First-Friday Free Large Screen Film Showing: Rabbit-Proof Fence

 A true tale of an incredible walk to freedom in the Australian outback

RABBIT-PROOF FENCE
(Australian. 2002. 1 hr. 34 min. Drama. Some English subtitles. Directed by Phillip Noyce. Screenplay by Christine Olsen. Rated PG for emotional material. Stars Kenneth Branagh, Everlyn Sampi. Music by Peter Gabriel)

This is the remarkable true story of three young girls who crossed the harsh Australian desert on foot to return to their home.

Following an Australian government edict in 1931, black aboriginal children and children of mixed marriages were gathered up by whites and taken to settlements to be assimilated into white culture. At the settlement, the girls were forbidden to speak their native language, forced to abandon their aboriginal heritage, and taught to be culturally white.

After several experiences with solitary confinement, the three girls, scared and homesick, planned and executed a daring escape from the grim camp, with its harsh life of padlocks, barred windows, and hard cold beds.

The girls headed for the nearby rabbit-proof fence stretching more than 1,500 miles through the desert toward their home in Jigalong. Their journey lasted more than a month, and they survived on everything from emus to feral cats, while narrowly avoiding the police, professional trackers, and hostile white settlers.

Visually beautiful, compelling, and well-acted with an unforgettable musical score by Peter Gabriel.

Doors open at 6:30p.m. for light refreshments. After film discussion, all invited.  For more information and directions, visit www.delcopeacecenter.org or call 610-544-1818.  Co-sponsored by the Brandywine Peace Community.