed by a surprising comedic foray into feuding neighbours. Is there something down the track for de Heer and Gulpilil?

''In the phone calls we have, once every two days or so, he still talks about other projects. He's got a number of them.''

Time will tell, and all bets are off.

Jane Freebury's book on the films of Rolf de Heer will be published in print and digital form by Currency House in September.