Right: The rabbit-proof fence, or Western Australian Barrier Fence, as it looked around the time in which the film was set. It was built to keep rabbits and other vermin out of WA and was actually made up of three fences, one main and two inner. The main fence stretched for over 1800 kilometeres from north to south.
Background information
(The material which follows is an edited version of the Wikipedia entry for 'Rabbit-Proof Fence (film)'. The full text of the entry can be read at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit-Proof_Fence_(film) )'Rabbit-Proof Fence' is a 2002 Australian drama film based on the book 'Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence' by Doris Pilkington Garimara. It concerns the author's mother, as well as two other young mixed-race Aboriginal girls, who ran away from the Moore River Native Settlement, north of Perth, in order to return to their Aboriginal families, after having been placed there in 1931.
The film follows the girls as they trek for nine weeks along 1,500 miles (2,400 km) of the rabbit-proof fence to return to their community at Jigalong, while being tracked by a white authority figure and an Aboriginal tracker.
The film formed a part of a major debate in contemporary Australia over the stolen generations-where Aboriginal children separated from their parents by the State were taken to residential schools. A.O. Neville, who was portrayed in the film, was the Protector of Aborigines in Western Australia at the time and was responsible for removing the girls from their families.
The film stirred debate over the historical accuracy of the claims of the stolen generation. Some, like Herald Sun commentator Andrew Bolt, criticised the portrayal of Neville in the film, arguing that he was inaccurately represented as paternalistic and racist. Bolt also questioned the artistic portrayal in the film of the girls as prisoners in prison garb, chased by dogs and state troopers. He claimed that, in fact, they had been dressed in civilian clothes and tracked by concerned adults fearful for their welfare. He further claimed that when Molly Craig, whose journey was being told, saw the film, she stated that it was 'not my story'. However, she clarified that statement by saying her story still continued into her adult life and was not nicely resolved as the movie's ending made it appear.
That the story is based on historically events is not in doubt. It is told from the point of view of the girls and its supporters argue that it is a fair dramatic representation of events as presented in the book. It is documented that Molly had a child who was taken away by the authorities.
On its release, the film was shown around the world and won critical acclaim, being nominated for and winning many awards, including those voted on by audiences. Its premiere was held in support of tribal rights group Survival International, who campaign on behalf of Australian aboriginal peoples.