Kylie Pascoe, the Producer at Ruby Red films recently reached out to us to let us know about a film that we wanted to share it with you, our community. Here is what she told us:
"In 2014, film director Alex Siddons was gifted a painting that was created inside the Indigenous unit of Fulham Correctional Centre, one of Victoria’s most notorious prisons. A few months later Alex met Robby Wirramanda - an Indigenous artist who had just been released and had attended Fulham during his sentence. Alex told him about the painting, and his vague idea about a project focusing on the invisible story of the rising Indigenous incarceration epidemic that plagues Australia.
The painting (and Robby) led Alex back to the Fulham Correctional Centre art room, where he met Christopher Austin, the Elder within the Indigenous unit. He’d been inside the system since the age of 12. ‘We’re Blackfella’s in jail. Nobody cares about us. This is a chance for our story to be told’. Chris’s words became the driving force behind the feature documentary – The Art Of Incarceration.
Robby, Chris and Alex spent the next five years documenting how art can help provide opportunity for inmates upon release and how it can help reduce recidivism. In January this year the film was finished, and we’re thrilled our first screening will be at the Gold Coast Film Festival.
Today Robby, Chris and Jack continue to work in the arts as free men. All three continue to mentor Indigenous inmates behind bars, while on parole and fully released.
Please help us to help them share their stories."
The Life Apparel team will be giving away tickets to the Gold Coast screening of the film, which will be shown as part of the Gold Coast Film Festival. Check out our Instagram post above which contains all the details on how you can grab a ticket.
Feel free to get in touch with any questions. We hope to see you there!
Share:
Meet Adeline ☀️
Meet Isaiah 🌴