Press release from Silver Screen Pictures
The 27 minute documentary follows indigenous artist Vernon Ah Kee on his selection to represent Australia at the 53rd Venice Biennale of Art in Italy. Ah Kee's evocative work challenges past and current injustices to aboriginal people, and delves into beach culture and race issues surrounding the 2005 Cronulla riots.
Director Alex Barnes, 22, says “This was a project I was making externally during my last year of film school at Griffith University and I was lucky enough to have gained support and finance through them after pitching the idea to the university during pre production. We needed to find money to get to Venice and we were lucky enough to have the support behind us to make it happen”.
The documentary was developed and funded through the Pacific Film and Television Commission (now Screen Queensland) and Queensland’s screen industry development centre, QPIX.
Producer Justin Morrissey, 30, says “Not a Willing Participant is a thought provoking and challenging critique on Australian culture. Vernon is such a prominent artist in the Indigenous art community and we are proud to have worked with him to present his important work and voice to Australian audiences”.
The documentary has been quite successful having screened at Slamdance (Utah , USA) and Dungog film festivals earlier in the year as well as just finishing a six month screening contract on Qantas’s inflight entertainment program. Not A Willing Participant has now recently received 7 nominations at the Warner Roadshow Queensland New Filmmakers Awards (QNFA) including Best Director, Best Producer and Best Overall Film.
The Documentary is the pair’s first broadcast credit under their production company Silver Screen Pictures and they are already working on their next slate of projects for the second half of the year.
Not A Willing Participant is currently featured on ABC’s online iView channel and can be viewed until July 18.
http://www.abc.net.au/iview/
Watch the Not A Willing Participant trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNYT0QqJ-K0