Balibo (film)
| Balibo | |
|---|---|
Theatrical film poster | |
| Directed by | Robert Connolly |
| Screenplay by | Robert Connolly David Williamson |
| Based on | Cover-Up by Jill Jolliffe |
| Produced by | Anthony LaPaglia Dominic Purcell |
| Starring | Anthony LaPaglia Oscar Isaac Damon Gameau Gyton Grantley Nathan Phillips Mark Winter Thomas Wright Bea Viegas |
| Cinematography | Tristan Milani |
| Edited by | Nick Meyers |
| Music by | Lisa Gerrard & Marcello De Francisci |
| Distributed by | Transmission Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 111 minutes |
| Countries | Australia East Timor |
| Languages | English Tetum |
| Budget | AU$4,500,000 |
Balibo is a 2009 Australian war film directed by Robert Connolly. Based on true events, the film follows the story of the Balibo Five, a group of journalists who were captured and killed while reporting on activities a few months prior to the Indonesian invasion of East Timor in December 1975. The film, which takes its name from the town of Balibo, is loosely based on the 2001 book Cover-Up by Jill Jolliffe, an Australian journalist who met the men before they were killed.
The film follows dishevelled journalist Roger East, played by Anthony LaPaglia, who travels to East Timor in late 1975 to investigate the deaths of the Balibo Five. Oscar Isaac plays the young José Ramos-Horta, who would later receive the Nobel Peace Prize and become the second President of East Timor, who joins East in the movie. Filming began in June 2008 in Dili, East Timor, and the film was released the following year.