Australia’s only social justice-themed film festival kicks off in Sydney today with films tackling issues ranging from slavery to racial injustice and gun-related violence.
Now in its second year, The Big Picture Film Festival was founded by Uniting Church minister Rev Bill Crews and has retired judge Michael Kirby, author Tom Keneally, journalist Chris Bath and critic David Stratton among its “ambassadors”.
AN INSIGHTFUL LOOK AT THE IMPACT OF SLAVERY AND PREJUDICE: Gugu Mbatha-Raw stars as Dido Elizabeth Belle in the Australian premiere, Belle.
This year’s films include 11 Australian premieres, among them Belle, which tells the story of Dido Elizabeth Belle – the illegitimate daughter of an English admiral – and the challenges she faced in 18th century England, Al Helm: Martin Luther King in Palestine which follows an African-American Gospel choir which go to Palestine to sing in a play about Martin Luther Jr, and, Beatriz’s War, the first feature film from East Timor which is a reworking of the French story of Martin Guerre.
Program director Eddie Cockrell told Sight that while there are film festivals around the idea of human rights, a festival based on the theme of social justice was something he hadn’t seen in his 35 years working with films.
An internationally known critic, writer and festival consultant, Mr Cockrell says the challenge for the festival was to show films that were inspirational but “not despairing if the problem still exists at the end of the film”.
“Hope-giving films is what we go for but we’re also not into panaceas. What we’re looking for is movies that can inspire and motivate people to become involved if they wish.”
While films haven’t been particularly selected for the role faith plays within them, Mr Cockrell says the festival was about showcasing films which “we think will move people to action and contemplation – and that covers the enture spectrum of faith”.
The festival this year features fictional films for the first time and, along with the programme of films on show in the Sydney CBD, will also be showing films at a cinema in Liverpool in the city’s west. There are also plans to hold the event in London later this year.
The Big Picture Film Festival runs from the 19th to 29th March.
