Over a gruelling 18 months, Academy Award-winning producer and director Eva Orner put together a heart-wrenching documentary exploring the trials of asylum seekers, their families and whistleblowers.
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Chasing Asylum contains secretly-filmed footage of the Nauru and Manus Island offshore detention centres.
“By nature of secret footage I can't say how I was able to get it,” Ms Orner said.
“To me what's interesting about that is we have to look at our government and the policy of secrecy that goes on in the camps.
“I think as a democracy we need to be able to see what our taxpayer dollar and what our policies are resulting in and we haven't been able to do that now.”
It's a film about places you cannot go, people whose faces you cannot show, people you cannot access.
- Eva Orner
Orner said she wanted people from all walks of life to see the plight of asylum seekers in offshore detention centres, stuck in limbo in Indonesia, and those who have returned to their country of origin.
“I filmed in Australia but I also filmed in Indonesia, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Iran and Lebanon.
“The last three countries I went with asylum seekers who'd been on Manus and Nauru because no journalists or filmmakers are allowed in the camps so I couldn't speak to anyone who had direct recent experience there.
“Our policy of deterrence ensures that some people elect to go home back to the countries they've escaped and I went back to meet them to get direct examples of what life was like for them on Manus and Nauru.”
In a 20 year career, Chasing Asylum was the hardest film she’s ever made, Orner said.
“If I'd known going into it how hard it was, I wonder if I would've done it simply because it's a film about places you cannot go, people whose faces you cannot show, people you cannot access.”
“I just want to be able to show people what our policies are doing, and I want people to come and see this film, including politicians.
“Watch the film, talk about it, discuss it, see what you think.”
ARTY FACTS
WHAT: Screening of Chasing Asylum with Q&A with Eva Orner
WHEN: Saturday May 14, at 7pm
WHERE: Annexe Theatre, University of Tasmania, Inveresk.
COST: $18.34 – $24.08 on Eventbrite.
www.eventbrite.com.au/e/chasing-asylum-launceston-screening-qa-tickets-24554509198
