A documentary about freedom, love & the power of music
#freedomisbeautiful
"Freedom Is Beautiful" (FIB) is a documentary short about two remarkable Kurdish Iranian refugees, Farhad Bandesh and Mostafa Azimitibar, who were freed from hotel detention in Melbourne after being imprisoned for seven and a half years under Australia's brutal offshore processing regime.
Farhad and Moz are musicians, artists and activists who formed a close friendship while being held on Manus Island and are prominent voices in the struggle against the Federal Government’s policy.
FIB traces the stories of the two men in their own words: fleeing persecution in Iran, the experience of captivity under Australia's policy and now freedom. Their personal stories are used as a vehicle to describe the suffering experienced by thousands of refugee and asylum seekers who have been held, to expose why the policy has been so inhumane, why it must end and why it should never be repeated.
They are exceptional and articulate men, resilient, good humoured, and irrepressible in their desire to use their music and art as form of peaceful resistance to promote humanity and advocate on behalf of all those who remained imprisoned.
FIB is a human story about hope, love and solidarity, humanising the plight of those who have suffered under the policy by drilling down on the characters of these two men to make them universally relatable.
We are proud to be partnering with Amnesty International in the film which will drive a far-reaching social impact campaign managed by our multiple Emmy award winning impact producer, Jackie Turnure.
FIB’s social impact campaign will focus on the broad notion of human rights through the prism of refugee experience in Australia. What are human rights and why are they crucial for all of us? Equality is about living free and in a society that is just and treats every human being equally and fairly under the same rules and by the same set of values.
The film includes a Kurdish song, “Mey” (wine) performed by Farhad, Moz and cellist, Conrad Hamill, recorded and produced by Nick Didia, a multiple Grammy award winning music producer and engineer who recorded albums for Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen, Rage against the Machine, Powderfinger among others. Nick will also produce the original soundtrack for the film.
FIB will be released in June 2023
Angus McDonald, Producer and Director
