Rosie Jones’ The Triangle Wars has won Best Australian Documentary at the Antenna International Documentary Festival held in Sydney.
“We’re thrilled to win the Best Australian Documentary award at Antenna! The Triangle Wars took four years to make and we’d like to thank the many people who put their time and passion into getting it across the line – our crew, the wonderful participants, Screen Australia, the Melbourne International Film Festival and Film Victoria. Thanks also to the team at Antenna – we hope the award will help us take the film to a wider audience across Australia”, said Rosie Jones.
Antenna International Documentary Film Festival showcases the creative talents of local and international filmmakers and allows the public to experience the best contemporary documentary cinema from around the world. Celebrating its inaugural year in 2011, Antenna featured over 40 acclaimed documentaries, including 15 Australian feature-length premieres, international guests, awards and a platform for lively debate. Judges included award winning filmmakers Tom Zubrycki and Pat Fiske and Executive Director of the AIDC, Joost den Hartog.
Filmed over more than three years, The Triangle Wars is a riveting exposition of extensive social issues and contemporary Australian politics as seen through the prism of three men driven by ego, passion and their desire to make a difference.
In May 2007 the local council unveiled plans for a $300 million dollar development on the Triangle that would include 180 shops, a hotel, a supermarket, eight cinemas, a gallery and bars for 5000 patrons. Local residents were outraged, and with developers preparing to push the project through council, the community galvanised to stop it going ahead. In this compelling story of democracy in action, truth proves stranger than fiction as accusations of betrayal, deceit and corruption abound. Filmed over three years, The Triangle Wars captures the fascinating battle between a passionate community, an intractable local government and a powerful development consortium, as heads roll and careers are destroyed.
The Triangle Wars is directed by Rosie Jones (Obsessed with Walking, Westall ’66: A Suburban UFO Mystery, Holy Rollers and Visions of Yankalilla) and produced by Lizzette Atkins (Jon Hewitt’s X, Stranded, Rock’n’Roll Nerd, Lionel) and Peter George (Original Schtick).
The Triangle Wars is now in cinemas in Melbourne and Hobart – distributed by Antidote Films www.antidotefilms.com.au
Louise Heseltine