Project Detail

Island of the Hungry Ghosts

Synopsis

A cinematic hybrid film which tells the tragedy of Australia’s biggest offshore refugee detention centre against the backdrop of seemingly ordinary life on this remote island.
Christmas Island, home to the famous red crabs, itself is a protagonist and in its beautiful yet threatening landscape we witness past and present moments of chaotic human migrations, that play out in stark contrast to its own ancient rhythms. Through stories of the island's first human migrations and the natural phenomenon of the annual crab migration, we come to arrive at a darker side of this seemingly idyllic paradise. Hidden in the core of the jungle sits Australia’s biggest offshore refugee detention centre. It was built to not be seen, yet in this film every encounter takes us closer, every direction leads us there.
The crab migration comes to serve as an allegory for the natural movements of migration ancient and timeless. The natural spectacle sits in stark contrast to the chaotic human movements and entrapment that are senseless and absurd.
Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival 2018 - Documentary Competition - World premiere

Details

Year
2018
Type of film
Features
Running time
93 mins
Format
Digital
Director
Gabrielle Brady 1st Feature
Producer
Alexander Wadouh, Samm Haillay, Alex Kelly, Gizem Acarla, Gabrielle Brady
Executive Producer
Lizzie Franke, Sarah Perks
Editor
Katharina Fiedler
Screenwriter
Gabrielle Brady
Director of Photography
Michael Latham
Sound
Leo Dolgan
Composer
Aaron Cupples
Principal cast
Poh-Lin Lee

Categories

Production Status

Production Company

Australia, Germany, UK co-production

Third Films

Samm Haillay
Kingsland Church Studios
Priory Green
Byker
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE6 2DW

Sales Company

Autlook Filmsales

Spittelberggasse 3/14
1070 Vienna
Austria

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.

Spacewoman Spacewoman

Director: Hannah Berryman

Year: 2024

A landmark feature documentary about astronaut Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot and command the Space Shuttle.<br /> Eileen’s incredible journey starts with her smalltown beginnings, sees her smash through many glass ceilings, and culminates in four dramatic space shuttle missions, the last being possibly the most dangerous and most important of them all.<br /> At its heart the film is the moving human drama of one family, where a mother’s extraordinary career takes us straight to the big philosophical question of what is the level of acceptable risk in human endeavour? <br /> This film celebrates Commander Collins’ trailblazing NASA career which opened the way for women to become spacecraft pilots and commanders, and proved a perfect riposte to a previous generation of male astronauts who thought there was no place for women to lead the way in space. <br /> Official Selection DOC NYC 2024 - World premiere<br /> Official Selection CPH:DOX 2025 - European premiere

64 Days | the crowd and its leaders 64 Days: The Insurrection Playbook

Director: Nick Quested

Year: 2025

Documenting the January 6 assault on the US Capitol - Filmmaker Nick Quested was embedded with the Proud Boys, and other far-right groups during the months leading up to the insurrection, capturing exclusive footage of figures including Enrique Tarrio and Stewart Rhodes that was used as evidence in hearings of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, and as part of their larger investigation.

A French woman kisses her son before he is evacuated on a bus out of war-torn Paris during World War 2. Ghosts

Director: Katia Lom

Year: 2024

A woman at the end of her life wanders lost in the woods where her memories find her. Seamlessly blending historical archive footage with dramatizations, the narrative explores how nature connects us to our past.