FILM IN THE MAKING

Hi there all,

A film is in the offing.  We think it’s going to be great.  To see trailers and/or help us get it made, please click here to visit the website for ‘Between The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea’.

We went to Indonesia.
We met 250 asylum seekers in jails, hostels and detention centres.
We filmed their faces, their circumstances and their untold stories.
We got the first footage behind the bars of Indonesian refugee jails.
Help us tell their stories.
Help us finish our film.

It is particularly important that the stories of asylum seekers are shown NOW, when they are being used as mute political punching bags…

Say no to winning votes by punching up asylum seekers.

Cheers.

Jess

CONTACT DETAILS – UPDATE

Hi all,

Please note that the country prefix to contact Jessie Taylor from 12 November should be +61 (Australia) and NOT +62 (Indonesia).

Please forgive any confusion and we apologise for any inconvenience.

 

SYNOPSIS

Recent information obtained from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) indicates that there are around 2,000 asylum seekers and refugees currently being held in prisons, detention centres and compounds across Indonesia. This figure includes a large number of children, babies and unaccompanied minors. They are mostly Iraqi, and Afghan Hazaras. Many of these people have a plausible connection with Australia. Many have family members who are Australian permanent residents or citizens.

For Donors

If you are a philanthropic fund, charitable trust, film-making organisation or other potential donor, please consider helping us to make this important documentary film. If you have questions or require any further information, we would love to hear from you.

All major donors will be acknowledged – if they wish – through the production of the film.

Please contact us if you have questions or require further information.

Lateline 28 October 2009 – Unaccompanied Minors in Indonesian detention centres

Lateline 28 October 2008 from jessie taylor on Vimeo.

Lawyer and refugee advocate Jessie Taylor – who yesterday described the poor conditions in Indonesian detention centres – has now revealed the centres may house hundreds of unaccompanied minors. Steve Cannane reports.

Lateline 27 October 2009 – Conditions in Indonesian detention centres

Lateline 27 October 2009 – Conditions in Indonesian Detention Centres from jessie taylor on Vimeo.

Steve Cannane reports: New evidence has emerged of the condition’s many asylum seekers endure in Indonesian detention. Melbourne lawyer and refugee advocate Jessie Taylor, who documented conditions across the country, says Australia’s policy must change.

Some recent media

Dear readers,

The issue discussed in ‘Behind Australian Doors’ has reached crisis point in recent days. This makes our desire to produce this film even more sharp that it was before.

Political rhetoric is reaching boiling point, with the PM using the term “illegal immigrants”, and Wilson Tuckey suggesting that there are terrorists among asylum seekers attempting to enter Australia.

There has been a lot of media coverage, and this film / movement has received some attention:

ABC Radio National Breakfast with Fran Kelly

The Wire – National Community Radio

And more to come. Watch this space!

Julian Burnside QC on the importance of this issue

From The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, 16 September 2009:

Australia’s ugly secret: we are still warehousing asylum seekers
JULIAN BURNSIDE

The past week has seen a significant change in the treatment of asylum seekers in Australia. The grotesque practice of charging refugees for the daily cost of their imprisonment in our detention centres has now ended (despite the resistance of the Opposition). The degrading indignity of a visa which denies refugees the right to work or to receive Medicare or Centrelink benefits has ended. For these reforms the Government must be warmly congratulated.

But despite these welcome developments, the Government has an ugly secret: it is involved in warehousing asylum seekers in Indonesia in order to prevent them from seeking protection here. This is well documented, but not widely known.

If you’ve seen the trailer…

If you have come here after seeing the promo video, then we should tell you what we are currently up to.

First things first – that video is NOT the final product! We hope to raise funds to make a full-length documentary feature, exploring the whole issue, and importantly, Australia’s involvement and responsibilities.

We may also need to launch a campaign around this issue.  However, it’s not the time for that yet.  In the next week or two, we will send our report to the Immigration Minister, and give him a chance to respond to it.  Let’s hope he does, and fairly quickly.  If there is hesitation from him or the government, we may need to launch a campaign letting the government know that we want humane treatment of asylum seekers, including the ones in Indonesia.

But please – watch this space and we’ll keep you posted!

We’ll also set up a FB group (and will post about that here when we do) so keep you eyes open!

Cheers.

welcome & watch this space…

welcome to the website of ‘behind australian doors’ – the working title of a film / report / movement aimed at improving the lives of asylum seekers currently being warehoused in Indonesian prisons, detention centres and compounds.
Thank you so much for your interest in this important issue. Keep coming back!