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Ray Mooney wrote and produced his stage play which put life in H Divsion Pentridge under the microscope. It is shot in black and white; the gritty nature of which underpins the brutality and bleakness of the prison and its inmates. Dale, a remand prisoner and notorious hitman, is thrown into H Division where he is subjected to beatings, relentless mind games and mental cruelty at the hands of the warders led by Berriman. Despite the efforts to break his spirit, Dale becomes a law unto himself in order to survive. This film is an indictment of systems. Systems which are open to abuse, to corruption; systems where police can behave like criminals and get away with it. Systems which can alienate and deprive people of their dignity to the extent that violence is a power seeking device from men who have never known influence or affluence. Stars: David Field, Bill Hunter, Robert Morgan. Festivals and Awards: Nominated Best Director (Alkinos Tsilimidos), Best Adapted Screenplay (Ray Mooney and Alkinos Tsilimidos), AFI Awards, 1994; Jury Prize, Best First Film, Montreal Film Festival, 1994; Official Selection, Venice Film Festival, 1994.
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How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
306923
Language
English
Audience classification
M (15+)
Subject categories
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Film festivals - Australia - Melbourne - Awards
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Film festivals - Canada - Montreal - Awards
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Film festivals - Italy - Venice - Awards
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Motion pictures - Awards
Courtroom, Crime, Espionage & Thrillers
Courtroom, Crime, Espionage & Thrillers → Prison films
Crime, Espionage, Justice, Police & Prisons → Judicial corruption
Crime, Espionage, Justice, Police & Prisons → Police - Complaints against
Crime, Espionage, Justice, Police & Prisons → Prisoners - Australia
Crime, Espionage, Justice, Police & Prisons → Prisons - Australia
Feature films → Feature films - Australia
Literature → Australian literature - Film and video adaptations
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Black and White
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)