Australian
Screen

Clip description

In this clip, three Australian participants visit Dao and other relatives of a family they met in Australia – the Masudis – who remain ‘in limbo’ in Africa. They bring with them a video message from their Australian-settled relatives which they watch together with the family.

Curator’s notes

With real human interaction and a sense of shared humanity, this segment does not shy away from staying with and documenting the emotional reactions of the Masudi family. We watch their faces as they move from smiles of joy at seeing their family and their new life in Australia and then as they move through to tears feeling the distance and the struggles they have yet to face in achieving citizenship themselves. We also feel, through identification with the three Australian participants, the difficult and powerless situation they find themselves in as they try their best to comfort the family. There is live sound and music only until a final line of voice-over sums up the situation.

This segment demonstrates the powerful emotion inherent in this form of storytelling. Reality or experiential documentary can humanise issues through taking the audience on a journey with participants with whom they can identify. It also raises questions about the power of the producers to influence reality. Without the series the family in Africa (and then back in Australia) would not have had access to information brought to them by the participants and crew.