Project Detail

Black And White

Synopsis

The script is based on a real life miscarriage of justice that is part of Australian history.

It is 1958 in conservative Adelaide, a city that prides itself on it's peaceful, well-bred qualities. A young lawyer, David O' Sullivan, excitable and charming, is given the news that he has drawn a 'lottery prize' - a legal aid case for an aborigine who has been arrested for the rape and murder of an eight year old girl in the far west desert town of Ceduna. O' Sullivan soon concludes that the aborigine has been framed by the local police and decides he must take a stand. He finds himself pitted against Chamberlain, South Australia's Crown Prosecutor, a forbidding but tremendously charismatic character. O' Sullivan and his legal partner, Helen Devaney, embark on a 'David and Goliath' battle that threatens the world of closed ranks, hidden evidence and the establishment.

Aided by the young Rupert Murdoch, who is making a name for himself, O' Sullivan takes the case to the highest courts in the Commonwealth. Manoeuvring narratives of political manipulation, police corruption and personal crisis, this is a wonderfully compelling story of right and wrong.

Details

Year
2002
Type of project
Features
Running time
tbc
Format
35mm Kodak
Director
Craig Lahiff
Producer
Helen Leake, Nik Powell
Screenwriter
Louis Nowra
Director of Photography
Geoffrey Simpson ASC
Sound
Toivo Lember
Principal cast
Robert Carlyle, Charles Dance, Kerry Fox

Genre

Categories

Production Status

Production Company

B & W Productions Pty Ltd

c/o Scala Productions
15 Frith Street
London W1D 4RE
UK

T 00 44 (0)20 7734 7060

scalaprods@aol.com

Sales Company

Svensk Film Industri

169 86 Stockholm
Sweden

T 00 46 8 680 3644

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

Wrath of Gods Wrath of Gods

Director: Justin Hardy

Year: 2026

Nestled in the North Sea, between the Northern tip of Scotland and the coasts of Scandinavia, Hel is cloaked in mystery, myth and misogyny. Isolated in a place where the local community despise her, and whilst buried traumas resurface, Anna is torn between the ghosts of the past and the gods of the present. As an ill wind blows through, young girls from this fractured community begin to vanish. These missing children, her husband’s death and her own trauma become inextricably linked as Anna is haunted by unsettling flashbacks, forcing her to confront dark family secrets lurking in the shadows, before they can devour her daughter too.

Wuthering Heights Wuthering Heights

Director: Emerald Fennell

Year: 2026

A passionate and tumultuous love story set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors, exploring the intense and destructive relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw.

Chinaman Chinaman

Director: Rob Chiu

Year: 2026

In 1989, Wong, a first-generation immigrant, and his mixed-race son, Andy, face a challenging evening at their Chinese takeaway. Dealing with impatient customers and mixed-up orders adds to their frustration. Tensions rise when Wong’s eldest son, Kenny, arrives late for work. Their strained father-son relationship unfolds in front of customers. When a group of drunk, racist customers enter the takeaway tensions escalate further.