Midnight Traveler (2019)
DOCUMENTARY | WAR | MIGRATION
THURSDAY 29 APRIL | 6:45PM
SUN THEATRE
FEATURING A SHORT FILM BY GRID SERIES
Melbourne Premiere
Director: Hassan Fazili with additional camerawork by Fatima Hussaini, Nargis Fazili, Zahra Fazili
Country: Qatar, UK, Canada, USA
Year: 2019
Duration: 89 mins
Language: Persian, English, Turkish, Bulgarian with English subtitles
Genre: Documentary
Awards: Winner, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury - Berlin Film Festival 2020 / Winner, World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award - Sundance Film Festival 2019 / Winner, Peabody Award 2020
Screening location: Sun Theatre, 8 Ballarat Street, Yarraville | About this cinema
Venue Accessibility Information
Wheelchair Access:
Entrance foyer and all auditoriums have wheelchair access (ramps and/or lifts) maintained and serviced regularly. For in-cinema accessibility seats, please contact and advise the Theatre directly.
Hearing Loop:
All cinemas fitted with a hearing loop (induction or t-loop). Please contact the Theatre for seating requirements. (varies amongst auditoriums).
FESTIVAL SELECTION
Synopsis
“It was this film that gave me hope. It was this film that gave me the feeling of being alive. Shooting this film gave me the feeling that one day I'd succeed. One day, the problems will end. One day, we'll arrive at last” - Hassan Fazili
In 2015, after Hassan Fazili’s documentary ‘Peace in Afghanistan’ aired on Afghan national television, the Taliban assassinated the film’s main subject and put a price on Fazili’s head. Fearing for their survival, the Fazili family fled Kabul for Tajikistan. Yet after 14 months spent submitting asylum applications that were rejected again and again, they were deported back to Afghanistan. It was at this juncture that Fazili picked up his cell phone and hit the record button.
Winner of a 2020 Peabody Award, Midnight Traveler chronicles every step from inside the action, Fazili, his filmmaker wife, and their young daughters trek across Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Serbia. As they endure smugglers, gangs, and refugee camps, the camera witnesses not only the danger and desperation but also the exuberance and tenderness of this irresistible, loving family. For Fazili, framing their story becomes an assertion of control, humanity, and self-expression in a situation where none exists. With its radical subjectivity, visceral footage, and poetic form, Midnight Traveler is a migration story like no other.
Unclassified 15+
GRID SERIES SHORT FILM FEATURING SRISHA
“My community is so hyped to see someone who looks like them just doing whatI love to do"
Meet Srisha - rapper, activist and slam champion from Western Sydney and peak behind the curtain of the creation of her debut single “Euphoria”.
PRESENTING PARTNER
Community Impact Partner
Diversitat is the leading provider in services for ethnic communities in Geelong. We are in receipt of multiple government grants and delivery contracts. We have offices in Geelong and Colac and have been serving the community for 45 years. Our services include: settlement, training, youth services, financial counselling, disability and aged support.