News	News category

Aussie movie to tell story of journalists murdered in East Timor

30.06.2008 18:02 Arts - Source: cbc.ca

Anthony LaPaglia, shown at a charity football match in Santa Monica, Calif., in June, is to star as Roger East, a journalist who investigates the murder of five journalists in East Timor. (Mark Mainz/Associated Press)

Filming begins in northern Australia on Monday on a movie about the Balibo Five, a group of journalists who were killed by Indonesian troops in 1975.

The film Balibo is being directed by Robert Connolly, who helmed The Bank, and was written by David Williamson, screenwriter for Gallipoli and The Year of Living Dangerously.

It will tell the story of the deaths of five journalists working for Australian media in October 1975, during an Indonesian invasion of the border town of Balibo that preceded the full invasion of East Timor.

The journalists included two Australians, reporter Greg Shackleton and sound recordist Tony Stewart, a New Zealander, cameraman Gary Cunningham, and two British nationals, cameraman Brian Peters and reporter Malcolm Rennie.

An Australian inquest into Peters's death last year concluded they were deliberately shot by Indonesian troops to prevent them reporting on the invasion of East Timor.

The film's producer, John Maynard, said the film will "tell the truth," about the controversial murders, which have been a political football in Australia for more than 30 years.

Indonesia has already launched a complaint about the film, with a foreign ministry official last week calling on Australia to represent Indonesia's side of the story.

Maynard said he had received no direct request from Indonesia.

"We've had no requests to represent Indonesia's point of view," he said. "But I can assure you what we're going to show and screen is what actually happened."

Indonesia has claimed the journalists were "communist sympathizers" and even claimed they were armed combatants. Their remains were taken to Jakarta and buried, rather than returned to Australia.

Australian actor Anthony LaPaglia, star of hit U.S. television series Without A Trace, has been cast in the role of journalist Roger East, who investigated the killings. The film also stars Oscar Isaac.

East was also killed after remaining in East Timor during the invasion. A Reuters journalist who left Indonesia just before the military crackdown, Jill Jolliffe, wrote the book, Cover-Up, about the deaths of the Balibo Five and the unresolved grief of their families.

Her book, published in 2001, accuses the Australian government of helping to cover up the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

Over the next four weeks the movie will film in Australia's Northern Territory, near Darwin, then relocate to East Timor for another month of filming.

Balibo is scheduled for release in 2009.

With files from Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: S M L XL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACK

Internal Links

IN DEPTH: East Timor

More Film Headlines

Aussie movie to tell story of journalists murdered in East TimorFilming begins in northern Australia on Monday on a movie about the Balibo Five, a group of journalists who were killed by Indonesian troops in 1975.No prosecution of Dutch politician for anti-Islam filmDutch right-wing politician Geert Wilders will not be prosecuted for making anti-Islam remarks, nor for his short film Fitna, public prosecutors announced on Monday.No walkout plans yet: actors union bossThe head of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) in the U.S. sought to calm fears in Hollywood of a walkout by performers, by stating his union had no immediate plans to strike against the studios even though SAG's contract is set to expire late Monday.Alberta considers tax credits for film productionAlberta's minister of culture and community spirit says he's working on a plan to strengthen the province's film and television industry, including the possibility of tax credits. Venice film fest taps Wim Wenders to lead Golden Lion juryOrganizers of the venerable Venice International Film Festival have tapped German filmmaker Wim Wenders to lead the jury awarding the event's top award, the Golden Lion.

More Arts Headlines

Ottawa photography exhibit explores environmental disasters A dark and dire new photo exhibit chronicling humanity's terrible toll on the planet is on display at the National Gallery in Ottawa.Aussie movie to tell story of journalists murdered in East TimorFilming begins in northern Australia on Monday on a movie about the Balibo Five, a group of journalists who were killed by Indonesian troops in 1975.No prosecution of Dutch politician for anti-Islam filmDutch right-wing politician Geert Wilders will not be prosecuted for making anti-Islam remarks, nor for his short film Fitna, public prosecutors announced on Monday.Pavarotti's family settles dispute over estateLuciano Pavarotti's widow and his three adult daughters have reached a deal over his inheritance that a lawyer says divides the estate fairly. Maher, Shandling honour George Carlin at memorial serviceHe was the comedian who actually said the seven words you can never say on television, but close friends and family members remembered George Carlin as a man who, when he was off stage, had only a kind word for everyone he met.