Film to explore justice issues

Film to explore justice issues

The Stolen Generations, health, poverty, child safety, genocide and the media are the focus of a film screening at James Cook University next week.

Journalist and filmmaker John Pilger’s latest documentary, Utopia, will be screened concurrently at JCU in Townsville and Cairns on May 14.

Utopia, named after the Aboriginal community 350 km north east of Alice Springs, examines the gap between white Australia and Traditional Owners.

Utopia sees Pilger bring his early work to a new audience and asks if Australia has changed since the days of colonisation.

It is the first film screening for JCU’s Social Justice Cluster, a group of academics looking at social justice issues in the community in the Faculty of Arts, Education and Social Sciences.

JCU Social Justice Cluster researcher, Dr Theresa Petray, said screening Utopia was a good opportunity to initiate a dialogue on a topical Australian issue.

“It is a great opportunity to open up some discussions about Indigenous inequality and, more importantly, what we can do about it,” Dr Petray said.

“As a free community event, it’s a chance for us to explore how social science and education academics can use our skills and resources for the benefit of the community.”

John Pilger is an award-winning Australian journalist based in the UK and is renowned for raising awareness of the injustices suffered by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Details:

Screening of Utopia

Date: Wednesday May 14, 2014

Townsville: Building 134, Education Central building

Cairns: A21.002, JCU Smithfield

Time: 5-8pm

The event is free, and members of the public are welcome. The film will be followed by a discussion.

Twitter- #UtopiaJCU

FB page: https://www.facebook.com/events/648725661887781/

Trailer: http://johnpilger.com/videos/utopia-trailer

JCU Media Liaison: Caroline Kaurila, tel: (07) 4781 4586 or 0437 028 175

Issued May 9, 2014