Controversial film wins international award and private screening with Oprah

Nigger Lovers, produced by University of Southern Queensland (USQ) academics Stephen and Rhonda Hagan, was again recognised by the international community when it was awarded International Best Short Documentary at this year's Wairoa Maori Film Festival in New Zealand on Saturday night (31 May 2008).

Now in its third year, the annual Wairoa Maori Film Festival is New Zealand's premier Maori and Indigenous film festival and was held from 30 May until 2 June.

The Hagans said while they have won other awards for the film this recognition is particularly important.

'Although we won the EnhanceTV ATOM award at the Melbourne International Film Festival and the Inside Film (IF) award at the Gold Coast in 2007 for our documentary, this award is very special to us as it's our international Indigenous peers from the film industry who have recognised our contribution to documentary making,' Stephen said.

The controversial documentary Nigger Lovers, which was sponsored by the Australian Film Commission, Film Finance Corporation and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, follows the Hagan's fight to remove the word ‘nigger' from the ES Nigger Brown stand, at the Toowoomba rugby league oval, and has already gained significant national and international attention.

Stephen said University of Wisconsin academic, Associate Professor Patty Loew, attended the festival and was so impressed with Nigger Lovers that she intends to give Oprah Winfrey a private viewing of the film when they meet next month in Chicago.

'Ms Loew is the director of the Way of the Warrior documentary, a film that looks at Native American men and women who volunteered to serve in the United States military.

'She has invited me to attend the convention for African American, Native American and Hispanic journalists whose membership number 16,000 when they meet in Chicago next month. The convention is held every four years and Oprah is an active member of the organisation,' Stephen said. 

'Ms Loew, who is fighting a similar campaign in America to remove offending words for sporting mascots such as 'Redskins', encouraged us to lobby the food and beverage industry union to have their members boycott providing their service to the Athletic Oval.'

Stephen lost his initial Federal Court application to remove the sign and was unsuccessful on appeal to the Full Bench of the Federal Court and on seeking leave to Appeal to the High Court.
 
In 2003 Stephen won his appeal to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) but Federal Attorney General, Darryl Williams, refused to abide by the UN's decision saying the Howard Government was satisfied with the domestic courts handling of this matter.
 
Stephen has since met with Robert McClelland, the new Attorney General, and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh at the recent 2020 Forum which he attended in Canberra during April.

Stephen said the Attorney General Senator McClelland and Premier Bligh indicated they would take steps to remove the offending word but to date the sign has not been removed.
 
'Stephen and I will continue to promote our documentary on the international stage to draw attention to our government's poor handling of this important public issue until the sign is removed,' Rhonda said

Media Contact: Connie-Louise Rego, USQ Media, +61 7 4631 2977