West Papua: A Journey to Freedom

Directed by Erin Morris

WEST PAPUA- A JOURNEY TO FREEDOM encapsulates the political activism of Herman Wainggai, a young West Papuan independence leader and mentor of the non-violent students movement in West Papua, as he journeys from Melbourne, Australia, to an isolated refugee camp on the north coast of Papua New Guinea. There under gentle coconut palms, he deliberates with colleagues who have managed to escape from their occupied homeland for the week-long meeting. Herman, a former political prisoner, has spent years working for liberation of his homeland. His journey to Australia, with forty-two other West Papuan asylum seekers, sparked global media attention in 2006. This is a documentary about non-violent resistance, courage in an undeclared war and loneliness in exile. It's about family, friendship, love, human rights, and great singing.