Premier and Minister for the Arts
The Honourable Anna Bligh

Thursday, October 08, 2009

Queensland filmed documentary will be shown on Remembrance Day

Premier Anna Bligh has said a Queensland-filmed documentary about a World War II maritime tragedy will be the focus of Remembrance Day commemorations on the Foxtel History Channel.

“The Tragedy of the Montevideo Maru recounts the tragic story of Australian soldiers locked in the hold of a Japanese prison ship who drowned when the vessel was torpedoed off the coast of the Philippines,” said Ms Bligh.

“Using interviews with former prisoners of war and by re-enacting key moments, The Tragedy of the Montevideo Maru tells the story of the sacrifice and suffering of these forgotten Australian soldiers.

“The film, which finished shooting this month, received $83,800 in Queensland government support through a number of Pacific Film and Television Commission (PFTC) schemes and grants.”

The Premier said the film, which will screen as a two-part documentary in November, shows interviews with survivors from all over the world including New Zealand, England, Scotland, Japan and America.

It also features an interview with 93-year-old Lorna, an Australian nurse, about her experiences as a prisoner in Japan.

“Queensland producer John Schindler has said he was drawn to the story because his mother lost four friends on the Montevideo Maru,” she said.

“This was one of Australia’s greatest maritime tragedies with the loss of 1,053 lives and yet most Australians have never heard of it. This documentary will put faces to the numbers.

“Filming took place at numerous south-east Queensland locations including Wellington Point, which was used for the shipwreck scenes in the Indian Ocean, and private property at Mount Tamborine which doubled for the New Guinea jungle.

“The Queensland Maritime Museum loaned the production their clinker boat to use as a Japanese lifeboat, while the interior of the Australian Navy Frigate Diamentina at South Bank was used to portray the interior of a number of sinking Japanese ships.

The Tragedy of Montevideo Maru has been approved for the Documentary Australia Foundation list with status as a registered charitable deductible gift recipient for individuals and corporations to make tax-deductible donations via the foundation.

Media contact: 07 32244500

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