'Nigger Lovers' chosen for Canadian film festival

Canadian audiences will have an opportunity to follow one man’s resistance against bigotry and prejudice, with Nigger Lovers invited for inclusion in the Ozflix: Australian Film Weekend in Toronto and Vancouver in 2008.

Directed by Rhonda Hagan and co-written and produced by Stephen Hagan and Dr Daryl Sparkes from the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), the award winning documentary portrays Indigenous Australian of the year, Stephen Hagan’s, fight to have the word ‘nigger’ removed from a Toowoomba sport stadium.

'As USQ academics the three of us are delighted to represent our University and Toowoomba in showcasing this extraordinary multi-award winning documentary to the rest of the world,' Mr Hagan said.

The thought-provoking film won a prestigious Inside Film (IF) Award for Best Short Documentary and an Enhance TV Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) Award for Best Documentary Short Form in 2007.

Supported by the Tourism Australia, the Australian High Commission and the Australian Trade Commission, the OzFlix is designed to increase the profile and stimulate sales and distribution of Australian films in North American.

The 2007 festival included the debut of the smash hit comedy Kenny, with director Clayton Jacobson and star Shane Jacobson in attendance, and the Opening Gala screening of the acclaimed Ten Canoes, directed by Rolf de Heer.

After successfully applying with the Australian Film Commission (AFC) to produce the documentary in 2006, Stephen said that it was gratifying to see the hard work pay off.

'In June 2006, the AFC sent out a call to Indigenous communities nationwide looking for ideas for documentaries,' he said.

'The idea was that the director had to be Indigenous, so that they could get the opportunity to get into directing.

'Daryl Sparkes and I submitted a proposal to the AFC and we were one of five documentaries funded.'

With a $120,000 budget, Stephen and his team travelled across Australia's East Coast interviewing everyone from local Indigenous people to the Australian leader of the Klu Klux Klan (KKK).

'We were in Herberton, Sydney, Byron Bay, Woodford, Brisbane and Toowoomba shooting the documentary,' Mr Hagan said.

Media Contact: Amy Cass, USQ Media, +61 7 4631 2092 or +61 412 097 326