SYNOPSIS

[EN] Title: BATTLER Logline: An Indigenous Australian man experiencing homelessness wakes to a foreboding Melbourne. Despite efforts to uphold his strength, trauma takes hold and he plunges into darkness. "Battlers, in Australian colloquialism, are ordinary working-class people who persevere through their commitments despite adversity. Typically, this adversity comprises low pay, family problems, environmental hardships and personal recognition woes. It is a term of respect and endearment intended to empower and recognise those who feel as though they exist at the bottom of society” - Wikipedia 
BATTLER, my film seeks to question who is deserving of such a name. 

When accessing who are at the ‘bottom of society’, often we think of those experiencing homelessness. The reality of homelessness is that it comes in many forms, such as being temporarily displaced, and we often cast judgments about their motivations and willingness to help themselves. Often these people have experienced traumatic events, as well as intergenerational trauma, and a stark example of this is Australia’s Indigenous population. 

 Needless to say, the effects of colonisation have been devastating to the Indigenous Australian people. Despite the reverence some Australian’s hold for our Indigenous population, our history of their treatment is damning. We only need to look at the stolen generations, where children were taken from their parents to be raised on religious missions, as an example of this injustice. Though the country has come a long way since that time, we still have to make questionable decisions in regards to their treatment. 
 In 2023, Australia voted in a referendum to establish an ‘Indigenous Voice to Parliament’. This would have amended our constitution to recognise the Indigenous Australians as our nation's first peoples, as well as providing an institutional body that could advise our government on matters relating to their people. A decisive campaign preceded the vote, one that had its fair share of misinformation and fear-mongering, and ultimately Australia voted no to their voice.
 Indigenous Australians are the oldest continuing culture in existence, yet their people are massively overrepresented in our prison systems. The United Nations has repeatedly condemned Australia for this system, yet still, we call ourselves the Lucky Country. BATTLER is intended to draw attention to this injustice, to the deep scars in the hearts of our Indigenous people, and showcases a character (HARRY) who experiences this pain yet remains defiant. 

For my first theatrical film, I wanted to create a story on a subject I felt needed to be talked about. After years of crafting and cultural consultation, including various conversations with Indigenous Elders and people with lived experience, I was helped by a fantastic crew to create this film. Ultimately I hope BATTLER lends itself to a wider conversation, about how we should treat each other with empathy and appreciate nuance. I believe this will both better ourselves and others in our diverse and complex communities.

GÉNÉRIQUE

• Réalisation

  Samuel Martin

• Production

  Samuel Martin

• Référent(e)

  Samuel Martin

• Vente

  Samuel Martin