GRITTY EDGE TO HUMAN RIGHTS

THE travelling Human Rights Arts and Film Festival rolls into Hobart next week, for a special screening of an acclaimed and timely documentary.

Filmed over the course of 10 years by director Belinda Mason, Constance on the Edge is an unflinchingly honest portrayal of a refugee family’s resettlement story in Australia.

It follows feisty, charismatic Acholi woman Constance Okot, who was one of the first refugees from South Sudan to settle in the regional New South Wales city of Wagga Wagga in 2005, after fleeing civil war in her home country.

A survivor of war crimes, single mother of six, community leader and activist, Constance has risked everything so her family can thrive in Australia.

But her niece Mary finds it impossible to get a job. Her daughter Vicky starts studying at 4am every morning, hoping to get into university. And her 23-year-old son Charles is struggling with alienation and depression.

Combining brutally honest interviews with archive footage and animated sequences, Constance on the Edge explores the courage and resilience it takes to build new lives in a new country, while highlighting the important role communities can play in creating a sense of welcoming, healing and belonging.

As part of the Human Rights Arts and Film Festival, Constance on the Edge screens at the University of Tasmania’s Stanley Burbury Theatre in Sandy Bay from 6pm on June 2. Tickets are $20, $18 concession, go to www.hraff.org.au for bookings.