"Q: What would your ideal viewer response to the doco be?
A: We hope the viewers gain a greater understanding of how flawed our present policing and judicial systems are and how vulnerable we all are to them. Patrick could so easily have been anyone's son, brother, friend. We also hope the viewers can see that there are better methods that can be used within our policing and judicial systems. Much of which requires a cultural shift then the rest can follow.
FROM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ADDRESSED TO THE SBS FILM MAKING TEAM BEHIND "EVERY FAMILY'S NIGHTMARE." Wikipedia informs us that, "Broadcasting Service (SBS) is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect Australia's multicultural society."
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BACKGROUND: Perth, Australia. Patrick Waring who spent a year in jail after being falsely accused of raping a girl pictured at home with his dad Terry Waring and sister Danielle Waring. the column continues. The documentary on SBS, "Every Family's Nightmare", showed just how police and prosecutors can be dedicated to the cause of getting it thoroughly wrong - and the role that forensics played in helping incriminate an innocent youth.
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The team behind Every Family's Nightmare chat to SBS about making the doco and the broader issues it raises.
Q: What was the inspiration behind this documentary? And/or how did it come about?
A: Michael Muntz came to us with the story of Patrick Waring and the family's struggle to free him. Michael introduced us to Robin Napper, an independent forensic consultant. Robin told us of the case and the deep flaws that he identified in the policing and judicial systems in Western Australia but which were also fundamental to the entire country. The trial of Patrick Waring was soon approaching and Michael was keen to film the scenes in the lead up to the trial and the trial itself. We supported him with cameras and crew and off he went.
He returned with one scene that I shall never forget and which convinced Ed and I that we had to back Michael and make this film.
It was the scene in the QC's office where it is revealed to the parents, Terry and Marie, that due to the fact the complainant has recently changed her story and revealed she has been lying, they could now get their son out on bail and take him home after almost 12 months in jail. Surprisingly the parents resist this golden opportunity and the QC is shocked and angered. It is a tense scene as the parents try to explain their fears for his safety if he is released. They are so traumatised by the whole experience that their faith in the system is so utterly destroyed. It was a shattering scene to witness and it still is for me. From that moment on, Ed Punchard and I knew we had to make this film but to make a film not just about Patrick Waring and his family but a film that asks the question how could this happen? It therefore led us to examine fundamental systemic failures in our judicial system.
Q: Did you encounter any particular challenges in making this documentary and, if so, how did you overcome them? Any lucky breaks, and if so, how did they come about and how did you embrace them?
A: We strive to make films that are emotionally engaging on one hand but have a strong sense of meaning on the other. The emotional aspect of this film was never going to be difficult but what we had to achieve was weaving the 'big picture' narrative throughout so that the audience could understand the true significance of not only Patrick Waring's story but how it relates it to the entire judicial system. Sadly Patrick's story is repeated across Australia many, many times.
One of the greatest challenges in any film like this is handling the issue of children in a court of law – especially with such a sensitive subject as rape. We took great care to ensure that the focus remained on the 'big picture' and not on the minutia of why the complainant lied. That wasn't the story for us. The story was: why did the system fail Patrick Waring?
Another challenge for a film like this is convincing broadcasters and funding agencies of our vision for the film. With such sensitive material and our desire to illuminate fundamental flaws in our system, it took brave people to come with us on this journey. Thankfully Screen Australia, Screenwest and SBS came along for the ride.
Q: How does the documentary relate to your past work, if at all? Was this film a natural next step or a radical departure from your previous work in film, TV etc?
A: One our early films was the twice AFI nominated Paying for the Piper, which looked at corporate manslaughter in the wake of the world’s worst offshore oil disaster, the Piper Alpha. Ed was one of only 62 survivors and it followed his journey back on the 10th anniversary.
Q: What would your ideal viewer response to the doco be?
A: We hope the viewers gain a greater understanding of how flawed our present policing and judicial systems are and how vulnerable we all are to them. Patrick could so easily have been anyone's son, brother, friend. We also hope the viewers can see that there are better methods that can be used within our policing and judicial systems. Much of which requires a cultural shift then the rest can follow.
Q: What is your next project?
A: A one-hour science special for SBS called Heartbreak Science that looks at the relationship between the brain and the heart and asks the question can our heart think and feel for itself?
The questions and answers can be found at:
https://mail.google.com/mail/?hl=en&shva=1#inbox/129418c75d98a3cd
Harold Levy...hlevy15@gmail.com;
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