John Pilger is not one to shy away from controversy. In his latest documentary, “Utopia,” the veteran Australian journalist takes a hard look at the treatment of indigenous people in Australia. To be clear – there is nothing really new in what Pilger reveals, but Australians tend to want to brush the history of their treatment of aboriginal people under the carpet.
Pilger told The Age newspaper that he sees a treaty and genuine land rights as the key to improving the position of the original owners of Australia. Anything less, including the current talk of constitutional recognition, is simply a “distraction”, he said.
As the paper says, the film opened in the United Kingdom in mid-November and screens in Sydney on January 17. Subsequent limited dates include Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Alice Springs. Pilger would have been delighted to show Utopia in Australia first but no local distributor offered a cinema run. “One Australian distributor refused to take the film because he said it was ‘too dark’ and ‘it might upset people with its myth-busting’,” 74-year-old Pilger said.
Utopia was commissioned by ITV in Britain and funded entirely in the UK.
Trailer
Recent Al Jazeera story – Australia aboriginals demand mining royalties
For more check out John Pilger’s website.
