This week on Streets of Your Town podcast we feature the extraordinary documentary, Scattered People.
This six-year labour of love follows two young Iranian asylum seekers Mas and Saha, navigating Australia’s immigration detention system, and the unexpected connections they make through music.
Musicians such as John Butler, Missy Higgins, Dan Sultan, Archie Roach, Baker Boy, Michael Franti and Katie Noonan all talk about the power of music and its ability to break through barriers, unite people and create shared experiences as part of the project.
It takes enormous commitment to learn a new skill like film-making. But to see that project through to screenings around Australia six years later, with rolling screening dates around Covid lockdowns, takes that commitment to another level.
The documentary made film-makers out of everyday Australians John and Lizzi Swatland.
Lizzi tells me on Streets of Your Town they didn’t realise what an enormous project they had committed to.
“There were times when I was crying saying I can’t do it—because we still had our day jobs,” Lizzi says.
“But the joy overpowered those feelings of despair and that I can’t do it. When we didn’t have any money we were like—how will we do it?
“There’s a part of me that never thought in our wildest dreams that this could happen to the extent that it is.
“Why can’t we all just get along with each other? It sounds simple doesn’t it.”
She is now coordinating screenings around the country, with all proceeds going to asylum seeker projects in each local area. They are rolling screening dates around the country from cities to regional areas. In the next week there are screenings at New Farm Cinema on July 28, Byron Bay Community Centre Theatre on July 29, La Boite Theatre on August 12, and Springwood on Sunday August 15.
Scattered People is a heartfelt story about connection and the power of music to give people a voice. It investigates what the music we produce, sing and listen to tells us about ourselves, our country and our experiences.
They interviewed musicians, academics, psychologists and refugee specialists about the role artistic expression plays in building personal and national identity, and the healing power of creative expression and shared stories.
“It’s organically grown as we have grown,” Lizzi says.
“The healing power of music has always been for us very important. Because it is—where would we be without music? That was ultimately the beginning of it all—to hear their story.
“And a lot of asylum seekers and refugees don’t like to share their stories. They can be very shy, they can be incredibly damaged from what’s gone on in their lives.
“Some actually have not told a new group of friends over the years that they did come over on a boat. And so they don’t even want to share that, and their friends don’t know that.
“It was very brave and courageous of them to do that. Ever grateful to them. And now they’re part of our family. We adore them.”
Choir mistress Yani Mills says being part of Scattered People has been one of the great privileges of her life, but also incredibly difficult, as many of the people who sang in the choir, have since been deported.
“One Sri Lankan woman sat me down, she was in her sari and everything, she sat me down and she was crying, and she held my hand and she said ‘you sing like you understand what we’re going through’,” Yani says.
“From then on I just dedicated myself to this, I don’t know what you'd call it exactly—my mission perhaps. It is my calling. I think what Lizzi and John have done is incredible.
“I was drawn to it from the music. I know how much it can change people. It can change your mind, it can make you learn about things you’ve never thought to learn about before and go outside of your own experience and that’s what’s important.
“Community music is my thing. I love the idea of people singing and finding solace and connection.”
To find out when a screening is happening near you, just go to the website at scatteredpeoplefilm.org for a monthly calendar, and details of screenings that have been delayed for Covid restrictions.
Behind the Scenes
The next episode of Streets of Your Town comes from far North Queensland—from Mandingalbay Yidinji country just south of Cairns. Here’s a bit of a sneaky peek at what you’ll soon hear!
I’d also love to give a well deserved plug to this great group, the First Peoples Disability Network:
I’ve been quite The Wandering Journo this week, and am feeling very grateful that I’m in a position to support performing artists while many of my friends and rellies around the country are in lockdown.
And while I was at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre I couldn’t help but notice this building on our way out! It’s a big week for this river city getting ready to be thrust onto the world stage!
I also couldn’t help but notice the amazing amount of absolutely stunning Aboriginal paintings adorning the walls in QPAC—turns out they are on permanent loan from the man who featured in the very first episode of Streets of Your Town—David Hinchliffe!
And finally—you may remember meeting Katie Noonan on a recent episode of Streets of Your Town!
Well now after that wonderful sneaky preview that you got months ago—she’s announced that Ave is going on tour! Hope that you can catch one of their shows—it was simply sublime.
Talk again soon my Wandering Journo tribe! Thanks so much for your ongoing support—and please share this with your friends.
Nance
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