Following the huge international success of this ground breaking Australian made documentary on Foxtel recently, you are invited to an exclusive premier screening and open discussion in Canberra.
Background
On 6th of April 1966, in the Melbourne suburb of Westall, hundreds of students, staff and local residents watched as a strange object hovered overhead for several minutes, landed briefly, then lifted off and vanished at great speed.
The incident was reported on television and in local newspapers, yet despite the evidence, the headmaster calls a special assembly to tell the students they hadn’t seen anything at all and they were not to talk about it.
Forty-four years on, Canberra teacher and a parent himself, Shane Ryan turns amateur sleuth and stirs up the past. Motivated by a deep sense of injustice at how the kids were treated, he tracked down former students and staff and searched for the authorities that presided over the day.
“You’re asking me whether a Research & Development establishment would destroy evidence? Yes, of course they would.”
Lieutenant Colonel Neil Smith, (military historian interviewed in the film).
A contemporary detective story, the film reflects on a fascinating and pivotal period in world history when rivalry between the USA and Russia was played out in a massive arms race, the space race and the Vietnam War.
With its undercurrent of Cold War paranoia, and a burgeoning military relationship between Australia and the US, this story has deep resonance in the current climate of cover-ups and lies delivered by governments in the interests of ‘national security’.
“Like a lot of other people I just shut up about it because of the ridicule, and it was everybody – you know – you were a kid, you were making it up. So you’d just be quiet and in your mind, you just think, I know what I saw, and no one’s ever going to shake me from that. I know what I saw!”
Jeff Holland, (former student and UFO eyewitness).
About the film.
The visual challenge was how to represent something that was officially invisible. Working with an experienced animator and using a multi-layered sound-scape, the resulting film is a rich mix of dramatic eyewitness accounts, evocative animation, atmospheric archival footage and stylish motion graphics that tells a compelling story.
About the Canberra event.
The event features a screening of the documentary followed by discussion, including.
* The award winning film writer and director, Rosie Jones.
* Former teacher himself, the persistent investigator who narrates the film, Shane Ryan.
* World respected guest speaker (featured in the documentary), Australian UFO investigator Bill Chalker will give a big picture overview putting the Westall incident in a wider global perspective.
* As well as hearing several (now adult) witnesses to the actual incident over 40 years ago, including Joy Clarke, Terry Peck and Sue Savage.
An invitation to educators and media students.
Distributed by Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) and with a downloadable comprehensive Study Guide also available, this artistic film is a fascinating look at a buried piece of Australia’s past – the largest mass UFO sighting in the country. The Study Guide offers tasks and topics for discussion on a range of topics.
This excellent case study provides an ideal opportunity for students to explore historical method, learn about research and film making skills, constructing narrative and the nature of documentary, examine ideas around memory and group hysteria, and look at international relations and national identity during the Cold War.
Tickets:
Prepaid – adult $35, concession $30
Door – adult $45, concession $40
Tickets via www.greentix.com.au
(Please call for special rates for student/teacher groups.)
