My tiger's eyes

The conservative anti-Communist era of the 1950’s, the Cold War and the “Reds under the bed” - in Sydney, Australia, a young Chinese boy grows up and the Irish/Australian neighbours suspect his family might very well be Communists. The paranoia of the O’Hallorans takes on a comic twist when the boy’s Uncle Walter arrives in the country. A refugee from the Chinese Communist Revolution, the O’Hallorans take him for a Communist spy instead. Seen through the not-so-innocent eyes of 10 year-old Robert Ah Louey, the film captures the social attitudes of the 1950’s, the cultural nuances of neighbours on either side of the fence, and in the process saying something of what it was like being Chinese in Australia during the 50’s. Cast includes Adam Gungor (Robert), Terry Woo (Uncle Walter), Genevieve Mooy (Dolores O’Halloran), Peter Whitford (Jack O’Halloran). (Awards: Special Prize, ATOM Awards, 1993; Finalist, Best Fiction Category and EAC Award, Sydney Film Festival, 1992; Nominated Best Short Film AFI Awards, 1992)