alias production notes2 - alias ruby blade

F O R K F I L M S P R E S E N T S I N A S S O C I A T I O N W I T H T H E F I L M C O M P A N Y A N A G E R M E I L L I E R F I L M A L I A S R U B Y B L A D E 7 8 M I N . ( U S A / A U S T R A L I A ) P R O D U C E R C O N T A C T : T A N Y A A G E R M E I L L I E R , P R O D U C E R A G E R M E I L L I E R F I L M S I N C . 2 6 5 C A N A L S T R E E T S U I T E 2 1 3 N EW Y O R K , N Y 1 0 0 1 3 U S A + 1 2 1 2 2 2 6 1 6 0 3 + 1 9 1 7 6 7 8 3 4 2 3 s t u d i o @ a g e r -‐ m e i l l i e r . c o m h t t p : / / w ww . a l i a s r u b y b l a d e . c o m

P R E S S C O N T A C T : J E N N Y L AW H O R N & W E I M A N S E I D F A T D O T + 1 2 1 2 6 9 1 4 4 2 4 j e n n y l a w h o r n@ f a t d o t . n e t

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“It was the courage of the Timorese that inspired me to have courage. That is what has driven me throughout my journey and that is what continues to inspire me today.”

– Kirsty Sword Gusmão

Kirsty is greeted with a traditional woven tais in Maliana, Timor-Leste in a scene from Alias Ruby Blade

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CONTENTS

SECTION 1: FILM INFORMATION

SYNOPSIS 4 STYLE & APPROACH 7 BACKGROUND 8

SECTION 2: SUBJECT BIOGRAPHY KIRSTY SWORD GUSMÃO 10 SECTION 3: PERSONNEL BIOGRAPHIES DIRECTOR ALEX MEILLIER 12 PRODUCER TANYA AGER MEILLIER 13 EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ABIGAIL DISNEY 14 EXECUTIVE PRODUCER GINI RETICKER 14 PRODUCER RICHARD KEDDIE 15 COMPOSER PAUL BRILL 16 CINEMATOGRAPHER SHANE SIGLER 16 SECTION 4: CAST BIOGRAPHIES XANANA GUSMÃO 17 JOSÈ RAMOS-‐HORTA 18 CONSTANCIO PINTO 18 NALDO REI 18 GEOFFREY ROBINSON 19 PAT WALSH 19 SECTION 5: CREDITS 20

S E C T I O N 1 : F I L M I N F O R M A T I O N

S Y N O P S I S

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ALIAS RUBY BLADE: a story of love and revolution

One courageous woman’s journey from undercover agent to First Lady and the untold story of the birth of a new nation.

SHORT SYNOPSIS

Revolution meets romance in the real-‐life cloak-‐and-‐dagger story Alias Ruby Blade, a documentary film chronicling the tumultuous birth of a new nation in East Timor through a never-‐before-‐seen perspective. Kirsty Sword, a young Australian activist, aspired to be a documentary filmmaker in East Timor, but instead became an underground operative for the Timorese resistance against Indonesia in Jakarta. Her code name: Ruby Blade. Her task: to become a conduit of information and instruction for the resistance movement’s enigmatic leader, Kay Rala "Xanana" Gusmão, while he was serving life in prison for his revolutionary activities. Through correspondence, they fell in love. Alias Ruby Blade captures their incredible love story, from this beginning to the ultimate triumph of freedom in East Timor, demonstrating the astonishing power of ordinary individuals to change the course of history. LONG SYNOPSIS

Alias Ruby Blade takes a never before seen approach to the story of the Independence of Timor-‐Leste by peering through the lens of the experiences of Kirsty Sword Gusmão -‐ a distinguished human rights activist and former First Lady of Timor-‐Leste.

Once an aspiring documentary filmmaker, Kirsty instead became a revolutionary.

Filming her journey, not knowing what, if anything, would ever become of the footage, Kirsty recorded key events in her life which have become watershed moments in the Independence struggle of the Timorese. Given unprecedented access, the producers of Alias Ruby Blade have obtained this footage along with intimate interviews with the key players in the resistance struggle. The result is a

Kirsty a.k.a. Ruby Blade (video still)


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behind-‐the-‐scenes look in to one of the most dramatic events of the 21st Century: the birth and formation of a new nation in Timor-‐Leste after nearly 30 years of struggle.

In 1991 at the age of twenty-‐four, Kirsty joined an English film crew that traveled to East Timor disguised as tourists with amateur video equipment. Their goal was to document the conditions of the Indonesian occupation and defy the media blackout that had gripped the territory since the Indonesian invasion in 1975.

But what was supposed to be an interesting socio-‐political documentary portrait turned in to a watershed moment in the independence struggle when Indonesian troops opened fire on the crowd. Hundreds of innocent protesters were massacred -‐ many of them teenagers. The broadcast of the resulting documentary, Cold Blood: the Massacre of East Timor1, caused loud cries of condemnation around the world and set in motion events that would radically alter the destiny of the Timorese.

For Kirsty, having personally known many of the victims, there was no turning back. Moving to Jakarta, Kirsty immersed herself in the shadowy world of Indonesian pro-‐democracy activists and

Timorese dissidents. She was recruited by the exiled foreign minister José Ramos-‐Horta (Nobel Peace Prize laureate) to become a courier and adopted the nom de guerre Ruby Blade. Her task was to shuttle correspondence in and out of the notorious Cipinang Prison in Jakarta, where the enigmatic Timorese resistance leader, Xanana Gusmão, was serving a life sentence for his revolutionary activities.

Kirsty became a critical link -‐ enabling Xanana to remain in control of the resistance. Starting with notes smuggled out in the bottom of a shoe and then a video camera2, a laptop computer, and finally a mobile phone, the communication between Kirsty and Xanana became more intimate. Through correspondence, they fell in love. In nearly eight years, they met in person only once.

When the Timorese voted overwhelmingly for Independence in a historic referendum for Independence, pro-‐Indonesian militias ran amok throughout the entire territory burning, looting and raping until over half of the population became internally displaced persons. When Kirsty and Xanana finally were able to return to East Timor, they found a country reduced to ashes. Kirsty herself filmed the throngs 1 The filmmakers have obtained the rushes from Cold Blood containing never before seen footage of Kirsty and the crew during the making the film. 2 The filmmakers have obtained footage of Xanana in prison and the intimate “video letters” between Xanana and Kirsty.


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of civilians, thousands strong, cheering the triumphant return of their beloved leader and yearning for a new beginning.

Alias Ruby Blade captures this incredible story from Kirsty’s humble beginnings in Australia through the ultimate triumph of the Timorese, culminating with the swearing in of Xanana Gusmão as the nation’s first president. The birth of their first son, Alexandre, in a free and independent East Timor became a symbol of the birth of the nation.

Today, Kirsty remains a tireless advocate of the Timorese. In addition to travelling abroad as Ambassador of Education, the head of her UNESCO chapter and to raise funds for The Alola Foundation, which she founded to improve the health and welfare of women and children in Timor-‐Leste, Kirsty is the mother of

three small boys with Xanana (now Prime Minister).

A powerful testament to the human capacity for hope to overcome fear, Alias Ruby Blade demonstrates that ordinary individuals, armed with little more than moral courage, can solve seemingly intractable violent conflicts. They have, in fact, the power to change the course of history.


S T Y L E & A P P R O A C H

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STYLE & APPROACH

Utilizing a flashback structure, Alias Ruby Blade weaves together a complex tapestry of visual textures composed of never-‐before-‐seen archival material, much of it from Kirsty and Xanana Gusmão’s personal archive, HD production footage, and dreamlike sequences shot on color reversal 16mm film. Often selecting the rawest and most unrefined footage, fueled by an original rock’n’roll soundtrack, the effect is to immerse the viewer in the action of the film.

Aspiring to become a filmmaker, Kirsty began shooting the key events of her life on hi-‐8 video from her first visit to East Timor in 1990. Her archive also contains tape from her time as an operative in Jakarta all the way up to her return with Xanana to the country devastated by the 1999 violence. At one point she even managed to smuggle a camera in to the notorious Jakarta jail where Xanana was serving life in prison. The producers of Alias Ruby Blade have obtained this footage, often painstakingly restored, to utilize this intimate perspective to great effect.

In addition to Kirsty’s hi-‐8 footage composing the flashback sequences and HD footage of the present day, special sequences have been shot on 16mm color reversal film stock meant to portray the story of Kirsty’s alter ego Ruby Blade. These cinematic sequences are woven seamlessly in to the arc in the story, shot from angles designed never to reveal Kirsty’s face, and to heighten the suspense, all in frenetic close-‐ups. We see glimpses of this footage starting from

Kirsty’s first visit to East Timor in 1990 and this film-‐within-‐a-‐film climaxes when Kirsty’s identity is revealed and she is forced to flee the country for fear of the Indonesian Secret Police in 1996.

Kirsty herself is the primary narrator of Alias Ruby Blade. As her personal story evolves throughout the film, other characters are introduced in meticulously researched archival material and add their voices to the story. Amongst a host of the key actors in the resistance struggle both International and Timorese, the former President of Timor-‐Leste, Nobel Laureate José Ramos-‐Horta appears in a surprisingly candid two-‐part interview.

Through their collective voices, we learn how the struggle for independence transformed from an armed struggle into an international movement that used the media, diplomacy, non-‐violent action and the language of human rights to fight for Independence -‐ a lesson that is more relevant than ever before in the world today.

Director Alex Meillier (left) and Cinematographer Shane Sigler set up a shot in Jakarta.


B A C K G R O U N D

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BACKGROUND

“We’ve got to be crazy,” I said to my wife Tanya as we barreled down the coast road in a clapped-‐out taxi from the Dili airport in Timor-‐Leste. Out the window a sea of signature blue UNHCR tarpaulins flapped in the wind covering a massive refugee camp. This was 2007. The year before the world’s youngest democratic Asian nation had experienced a tremor of growing pains. In an unsuccessful coup attempt, members of the police force turned on the

government and the country erupted into civil war. The evidence was all around in the burnt out husks of buildings and the internally displaced persons huddled in the camps. It had been nearly two years since we had been stationed in Dili, Timor-‐Leste, working for the UN as a documentary film unit. For the large part, we had enjoyed our time in Dili, despite the security situation. At it’s best it is a quiet city protected by a natural harbor nestled at the bottom of majestic jungle clad mountains. The Portuguese colonial legacy lingers in the architecture. Children walk to school; fishermen throw their nets and the lively commercial district hustles and bustles like any Asian capital. But Timor-‐Leste had a horrific past. The Indonesian invasion in 1975 decimated one fifth of the entire population. And then, after the historic referendum for Independence in 1999, pro-‐Indonesian militias ran amok, burning, looting and raping until the entire territory was reduced to rubble. Everything of any value: computers, refrigerators, vehicles, were either destroyed or transported out of the country. Militias poured concrete down the toilets. The destruction was systematic. Yet the Timorese endured, because in the end, they had won their freedom, and they had won it by adhering to non-‐violence, despite the horrors wrought upon them. Everywhere we went in Timor, people were desperate to tell their stories to our cameras. They wanted the world to know what had happened to their families, to their villages -‐ because as human beings we all have the right to be free and not to live in terror. Over this period of several months, we gained intimate knowledge of the courageous independence struggle of the Timorese and we deeply empathized with their new 21st century struggle to eradicate extreme poverty. We thought if people, particularly in the United States, had seen what we had, they would understand better what had happened. They would want to do more to ensure the unprecedented peace building effort in Timor succeed and become a model for what can be achieved elsewhere in the world.

At night, under the flickering lights of intermittent power and over pints of cold Australian lager, we began to talk about how we could craft a character-‐driven dramatic film that could

Tanya Ager Meillier, Kirsty Sword Gusmão, Alex Meillier


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encapsulate the story of the triumph of the Timorese. Back at home in New York after our mission ended we diligently read every book, every memoir, every personal account of the struggle we could find. In 2007, we found the way for us and travelled back to Dili. The purpose of our visit was to meet for the first time with the former First Lady of Timor-‐Leste, Kirsty Sword Gusmão, wife of the former President and Prime Minister of Timor-‐Leste, the enigmatic resistance leader, Kay Rala “Xanana” Gusmão. Kirsty is many things: President of the National Education Commission, President of the Timor-‐Leste chapter of UNESCO, President of the Alola Foundation, which she founded to empower women through health and livelihood initiatives—but to the Timorese she is known simply as “Mana Kirsty” or “Mother Kirsty.” In our research we had come across Kirsty’s autobiography, A Woman of Independence and we were surprised to learn of the pivotal role of an Australian woman in the resistance struggle. She was not only an eye witness but a key actor in historic events which put in motion the ultimate liberation of Timor-‐Leste and which also became turning points in her own life. In her book she writes of her early aspiration to become a documentary filmmaker. In passages she vividly describes filming incredibly dramatic scenes such as her and Xanana’s return to East Timor after the devastating 1999 violence. When they fell in love, she was working as an undercover operative for the Timorese resistance code-‐named “Ruby Blade” and he was serving life in prison in a Jakarta jail. Somehow, she even smuggled a video camera in to the prison. In our email to her requesting a meeting the first question was “Do you have the tapes?” She said they were packed in a box somewhere, she was unsure of their condition, but we were welcome to come take a look. If you are a filmmaker reading this you know exactly what we did next. When we met with Kirsty in her office in Dili at the headquarters of her foundation, she quizzed us about our motivation for wanting to make a film about her journey. We replied that her story would be an inspiration for people around the world, particularly women, who are struggling for a better future for their children. Kirsty told us she felt uncomfortable when people refer to her as a hero because, after all, wouldn’t anybody do what she did in the same circumstances? We decided right there that would be the central question of our film. Five years later, after three trips around the world from Dili back to New York City, London to Bali, Jakarta, Bangkok, Darwin and Melbourne we’ve sought to bring the ultimate lesson of the Timorese to the world: that ordinary people have the power to resolve seemingly intractable violent conflicts. They have, in fact, the power to change the course of history.

-‐ Alex Meillier

S E C T I O N 2 : S U B J E C T B I O G R A P H Y

K I R S T Y S W O R D G U S M Ã O

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KIRSTY SWORD GUSMÃO

Former First Lady of Timor-‐Leste (East Timor), Kirsty Sword Gusmão is President of the Timor-‐Leste National Education Commission, President of the UNESCO chapter of Timor-‐Leste, and Founder and President of the Alola Foundation, dedicated to improving the livelihoods of women and children in Timor-‐Leste. Kirsty was born in Melbourne, Australia,

in 1966. She grew up in Melbourne and Bendigo and attended Melbourne University where she completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours), majoring in Indonesian and Italian, and a Diploma of Education. In 1991, after working as an Administrative Secretary with the Overseas Service Bureau (Australian Volunteers International), she joined the Refugee Studies Program at Oxford University as Assistant to the Development Coordinator. In 1991, she travelled to East Timor as the Researcher/Interpreter the groundbreaking Yorkshire Television documentary film “Cold Blood: The massacre of East Timor” which exposed the reality of life in Dili amongst the Timorese resistance and captured on tape the massacre of November 12, 1991 – an event which would radically alter the destiny of the Timorese by exposing the atrocity of the Indonesian occupation of East Timor the world. From 1992 to 1996, she lived and worked as a teacher and human rights campaigner in Jakarta, Indonesia. It was during these years that her work for the East Timorese independence cause intensified and brought her into contact with the independence leader, Xanana Gusmão, who was serving a life sentence in a Jakarta jail and whom she married in July, 2000. Kirsty was appointed by the President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. José Ramos-‐Horta as Goodwill Ambassador for Education in October 2007. This appointment was in recognition of Kirsty’s tireless efforts to-‐date and to formalize future endeavours in addressing the educational priorities of Timor-‐Leste. Her husband, Xanana Gusmão has recently been re-‐elected Prime Minister. They have three sons, Alexandre (11 years), Kay Olok (9 years) and Daniel (6 years).

S E C T I O N 2 : S U B J E C T B I O G R A P H Y

K I R S T Y S W O R D G U S M Ã O

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ABOUT THE ALOLA FOUNDATION

Alola’s Programs have expanded rapidly since it’s founding.

▪ The Education Program has been able to provide scholarships for young people of needy families, encouraging their continuance of schooling. The Friendships Schools Project links primary and secondary schools in Australia with schools in East Timor.

▪ The Maternal and Child Health program works to help contribute to a reduction in the maternal and child mortality rates by promoting good health for women and their communities. Throughout the crisis the MCH team has been very active giving help to new mothers through the distribution of Maternity Packs and through breast feeding promotion and education activities.

▪ The Women’s Resource Centre staff provide resources, information and referral

services to women and their families, particularly in the areas of domestic violence, maternal and child health and accessing humanitarian assistance.

▪ The Economic Empowerment program has been fostering the handcrafts industry and international marketing of traditional tais (weaving) and tais products.

Website: alolafoundation.org

A NOTE ABOUT OUTREACH

It is often difficult to measure the social impact of a documentary film. But in our case, by shining a light on the remarkable journey of Kirsty Sword Gusmão, we can elevate her profile as a distinguished humanitarian which will in turn aid her in her important work boosting education and maternal health in Timor-‐Leste. This film will also highlight the ongoing need for international support for the courageous people of Timor-‐Leste in their new struggle to eradicate extreme poverty and to continue to inspire the world as a beacon of hope for people everywhere struggling for freedom.

S E C T I O N 3 : P E R S O N N E L B I O G R A P H Y

D I R E C T O R A L E X M E I L L I E R

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Director Alex Meillier

Alex Meillier's diverse range of crew credits and experiences make him uniquely positioned to realise the potential of Alias Ruby Blade which is his feature film directorial debut. Along with his wife and artistic collaborator, Tanya Ager Meillier, Alex was

Producer and Director of Photography for the film Obscene which premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival. As a film editor his work can be seen in Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story, the indie doc Beijing Punk, and multitudes of commercial projects. Alex has directed numerous short films including the acclaimed poetry-‐on-‐film project Whatever I Was Thinking Of, a collaboration with the renowned spoken word poet Bob Holman. In his work as a documentary filmmaker Alex has traveled extensively around Southeast Asia. Working for the United Nations, Alex first came to East Timor in 2005 to shoot and report stories from the field. Based in Banda Aceh, Indonesia in 2006, Alex traveled throughout Sumatra for the United Nations Development Programme chronicling the unprecedented international response to the Boxing Day Tsunami which devastated the region.

Alex's production company has taken on a diverse range of projects including producing dozens of short films from around the world for The Action Center to End World Hunger, an interactive exhibition in Lower Manhattan sponsored by Mercy Corps and American Express, and producing and directing the video content for the award winning website JFK50, dedicated to the legacy of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and sponsored by the JFK Library and Foundation.

Alex is a graduate with honors of New York University Tisch School of the Arts. Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota he now resides in the historic Brooklyn, New York neighborhood of Fort Greene where he enjoys reading Walt Whitman and growing tomatoes on the terrace.


P R O D U C E R T A N Y A A G E R M E I L L I E R

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Producer Tanya Ager Meillier

Tanya Ager Meillier was born in Manchester U.K. of mixed Chinese and English descent. Often in tow of her mum, she spent much of her childhood traveling the world and developed a lifelong passion for immersing herself in foreign cultures. This curiosity about the world grew organically into a career as a documentary

filmmaker. With her husband Alex Meillier, Tanya produced and edited the film Obscene which premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival where it was praised for its vibrant editorial style in the publication “Variety” and elsewhere.

Also as an editor, her work can be seen recently on the Sundance Channel in seasons 1 & 2 of the short film series Beginnings as well as in Michael Moore's latest magnum opus Capitalism: A Love Story. In addition to Obscene, Tanya produced dozens of unique short films for the Action Center to End World Hunger -‐ a unique interactive exhibit space in Lower Manhattan commissioned by Mercy Corps and American Express. She was also post-‐production supervisor for the films Which Way Home and Beijing Punk. In 2005 Tanya traveled to East Timor to produce and edit the film Kbiit (Timorese for "Courage") which chronicled the evolution of the UN Mission in East Timor and the effort to build a democracy from the rubble that remained after the 1999 violence. This experience left an indelible mark on Tanya and she has sought ever since to advance the cause of the Timorese to the forefront of public discourse and to aid them in their new struggle against endemic poverty. She currently resides with her husband in Brooklyn, New York.


E X E C U T I V E P R O D U C E R S

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Executive Producer Abigail E. Disney

Abigail E. Disney is a filmmaker and philanthropist. Her longtime passion for women’s issues and peace building culminated in her first film, the acclaimed Pray the Devil Back to Hell, about the Liberian women who peacefully ended their country’s fourteen-‐year civil war. She is currently Executive Producer of the

groundbreaking PBS mini-‐series Women, War & Peace, the most comprehensive global media initiative ever mounted on the role of women in peace and conflict.

Along with her husband, Pierre Hauser, Abigail co-‐founded the Daphne Foundation, which works with low-‐income communities in the five boroughs of New York City. Her work in philanthropy, women’s engagement and leadership, and conflict resolution has been recognized through the Epic Award from the White House Project, the Changing the Landscape for Women Award from the Center for the Advancement of Women, and the prestigious International Advocate for Peace (IAP) Award from the Cardozo Law School’s Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution. In addition, Abigail holds degrees from Yale, Stanford, and Columbia. She lives in New York City with her husband and four children.

Executive Producer Gini Reticker Gini Reticker is one of the world's leading documentary filmmakers whose films explore untold and vital stories about women’s issues, social justice and human rights. Ms. Reticker was co-‐creator and executive producer of the groundbreaking five-‐part special series for PBS, Women, War & Peace (2011). Ms. Reticker also directed the renowned documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell (2008), which told the story of 2011 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Leymah Gbowee.

Ms. Reticker received a 2004 Academy Award® nomination for the short Asylum, and also produced and directed the 2005 Emmy Award-‐winning Ladies First for the PBS series Wide Angle.


C R E W B I O S

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Producer Richard Keddie, The Film Company (Melbourne, Australia) Currently, Richard is in production on the musical comedy Goddess, staring Laura-‐Michelle Kelly, Ronan Keating and Magda Szubanski to be distributed by Village Roadshow and sold internationally through Ealing Studios mid 2012. Prior to this he has produced a string of successful dramas and features including the telemovie Hawke (2010 featuring Richard Roxburgh – winner 3 AFI’s including Best Telemovie/Mini-‐Series) which critics described as “the best Australian drama in a decade”. Little Fish (with Cate Blanchett, Sam Neill & Hugo Weaving, winner 5 AFI’s & the IF Award for Highest Box Office 2005).

In his documentary work, as a writer-‐director, Richard was shortlisted as the IBM Australian conservationist of the Year for the 8-‐part series On Borrowed Time for which he was awarded the Landcare Media Award; and a Penguin (Aust TV Award) for Best Documentary. Richard also directed Farming a Sunburnt Country, for the National Climate Centre – which pioneered scientific discussion about climate and our Australian environment, and he followed this up with the SBS TV documentary Chinchilla Dry – a social commentary on farmers living in drought. His documentary work has been nominated for Logies and AFI’s and he was awarded the UN Media Peace Prize for his film Rite of Passage about young unemployed people. His subjects have covered a broad range of material including John Brumby (recent Victorian Premier); a family living with adult disability; women’s netball with Magda Szubanski; and Musica Surfica with Richard Tognetti from the Australian Chamber Orchestra, which has won numerous awards around the world.


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Composer Paul Brill

Paul Brill's compositions for numerous award-‐winning films, TV series, NPR program themes, and several acclaimed CDs of original and innovative songwriting show that youthful adventures as an herbal smokes salesman, street performer, valet, corporate errand boy, and a marine biology instructor can serve the creative spirit well.

Paul has received 3 Emmy Award nominations for his original scores for the films, "The Devil Came on Horseback" (Break Thru Films), "Full Battle Rattle" (National Geographic) and "The Trials of Darryl Hunt" (HBO). Young American Recordings

recently released the Hunt soundtrack, curated by Brill, featuring selections from his score and contributions by Andrew Bird, M. Ward, Dead Prez, Califone, and Mark Kozelek among many others. Paul recently won the 2011 Best Music Award from the International Documentary Association for his score for the film, "Better this World."

Brill recently scored the HBO film, "Burma Soldier," on which he collaborated with Rock legends U2 -‐ composing a new string arrangement for an acoustic version of their classic hit, "Walk On." He scored the hit documentary, "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work" (IFC), as well as Christy Turlington Burns' directorial debut, "No Woman, No Cry," on which he collaborated with songwriter Martha Wainwright, and the film adaptation of the best-‐selling book, "Freakonomics" (Magnolia Pictures).

Cinematographer Shane Sigler

Shane Sigler is an accomplished cinematographer working in documentaries, feature films, commercials, and music videos. In addition to Alias Ruby Blade, his feature credits include Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story, Bruce Weber’s A Letter to True, Paul Morrissey’s News From Nowhere, and HBO’s Lady Gaga film.

Commercial clients include Chanel, Ralph Lauren, Christian Dior, Levi’s, UPS, IBM, Pringle of Scotland, Johnson and Johnson, Abercrombie and Fitch, Tommy Hilfiger, Coach, Calvin Klein, Bloomingdales, Planned Parenthood, and the New York Times. Shane’s music video credits include Lady Gaga, Eliza Doolittle, and Lissy Trullie.

S E C T I O N 4 : C A S T B I O G R A P H I E S

O T H E R C A S T

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Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão was born on June 20, 1946 in Manatuto, East Timor. He was raised in the country, with a brother and five sisters. His father was a schoolteacher. It was in 1974 that a coup in Portugal resulted in the decolonization for Portuguese Timor. Gusmão became deeply involved with the political group FRETILIN. On 28 November 1975, Fretilin declared the independence of Portuguese Timor as "The Democratic Republic of East Timor", and Gusmão was responsible for filming the ceremony. Nine days later, Indonesia invaded East Timor. At the time Gusmão was visiting friends outside of Dili and he witnessed the invasion from the hills. Gusmão became heavily involved in resistance activities. He was largely responsible for the level of organization that evolved in the resistance, which ultimately led to its success. By the mid-‐1980s, he was a major leader. As a result of his high profile, Gusmão became a prime target of the Indonesian government. A campaign for his capture was finally successful in November 1992. In May 1993, Gusmão was tried, convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Indonesian government. Although not released until late 1999, Gusmão successfully led the resistance from within prison. On 30 August 1999, a referendum was held in East Timor and an overwhelming majority voted for independence. Elections were held in late 2001 and Gusmão and was elected leader. As a result he became the first President of East Timor when it became formally independent on 20 May 2002. Since 2008 he has been Prime Minister having won re-‐election to that post in 2012. Gusmão has been the recipient of many awards and prizes including: 1995: Honorary Citizen of Brasília, Brazil 1998: Order of Freedom, Portugal 1998: Honorary Citizen of São Paulo, Brazil 1999: European Parliament Sakharov Prize 2000: Order of Merit, New Zealand 2000: Honorary Citizen of Lisbon, Portugal (awarded the Gold Key of Lisbon City) 2000: Kwangju (South Korea) Peace Prize 2000: Sydney Peace Prize 2000: Medal of the Vice-‐Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil 2000: Honorary Doctorate, University of Oporto, Portugal 2002: Grande Colar da Ordem do Cruzeiro do Sul, Brazil 2002: UNESCO Félix Houphouët-‐Boigny Peace Prize 2003: International Herald Tribune “Leadership with Integrity” Award 2003: BusinessWeek "Stars of Asia" Award 2003: 2003 Path to Peace Award, Path to Peace Foundation 2003: Honorary Knighthood of the Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael & St. George 2004: Honorary Law Doctorate Degree, Suncheon National University, Korea 2006: Grande Colar da Ordem de Dom Infante, Portugal 2006: Honorary Philosophy Doctorate Degree, University of Takushoku, Japan


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Josè Ramos-‐Horta

Josè was born in East Timor to a Timorese mother and Portuguese Father. He was a founder and member of the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor. In 1975 he was on his way to the United Nations in New York when Indonesia invaded East Timor. From that time until the referendum he served as the exiled foreign minister, roaming the world advocating support for the East Timorese quest for independence. In 1996 he was the co-‐recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to bring a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

Awards

2001 -‐ Hollywood Film Festival Humanitarian Award 2000 -‐ Gold Medal of the President of Italy 1999 -‐ First Hague Peace Appeal Award 1998 -‐ Gold Medal of the University of Coimbra 1998 -‐The Gran Cross of the Order of Freedom, President of Portugal 1997 -‐ Medal of the University of San Francisco 1996 -‐ Nobel Peace Prize, Oslo 1996 -‐ First UNPO Freedom Prize, The Hague 1995 -‐ International Peace Activist Award, Gleitsman Foundation, CA 1993 -‐ Professor Thorof Rafto Human Rights Award, Bergen.

Constancio Pinto

Pinto was 8 years old when the Indonesians invaded. By the age of 11 he was hiding in the mountains as a resistance fighter. He eventually relocated into Dili, the capital and became a leader of the clandestine movement. As a result he became the second most wanted man after Xanana by the Indonesian army. He was forced to flee soon after the Santa Cruz massacre and came to the United States to continue the struggle through diplomacy. He has served as the Ambassador to the United States of America and is now Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was the author of the book “East Timor’s Unfinished Struggle”.

Naldo Rei

At the age of 9 Naldo was captured and tortured by the Indonesian army and so began his life as a resistance fighter. After fleeing for Jakarta, Naldo worked closely with Kirsty before eventually seeking refuge in Australia. He is the author of the book “Resistance: A Childhood fighting for East Timor”.


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Geoffrey Robinson

Geoffrey is a historian and human rights activists currently serving as the head of the history department at UCLA. He is the author of many books and monographs covering conflicts in South East Asia. After serving as a political advisor to the United Nations during the referendum he wrote a personal account of his experiences in the book “If You Leave Us Here, We Will Die: How Genocide was Stopped in East Timor”.

Pat Walsh

Pat was deeply involved in the efforts of the Timorese struggle and was editor of the magazine “Inside Indonesia” which was highly critical of the Indonesian dictatorship at the time. After the historic referendum and the ensuing chaos, Pat became the senior advisor to CAVR and was instrumental in the publication of CHEGA!, the truth seeking report of over 2500 pages which chronicles the human rights violations committed during the occupation of Timor-‐Leste.

Awards

2009: The Insignia of the Order of Timor-‐Leste. 2011: The Order of Australia for service to the International community.

S E C T I O N 5 : C R E D I T S

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END CREDITS

Featuring KIRSTY SWORD GUSMÃO

XANANA GUSMÃO JOSE RAMOS-‐HORTA

Featuring MAX STAHL

CONSTANCIO PINTO GREGORIO SALDANHA

VICTORIA MARKWICK-‐SMITH JOSÉ BELO

JOÃO FREITAS CAMARA GEOFFREY ROBINSON

PAT WALSH NALDO REI

WILSON BIN NURTIAS

Director ALEX MEILLIER

Producer

TANYA AGER MEILLIER

Executive Producers ABIGAIL E. DISNEY GINI RETICKER

Executive Producer SILVIO SALOM

Producer

RICHARD KEDDIE

Director of Photography SHANE SIGLER

Music by

PAUL BRILL

Written & Edited by TANYA AGER MEILLIER

ALEX MEILLIER


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Story Consultant JOHN WALTER

Director of Photography (Australia)

SCOTT ANGER

Additional Cinematography ALEX MEILLIER

Assistant Producers ADRIANE GIEBEL MATT LAUMB

1st Assistant Editor SASHA FRIEDLANDER

Assistant Editor PEDRO TERRAGO

Dili Field Producers

GABRIL “AZIBY” CAROCHA ELIZABETH CORREIRA

Jakarta Field Producer

ARIE PARIKESIT

Timor-‐Leste Assistant Producers JOÃO FERRO

TANIA BETTENCOURT CORREIA DAVID PALAZÓN

Australia Assistant Producer

ELLA KEDDIE

Assistant to Ms. Sword Gusmão JENNY COLES

Assistant to Prime Minister Gusmão

ELIZABETH EXPOSTO

Associate Producers TATIANA GOLOVINA BRENDAN AGER

TANYA SCHMALFUSS SHELLY FITZPATRICK

JESSICA BAIR THOMAS G. HOFFMAN JR. ELIZABETH MEILLIER SHAUN JEFFORD JOEL TUCKER

Researcher

COLIN NUSBAUM

Motion Graphics & Titles SHAWN KILLEBREW ALEX MEILLIER

Supervising Sound Editor / Re-‐recording Mixer

NICHOLAS RENBECK

Dialogue Editor LOUIS BERTINI


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Sound Effects Editor WYATT SPRAGUE

Colorist

RICK BROAT

Post-‐Production Interns EDUARDO MOURA NAN SIRISAMPHAN

Transcripts

MARCY THORNE, A Better Type

Translations NELIA DA COSTA

Legal Services

KAREN SHATZKIN INNES SMOLANSKY, ESQ.

Drivers ASANO ANTONIO

Mixing Studio

C5

Post House Frame:Runner, Inc. New York

Transfers and dubs Dijifi, Brooklyn

Distribution in Australia

Sunjive Releasing

Original Score Composed, Performed & Produced by

PAUL BRILL

Recorded 2012 at Casa de Rico y Luca Studios in Brooklyn

Additional recording ROBERT L. SMITH

Assistant

TYLER HARTMAN

Additional Orchestration MICHAEL LEONHART

String arrangements performed by ANTOINE SILVERMAN – Violin

ANJA WOOD – Cello MATT LEHMANN – Violin HIROKO TAGUCHI -‐ Viola

“HOPE” written by

ELIZABETH ZIMAN and PAUL BRILL

Performed by the Ruby Blade Singers ELIZABETH ZIMAN

SACHAL VASANDANI SONYA KITCHELL

PAUL LOREN LAUREN BALTHROP

JAMIE LEONHART JEFF TAYLOR DEIDRE RODMAN STRUCK PAUL BRILL


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Archival material

Kirsty & Xanana Gusmão Victoria Markwick-‐Smith

Centro Audiovisual Max Stahl AP

Thought Equity ITN

ABC Australia Australian National Defence Force

Australian National Film & Sound Archive Australian Council for Overseas Aid Estate of Dr. Andrew McNaughton

East Timor Action Network

TAPOL Anne Maregiano C.H.A.R.T. Archive Timorese National Resistance Museum Inside Indonesia Magazine United Nations ABC News CBS News BBC World News Channel 4 U.K. Reuters

Very Special Thanks

YVONNE LANGLEY WALSH JOE & LIZ MEFFORD CHIARA CLEMENTE

ANN KIM TRICIA STUART STEVEN MEILLIER

AMY, MARY & CRAIG EKELAND RUTH REYNOLDS

Special Thanks

ROSALIE SWORD TAUR MATAN RUAK

JOHN GUNSON JULIA GILLARD

JOHN WADDINGHAM KIM MCGRATH

JAN COCHRANE-‐O’HARRY PETER MCMULLIN

CARMEL BUDIARDJO FERNANDO LA SAMA ARAUJO

EDDY HASBY SISTER ESMERALDA

MATTHEW SEIG SAM CULLMAN

CONOR O’NEILL FAMILY OF BERNADINO GUTERRES MILTON TABBOT ROSE VINCELLI GUSTINE KYM SMITHIES CARLOS ISLAM JOHN MILLER RYAN HARRINGTON DAVID G A PERRY THE HOTEL WINDSOR THOM POWERS TANYA SELVARATNAM SCHEIB SVETLANA ZILL ADAM ZUCKER

Fiscal Sponsorship provided by New York Foundation for the Arts

Supported by the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund With support from IFP

Copyright Ager Meillier Films Inc.

alias production notes2 - alias ruby blade

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