Acclaimed detention film in Castlemaine

Hot on the heels of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's announcement that asylum seekers would now be sent to Papua New Guinea, comes the screening of an acclaimed film that is set to touch the hearts of theatre goers in Castlemaine.
The critics have raved about Mary Meets Mohammad, which screens at the Theatre Royal next week for a strictly limited season.
Filmmaker Heather Kirkpatrick will attend next Thursday night's session at the Theatre Royal and answer questions from the audience after the film.
The feature-length documentary took two years to make, is centred on Tasmania's first asylum seeker detention centre, `Pontville`, on the outskirts of Hobart.
The film tells of Mary, a local knitting club member and staunch Christian woman, who is not welcoming of the 400 male asylum seekers from Afghanistan.
Mary unexpectedly finds herself in regular contact with Mohammad, a 26-year-old Muslim, after her knitting club donates beanies to the asylum seekers in detention.
The elderly woman has many of her prior beliefs challenged as her relationship with Mohammad deepens.
Mary Meets Mohammad was one of four finalists for the 'Outstanding Documentary Talent Award' for 2013. As a finalist, it had its premier screening in Adelaide in late February at the Australian International Documentary Conference.
Executive director of the conference, Joost Den Hartog, summed up the film as: "This is an extraordinary and gripping piece of documentary filmmaking."
The Tasmanian Times said: "Miss this ... and you are mad. Certifiably so. It's a stunner. The most beautiful story. So evocative, so powerful. So utterly, fully, human."
Heather said she decided to make the documentary after seeing television reports of the hostile response from the Brighton community during the Immigration Department's public meeting when the Pontville detention centre was announced.
"When I came in contact with the women at the local knitting club at Brighton, I felt their diverse views on asylum seekers, was somewhat representative of the Australian community at large.
"I found a strong main character at the club with Mary, who strongly disapproved of the asylum seekers coming but was curious enough to want to see inside the detention centre.
"This event and Mary's regular visits which followed, provided fascinating scenes for me to film, over the 16 months of production."
When Mohammad was released from detention, Heather observed an astoundingly deep connection develop between him and Mary, which became the strength and focus of the story.
"I hope the cross cultural and cross religious challenges they come to meet will resonate with audiences both here in Australia and worldwide."
For a preview of the film, see the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBxXvXLOwSU
And for session times and tickets contact the Theatre Royal on 5472 1196 or visit http://www.theatreroyal.info/html/s01_home/home.asp