Emerging from Darkness
Darkness Over Paradise is a film created through a unique collaboration between Sierra Leonean journalists, and the innovative Western Sydney arts and cultural organisation Information & Cultural Exchange (ICE).
In the leadup to and throughout the civil war in Sierra Leone, many journalists were imprisoned, persecuted and some gave their lives reporting on the brutality and corruption in their country. Fleeing persecution, a group of refugee journalists formed the Association of Sierra Leonean Journalists in Exile (ASALJIE) in neighbouring Guinea. A substantial group came to Australia (pictured above), including Granville residents Abdul Rahaman Jalloh, and photojournalist Edmondson Sonny Cole – who at significant risk carried with him extensive video footage he had captured before and throughout the conflict through the lens of his camera.
Darkness Over Paradise is a rare film that draws on first-hand material and insights, presenting the human voices and indelible images of a conflict that has been reduced to statistics. The film offers unique insight into a story not widely known in Australia, and provides important background to the experiences of the growing Sierra Leonean community in Sydney’s west – over 95% of whom have arrived in the last seven years.
“For me, it’s the ultimate film about asylum seekers,” said Indepent filmmaker Deborah Kingsland (former Head of Film Australia).
The film was developed in a collaboration between ICE & ASALJIE that involved both documentary-making as well as skills development for the journalists, who were assisted by ICE to digitise Sonny’s video footage, and learn to apply their media skills in an Australian context.
Barry Gamba, who runs the Emerge Program of Information and Cultural Exchange and produced the film, talked about the process of making the documentary and providing some lasting development opportunities for the participating journalists. “ICE’s Emerging Communities Program works with communities with a recent history of settlement in Australia. They therefore have very little community infrastructure” said Mr Gamba.
“Emerge has worked through a series of initiatives in radio, film and multimedia to develop community capacity and support these groups to develop the means for self-expression and communication. It has also nurtured and supported the emergence of incredible stories of the people who participate,” he said.
“By working alongside these journalists, ICE was able to assist them to develop their own skills in documentary film making, directing, using digital equipment, and at the same time to produce a groundbreaking film that is the first of its kind in the world.” ICE Chairperson, Tilda Sikes, says of the collaborative process of making Darkness Over Paradise.
“The film was very strong in conveying individual’s experiences but also gave a historical account of the political turmoil,” said Laurie Ferguson, Federal Member for Reid, who attended the launch.
Darkness Over Paradise was produced in the SWITCH Multimedia and Digital Arts Access Centre, which is managed by ICE in partnership with Parramatta City Council with funding from Arts NSW. The state-of-the-art multimedia and outreach program was established to provide access to digital arts and multimedia skills and technology – precisely so that local communities and artists would have opportunities to create new work in the digital realm. This is precisely the outcome for Sonny Cole & Abdul Jalloh.
Darkness Over Paradise was supported by the NSW Film and Television Office, Mercy Foundation, ACL, Arts NSW, AMWU, and the Australia Council for the Arts through the Emerging Communities Initiative (Community Cultural Development). Production assistance was provided by SWITCH Multimedia and Digital Arts Access Centre.
ICE and ASALJIE are now exploring national and international distribution for the film, and will be coordinating a series of screenings in coming months alongside talks from the journalists – to showcase the film and their stories to Australian audiences.
“The film was very informative, confronting and moving. I think more Australians need to see this. They need to know,” said Wendy Holland, community member.
Further screenings are tentatively scheduled for September. For information about screenings, and inquiries about purchasing the film, contact ICE on 9897 5744 or info@ice.org.au
The launch of this collaborative film project was hosted on Saturday by ICE Assistant Director Caitlin Vaughan and the Association of Sierra Leonean Journalists in Exile (ASALJIE) members Edmondson Sonny Cole, Edison Yongai and Abdul Jalloh.
Kerry O’Brien with Sonny Cole, Journalist and Barry Gamba, Producer and Emerge Coordinator
http://darknessoverparadise.squarespace.com/
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