Island of the Hungry Ghosts takes place on the remote and extraordinary Christmas Island. Home to few human inhabitants, it’s famous for one of the world’s largest land migrations – that of 50 million crabs making their voyage to the ocean’s edge – but has a more troubling relationship with human migration, with its jungle hiding Australia’s biggest offshore refugee detention centre. The only connection to the outside world for these asylum seekers is counsellor Poh Lin Lee.
Winner of the Best Documentary award at Tribeca, the first feature documentary from Gabrielle Brady is an all-encompassing, lyrical and deeply moving tribunal on inhumanity.
“In this hard-hitting documentary, Gabrielle Brady draws devastating parallels between the natural, human and spiritual worlds to highlight the appalling depths of the planet’s refugee crisis” – Sight & Sound
★★★★ “Beautifully shot… The result is a work of Malickian grace” – Total Film
“Powerful… Brady’s film is a lyrical, dream-like journey into darkness” – The Guardian
★★★★ “It’s rich in symbolism, and made more dreamy by an eerie score” – Time Out
★★★★★ “A revealing, thought-provoking, stunning film” – The Upcoming
Island of the Hungry Ghosts is a HOME Artist film
For bookings and enquiries, please contact the HOME Artist Film team at artistfilm@homemcr.org
List of venues that will be screening Island of the Hungry Ghosts from Fri 11 Jan 2019:
HOME, Manchester (plus Q&A on Sat 12 Jan)
ICA, London (plus Q&A on Thu 10 Jan)
Bertha DocHouse, London (plus Q&A on Fri 11 Jan)
Filmhouse, Edinburgh (plus Q&A on Sun 13 Jan)
Tyneside, Newcastle (plus Q&A on Mon 14 Jan)
Watershed, Bristol (plus Q&A on Wed 16 Jan)
Broadway, Nottingham
Showroom, Sheffield
List of venues screening Island of the Hungry Ghosts later in the year:
Barbican, London (Sun 12 Jan & Sun 13 Jan)
IFI, Dublin – (one off Q&A screening on Tue 15 Jan)
Chapter Cardiff – Tues 15 Jan – Thur 17 Jan)
Glasgow Film Theatre – Wed 13-Thu 14 Feb (plus Q&A on Sun 13 Jan)
Queens Film Theatre – Sun 20 Jan
Towner, Eastbourne – Sun 27 Jan
Hyde Park Picture House, Leeds – Tue 29 Jan
Dundee Contemporary Arts – Sun 10 Feb 2018
Phoenix, Leicester – Sun 17 & Mon 18 Feb
Robert Burns Centre, Dumfries – Thu 21 Feb
Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal – Mon 25 Feb
Courtyard, Hereford – Sat 2 and Mon 4 March
The Plough Arts Centre, Devon – Tues 5 & Thur 7 March
Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts, Sussex – Sun 7 April
Storyhouse, Chester – Wed 1 May
Island of the Hungry Ghosts is also available on MUBI and the BFI Player