Siddhesh Joshi (Editor)

Forgotten Bird of Paradise

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
7.8
/
10
1
Votes
Alchetron
7.8
1 Ratings
100
90
80
71
60
50
40
30
20
10
Rate This

Rate This

Director
  
Dominic Brown

Screenplay
  
Dominic Brown

Cinematography
  
Dominic Brown

Country
  
United Kingdom

7.6/10
IMDb

Genre
  
Documentary, Short

Producer
  
Dominic Brown

Duration
  

Language
  
English

Forgotten Bird of Paradise movie poster
Release date
  
September 21, 2009 (2009-09-21) (Raindance Film Festival)

People also search for
  
The Road to Home, La Badil, Di Timur Matahari

Forgotten bird of paradise trailer undercover west papua documentary dancing turtle films


Forgotten Bird of Paradise is a 2009 multi-award-winning documentary film directed by British filmmaker Dominic Brown, about the struggle for independence being fought in the Indonesian region of West Papua. The film was shot undercover, and includes interviews with human rights victims and political prisoners, as well as footage of separatist guerrillas at their jungle stronghold.

Contents

Forgotten bird of paradise full version undercover west papua documentary


Production

Brown travelled and filmed in West Papua without the permission of the Indonesian authorities, putting himself in great danger. Brown reflected that on West Papua the situation was "like apartheid", and likened the transmigration program and anti-secession policies to "genocide".

Content

The documentary features an interview conducted with Yusak Pakage, a high-profile West Papuan political prisoner recognised by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience. He is currently serving a ten-year prison sentence for raising the West Papuan flag during a ceremony in 2004. The interview was recorded in secret by Brown during a hospital visit where Pakage was receiving treatment for torture.

There is also footage from an TPN camp led by one of the armed resistance leaders, General Goliath Tabuni. In addition, the documentary provides viewers with an insight into recent developments on the international arena towards West Papuan self-determination, including the launch of the International Parliamentarians for West Papua.

Television

  • BBC Newsnight, UK (12-minute feature) - March 2009
  • ABC News, Australia (7-minute report) - September 2009
  • Channel 4 News, UK (short segment used for report on West Papua) - October 2010

    • Home media

  • The documentary was included in the 'Best of 17th Raindance Film Festival Shorts' DVD, released in October 2010

    • Awards

  • Best Documentary - Dam Short Film Festival, USA, 2011
  • Best Short Documentary - Davis International Film Festival, USA, 2015

    • References

    Forgotten Bird of Paradise Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA

    Forgotten Bird of Paradise IMDb