35mm A Street to Die (1984)

Based on real events.

A Street to Die established filmmaker Bill Bennett as both pugnaciously political and formally daring. The film's cinéma vérité approach of combining documentary-style filmmaking and improvisation was highly unusual for Australian films of the time, and added much to the polemical power of Bennett's script (wholly based on real events).

Colin Turner (Chris Haywood) and his wife Lorraine (Jennifer Cluff) buy a war service home in an outer suburb of Sydney. Their neighbours are all veterans, many ex-Vietnam, like Colin. He visits a doctor about his persistent rashes and other symptoms, but the doctor (Arianthe Galani) diagnoses stress. When Colin notices that other Vietnam veterans in their street have similar symptoms, it sparks an increasingly desperate legal battle to expose the damage done by Agent Orange.

Saturday session includes a post-screening Q&A with director Bill Bennett, stars Jennifer Cluff and Chris Haywood, and renowned cinematographer Geoff Burton. Moderated by entertainment journalist James Jennings.

Rating

PG

Cast

Chris Haywood, Jennifer Cluff, Arianthe Galani, Robin Ramsay, Peter Heir, Peter Kowitz

Director

Bill Bennett