Island of the Hungry Ghosts

Island of the Hungry Ghosts
Film poster
Directed by	Gabrielle Brady
Written by	Gabrielle Brady
Produced by	Alexander Wadouh Samm Haillay Alex Kelly Gizem Acarla Gabrielle Brady
Starring	Poh Lin Lee
Cinematography	Michael Latham
Edited by	Katharina Fiedler
Music by	Aaron Cupples
Production company	Chromosom Film
Distributed by	Autlook Filmsales
Release date	April 19, 2018 (2018-04-19)(Tribeca Film Festival)
Running time	98 minutes
Countries	Germany Great Britain Australia
Language	English

Island of the Hungry Ghosts is a hybrid documentary film by director Gabrielle Brady that explores the conflict faced by trauma therapist Poh Lin Lee, who works in the Australian Detention Centre for Asylum Seekers on Christmas Island. ^[1] It premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2018 where it won the Award for Best International Documentary. ^[2] It was shown at festivals all over the world, winning several prizes. It was also released in cinemas in the United Kingdom, Australia, North America and Germany.

Summary

Located off the coast of Indonesia, the Australian territory of Christmas Island is inhabited by migratory crabs travelling in their millions from the jungle towards the ocean, in a movement that has been provoked by the full moon for hundreds of thousands of years.

Poh Lin Lee is a “trauma therapist” who lives with her family in this seemingly idyllic paradise. Every day, she talks with the asylum seekers held indefinitely in a high-security detention centre hidden in the island’s core, attempting to support them in a situation that is as unbearable as its outcome is uncertain. As Poh Lin and her family explore the island’s beautiful yet threatening landscape, the local islanders carry out their “hungry ghost” rituals for the spirits of those who died on the island without a burial. They make offerings to appease the lost souls who are said to be wandering the jungles at night looking for home.

In the intimacy of her therapy sessions, as Poh Lin listens to the growing sense of despair of the people she counsels, she begins to feel the creeping dystopia reverberate through her own life.

Island of the Hungry Ghosts is a hybrid documentary that moves between the natural migration and the chaotic and tragic migration of the humans, which is in constant metamorphoses by the unseen decision-making structures. ^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}

Accolades

Award	Category	Recipient	Result	Ref.
Tribeca Film Festival	Best Documentary Feature	Island of the Hungry Ghosts	Won	[7]
Visions du Réel	Buyens-Chagoll Award	Island of the Hungry Ghosts	Won	[8]
Independent Spirit Awards	Best Documentary Feature	Island of the Hungry Ghosts	Nominated	[9]
IDFA	Amsterdam Human Rights Award	Island of the Hungry Ghosts	Won	[10]
German film prize	Best Documentary	Island of the Hungry Ghosts	Pending	[11]
Valletta Film Festival	Best Documentary film	Island of the Hungry Ghosts	Won	[12]
Mumbai Film Festival	Grand Jury Prize for the International Competition	Island of the Hungry Ghosts	Won	[13]
Edinburgh International Film Festival	Special Mention	Island of the Hungry Ghosts	Won	[14]
Crested Butte Film Festival	Best Documentary	Island of the Hungry Ghosts	Won	[15]
Adelaide Film Festival	Flinders University Feature Documentary Award	Island of the Hungry Ghosts	Won	[16]
Darwin International Film Festival	Best Documentary	Island of the Hungry Ghosts	Won
Human Rights Film Festival Zurich	Mercurius Prize	Island of the Hungry Ghosts	Won	[17]
Festival des Libertés 2018	Prix SMART	Island of the Hungry Ghosts	Won	[18]
SAE ATOM Awards 2018	Best Documentary	Island of the Hungry Ghosts	Won	[19]
British Independent Film Awards	Best Music	Aaron Cupples	Nominated	[20]
FIFO Tahiti 2019	Prix spécial du Jury	Island of the Hungry Ghosts	Won	[21]
Ozflix Independent Film Awards	Best Film	Island of the Hungry Ghosts	Won	[22]
	Best Director	Gabrielle Brady	Won
	Best Cinematography	Michael Latham	Won
	Best Editing	Katharina Fiedler	Won
	Best Sound Design	Leo Dolgan	Won
	Best Original Soundtrack	Aaron Cupples	Nominated
ZagrebDox 2019	Special Mention from the Movies That Matter Jury	Island of the Hungry Ghosts	Won
Sole Luna Doc Film Festival 2019	Best Documentary	Island of the Hungry Ghosts	Won	[23]
	Audience Prize	Island of the Hungry Ghosts	Won
Down Under Berlin FF	Best Film	Island of the Hungry Ghosts	Won	[24]
Move it! Dresden 2019	Human Rights Award	Island of the Hungry Ghosts	Won	[25]
Aubagne International Film Festival	Best Original Soundtrack	Aaron Cupples	Nominated	[26]

References

1. "The film that reveals an island idyll's traumatic secret". The Guardian . January 3, 2019.
2. "Tribeca Film Festival, Island of the Hungry Ghosts". April 19, 2018.
3. "Island of the Hungry Ghosts - Official Website". Island of the Hungry Ghosts - Official Website.
4. "Gabrielle Brady's 'The Island of Hungry Ghosts'". The Monthly . May 1, 2019.
5. "Review: Migration and Trauma on Christmas Island". The New York Times . March 7, 2019.
6. "Tribeca Review". Screen Daily . April 20, 2018.
7. "Tribeca Awards Screening 2018".
8. "Visions du Réel 2018".
9. "2020 Independent Spirit Awards".
10. "IDFA 2018 Amsterdam Human Rights Award".
11. "German Film Prize".
12. "Valletta Film Festival".
13. "Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image".
14. "Edinburgh International Film Festival".
15. "Crested Butte Film Festival".
16. "2018 Adelaide Film Festival".
17. "Human Rights Film Festival Zurich".
18. "2018 Festival des Libertés".
19. "SAE ATOM Awards 2018".
20. "2018 British Independent Film Awards".
21. "FIFO Tahiti 2019".
22. "2019 Ozflix Independent Film Awards". Archived from the original on 2019-06-03. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
23. "The 2019 Sole Luna Doc Film Festival".
24. "Down Under Berlin FF 2019".
25. "Move it! Dresden 2019".
26. "2019 Aubagne International Film Festival".

External links

• Official Website