Yarraville’s Sun Theatre will this weekend screen a film made 16 years ago based on events from 50 years ago, but which still resonate today.
Balibo, the 2009 feature directed by Robert Connolly and starring Anthony La Paglia, will be screened on Sunday 7 December, the 50th anniversary of Indonesia’s invasion of East Timor.
The date is also marks half a century since the murder of the man La Paglia plays in the film, Australian journalist Roger East, who’d been sent to Timor to to investigate the murders of five other Australia journalists in the town of Balibo just over a month earlier.
The film follows East as he attempts to get to the bottom of who murdered Greg Shackleton, Tony Stewart, Gary Cunningham, Brian Peters and Malcom Rennie on 16 October 1975.
But instead of finding out who was responsible for killing the men who’d later become known as the Balibo Five, East would join them, captured by advancing Indonesia forces on 7 December and then executed by firing squad the following day.
Unsurprisingly, the events of late 1975 strained relations between Australia and Indonesia were for years afterwards, but they had the opposite effect with East Timor as Australia became a close ally in its fight for independence.
East Timor finally achieved independence in 1999 and one of the driving forces behind it, former president and Noble Laureate, Jose Ramos Horta, is depicted in the film.
Connolly said East Timor’s eventual independence was the most important aspect of Balibo
“Despite sad elements of the story there’s a triumphant one too that this small country found it;s way to independence with the help of many activists in Australia,” Connolly said.
“It’s pretty incredible really.”
The screening also acts a fundraiser for Balibo House, a charity set up to support the town.
“They’ve done such great work to support the local community there which in some ways is a positive to come out of the tragic events there in 1975,” Connolly said.
A Q&A session with Connolly will be held after the screening.
Tickets: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1499218
