Black Hole (2015 film)

Black Hole is a feature-length documentary film about the blockade opposing the expansion of Whitehaven Coal's Maules Creek coal mine in the Leard State Forest, New South Wales. It was directed and produced by Joao Dujon Pereira and premiered on 3 September 2015 at the Environmental Film Festival Australia in Melbourne.[1] Interview subjects appearing in the film include Jonathan Moylan, an environmental activist responsible for the production and distribution of a fraudulent press release regarding the ANZ bank's financial relationship with the coal mine in 2013.[2]

Black Hole
Directed byJoão Dujon Pereira
Produced byJoão Dujon Pereira
Written byJoão Dujon Pereira
CinematographyJoão Dujon Pereira
Edited byJoão Dujon Pereira
Distributed byIndependent
Release date
  • 3 September 2015 (2015-09-03) (EFFA)
Running time
104 mins
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
BudgetA$90,000 (est)

Premiere

The film premiered at the Environmental Film Festival Australia in Melbourne on 3 September 2015, after which the director spoke. A Canberra screening followed on 11 September 2015.[3] Following EFFA,[4] the film embarked on a limited release tour of Australian towns and cities in late 2015,[5][6][7][8][9][10] with further screenings scheduled for 2016.[11] By January 2016, the film had screened in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia.[12]

Reception

The film was commended by former Australian Greens party leader Bob Brown, and was warmly received by participants in the blockade[13] and Australian audience members, many of which helped facilitate screenings in their own towns.[12]

Production

Pereira commenced production on Black Hole in approximately April 2014, after being encouraged to visit the blockade at the Leard State Forest by a housemate. He initially intended to make a short documentary, but then changed his plans to expand the project to feature length. Dujon shot over 700 hours of footage and over fifty interviews and described the undertaking as "a big risk financially and emotionally."[14] Pereira told New Mathilda that he "quickly" raised $20,000 via crowd-funding.[15] The film was funded in part by donations made through campaigns on Chuffed ($17,261),[16] the Documentary Australia Foundation ($1,430)[17] and via additional direct PayPal donations. The film's production budget was an estimated $90,000. The film was in production and post-production for a total of 16 months.[18] In September 2014, Pereira told the Namoi Valley Independent that he intended to release the film in January 2015. He said of his approach to the production:

"I want to capture the community’s opinions of both the positives and negatives of mining in the area and create a balanced piece.”[19]

Director

Joao Dujon Pereira is a first generation Australian and lives in the Victorian capital city of Melbourne.[15]

References
  1. "Black Hole". ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL AUSTRALIA. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  2. "Whitehaven hoaxer Jonathan Moylan fronts up to ASIC for questioning". The Australian. 14 January 2013.
  3. "Panels & guests". ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL AUSTRALIA. Archived from the original on 11 February 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  4. "EFFA launches in Melbourne". upstart. Archived from the original on 4 September 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  5. "Black Hole Feature Documentary". Black Hole Feature Documentary. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  6. "Black Hole". Internet Movie Database (IMDB). Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  7. "Events". The Wilderness Society. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  8. "Special event screening: BLACK HOLE". Greens NSW. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  9. "Film screening: Black Hole. | Green Left Weekly". www.greenleft.org.au. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  10. "Cairns Premiere of 'Black Hole' documentary". CAFNEC. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  11. "Black Hole Feature Documentary". Black Hole Feature Documentary. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  12. "Black Hole Feature Documentary - Past Events". Black Hole Feature Documentary. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  13. Evans, Phil. "Black Hole Documentary Review" (PDF). Chain Reaction. Friends of the Earth Australia (125): 50. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  14. "Independent filmmaker Dujon Pereira on his documentary Black Hole". Perth Indymedia. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  15. "Community, 'Environmental Corruption', And Coal: New Film Captures The Struggle For Leard Forest". New Matilda. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  16. "'BLACK HOLE' Documentary". Chuffed. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  17. "Documentary Australia Foundation | Film | BLACK HOLE". www.documentaryaustralia.com.au. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  18. "Black Hole: coal, corruption and community resistance". Greenpeace Australia Pacific. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  19. "Spotlight on Maules Creek". Namoi Valley Independent. Retrieved 13 October 2015.

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