FILMOGRAPHY

PAYBACK TIME

The price of freedom in the lucky country.
duration 42 minutes © 2007

PAYBACK TIME, a story from the regional Victorian city of Ballarat, is a valuable educational tool providing insight for all Australians into the lives of those affected by mandatory detention.

Ordinary Australians will never fully understand the extent of human suffering and the mental health consequences mandatory detention has for asylum seekers. These are people who, in order to survive, chance the journey to Australian shores in the hope of being accepted to a country free from persecution and the atrocities of war.

In PAYBACK TIME, asylum seeker Ramin Bakhtiarvandi details his experiences in Australian detention centers. Released after four years, a lifetime's quest for safety and freedom proved too good to be true - Ramin received a $227,000 bill from the Australian Government for over four years of detention centre 'care'.

“Welcome to the lucky country.”

The film also features local asylum seeker advocates Kath Morton and Carmel Kavanagh, a team of two ordinary Australian women doing an extraordinary job.

This is Australia's million dollar experiment on the most vulnerable group of people in the world – REFUGEES – a reality check for the conscience of Australian democracy.

Watch the Trailer

Filmmaker notes on PAYBACK TIME

The PAYBACK TIME project originated in the small Victorian highway town of Beaufort in February 2007, where the filmmaker resides. Meeting for the first time at a backyard BBQ, the filmmaker and a local health worker discovered that they had both spent time at the now closed Woomera Detention Center in remote SA. This was an experience that remains in their consciousness for a life time. Within a couple of weeks a solid working group including Ballarat people committed their support to an educational film on Australia's policy of mandatory detention and production began.

The purpose of this project is as an educational tool to highlight the continuing human rights abuses of asylum seekers under Australia's mandatory detention policy. It is our aim that this film will be screened in lounge rooms, high school class rooms, in community halls, alternative and mainstream cinemas throughout Australia.

Every step of this film has been sponsored by individuals, community groups, local businesses and companies. There has been no 'funding' as such and all proceeds of the DVD sales will go back into cost recovery and then fundraising for the support of people inside Australia's detention centers.

Alternative Pricing - If the cost of the DVD is unaffordable, please don't hesitate to contact the filmmaker info@simmeringproductions.com to negotiate an alternative. Our aim is to make the film available to everybody who would like to see it.

Screen PAYBACK TIME in your community. We'd love to here from you if you are wanting to screen the film to a wider audience within your community. It's possible we can supply advertising material for the event.

FILMOGRAPHY

PAYBACK TIME

Filmmaker notes on PAYBACK TIME

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

CAMO

ONE MILE DAM

STARLIGHT MOTEL

C/O POST OFFICE CAR PARK

JICHICHA

I AM A BLACK MAN