Fiery cause for story incentive
Answered By Fire
ABC,
BEAUTIFUL one day, perfect the next. That's what the ads would have us believe
about
But on this particular day there's no daily dose of perfection -- it is
bitterly cold and wet.We are on location with the
ABC/Canadian co-production Answered by Fire, a two-part drama starring David
Wenham and Isabelle Blais as police officers working
for the United Nations in East Timor.
Wenham plays Aussie Mark Waldman, alongside Blais as
Julie Fortin, a Canadian on her first overseas mission.
Their job is to oversee the
The UN promised the East Timorese it would stay after the vote -- a promise it
didn't keep.
The bloodshed and broken promises haunt Mark and Julie, who try to make amends
to the East Timorese they tried and failed to protect.
"The project appealed to me because it was history I was very familiar
with,'' Wenham says.
"I'd become interested in the plight of the East Timorese people after I'd
seen a documentary called Death of a Nation.
"I joined the Australia East Timor Association, purely to get information
about what was happening up there and inform myself as much as possible because
it both moved and angered me.
"It was history . . . and I felt honoured to be
a part of telling it.''
One of
"I've just come back from
"They are not there seeking fame and fortune, they're there for bread and
butter because there is no work here in
Wenham is disappointed about the diminishing Australian culture on screen.
"Long term, I think we'll look back and rue the day we didn't treasure it
and put more money into it, and give people more incentives to invest in the
industry.
He believes government subsidy would be "great'', but feels there isn't
much incentive for investment.
More quality television drama like Answered by Fire can only aid this recovery.
This story includes great performances, particularly by the East Timorese
actors.