Staff from Fulham Correctional Centre were thrilled to attend the world premiere of a special documentary — one that would not have been made without GEO’s support — at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival.
The Art of Incarceration tells the story of inmates engaged in the art program in Fulham’s Indigenous unit. The program focuses on the role of culture in the rehabilitation of inmates and supports the development of self-esteem through art.
The film provides an insight into the inmates’ quest for cultural identity and spiritual healing as they prepare for the annual Confined exhibition and for life on the outside.
The Confined exhibition is facilitated by The Torch, an organisation that runs the Statewide Indigenous Arts in Prisons and Community Program through Corrections Victoria.
Produced and directed by Alex Siddons, the documentary was more than three-and-a-half years in the making. The production process included shooting over 100 hours of footage with several full-day filming sessions at Fulham.
The narrative analyses and humanises the over-representation of Indigenous Australians within the correctional system and explores issues such as cultural disconnection, inter-generational trauma, addiction and institutionalisation.
The lead subjects include Robby Wirramanda, a former inmate at Fulham who is a symbol of hope and strength because of his success as an artist and dedication to community, culture and family.
Another is Chris Austin — filmed both inside Fulham and following his release — as he works to break free from 30-plus years of regular incarceration through his new direction as an artist.
“This character-driven approach demystifies and humanises the subjects in the film while providing great insight into The Torch’s inspiring program,” Alex says.
In a series of media interviews prior to the premiere Chris thanked Fulham Correctional Centre and Corrections Victoria for providing Alex with access to the Centre so the documentary could be made.
