Father Joe, a Redemptorist Irish / American Catholic priest arrived in Bangkok in 1972 where he established the Human Development Foundation in Bangkok’s notorious Klong Toey slum. Over the past 50 years, Father Joe and the Mercy Centre which he also set up, have put 80,000 kids from the slums through school, have built or re-built 10,000 slum houses and have provided a refuge and a home to thousands of abused, prostituted and HIV/AIDS afflicted children. We will trace Father’s early days where he was shown little or no love at home and given a wretched time by an alcoholic father, to his first days in Bangkok in the 70’s where he was advised by Mother Teresa to dedicate his life to the suffering children of the Bangkok slums. We will walk with him first-hand through the slums of Klong Toey where he will show us his secret world. Now over 80 years old, Father Joe knows that the ticking clock of his life is finite as he tries to save his slum people from being displaced by mass development.
Over the past 25 years James Lingwood has produced and directed over 200 hours of international film and television programs. Some of these include :- the award-winning Australian children’s television series, The Curiosity Show which was awarded the Gold Medal at the Prix Jeunesse International in Munich for best children’s program; the highly acclaimed international television series, The Voyage Of The Great Southern Ark, which charts the 4 billion year evolution of Australia, From The Dragon’s Mouth, a ten year retrospective of Hong Kong which was screened by BBC World in 2007. James is currently working on the feature documentary, Father Joe & the Bangkok Slaughterhouse, as well as a slate of international feature films and television series. James recently completed the film Through the Eyes of Children which was commissioned by Little Dot Studios, UK, and has been screened very successfully on their You Tube Channel. The film has also been invited to screen at the International Heart of Gold Festival in Queensland.
Having worked with a variety of prominent actors such as Jackie Chan and Geoffrey Rush, recent productions have been awarded over sixty international film & television prizes. James has been granted membership to the International Quorum of Motion Picture Producers, USA whose membership consists of some of the world’s top film & television producers in over 60 countries. James is also a Member of the Australian Directors Guild and an Executive Member of the National Chinese Documentary Film Academy.
