BEHROUZ

Behrouz Boochani, a Kurdish journalist fleeing the Iranian regime, arrived in Christmas Island by boat from Indonesia on 21 July 2013; just three days after then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced that people arriving here by boats would no longer be settled here. Transferred to Manus Island detention centre, Behrouz is now in his sixth year of detention. Renowned for his reporting and writings from detention, Behrouz brought to international notice the horrific reality of life for detainees. Amidst the chaos and psychological and physical torture of prison life where over a 1000 men fought to survive, Behrouz used his writing to navigate the horror of exile. He was the voice of the detainees, speaking to the world with uncommon courage about their plight. His book ‘No Friend but the Mountains’ has won several major prizes including Australia’s most valuable literary award, the 2019 Victorian Prize for Literature.

To raise awareness about Australia’s inhumane asylum seeker policy and the tragic impact of government action on the lives of people seeking asylum on our shores; and through this to influence community action for change.

If social impact is about giving communities a real view of the effect of their actions and that of their governments on people, to rethink the reasoning behind their support for those actions, and the policies that entrench it, to reframe the discourse and change the course of policy and community perspectives, then this film offers a rare opportunity to create awareness and understanding on the displacement of peoples and the lived experience of seeking asylum. This film seeks to confront, challenge and engage the public, and use a deeply personal experience, to create a real understanding of the tragic and irreparable impact of their views and the actions of the governments they support, on people seeking asylum on Australian shores. To then influence a change in how we treat people who seek refuge on our shores and on the shores of other nations that choose to follow the Australian policy of stopping boats and exiling people seeking asylum.

This film has a community outreach and engagement mission at its heart. It hopes to challenge national and global conversations that have moved far from all notions of asylum seeking and humanity. We hope that through Behrouz’s personal story and the insights into his lived experience, people understand the real impact of Australia’s inhumane national policy on the lives of thousands who come here seeking refuge. Through partnerships with NGOs, community and grassroots organisations, universities, schools and other public institutions we hope to use the public screenings of this film and the discussions that follow as a platform to raise awareness and understanding about the global displacement of peoples and people seeking asylum.