Airdate: Death or Liberty

On Thursday ABC screens a on-off docu-drama Death or Liberty, about convicts sent to colonial Australia.

This is co-produced by Tasmania’s Roar Films and Ireland’s Tile Films.

Between 1793 and 1867 the British Government banished its radicals, dissenters and rebels to harsh prison colonies at the very edge of the known world, Australia.

What was their fate? Some escaped and returned to their homeland as heroes to continue the fight for human rights and an end to transportation. But many stayed on in this alien new world…and they made a difference, while others simply faded from the record. The life stories of these rebels are full of astonishing acts of bravery and daring. In their own words they tell tales that are stirring, heart wrenching, dark, creepy, even funny.

Death or Liberty brings to life a forgotten history of these convict rebels. They were transported in shackles and chains but distance did not silence them. Their voices returned to haunt their colonial masters and their acts of protest and rebellion helped to create one of the most robust democracies of the modern age.

Death or Liberty blends song, drama and the spoken word to create a film delivered with a unique folk-punk attitude. Featuring celebrated troubadours, England’s Billy Bragg, Australia’s Mick Thomas and Ireland’s Lisa O’Neill, they bring to life the stories of the forgotten radicals. It also features a revered group of historians and experts headed up by authors Thomas Keneally and Dr Tony Moore.

The dramatised documentary has an international cast of actors including Australia’s Kelton Pell and Russell Fletcher. It’s set in the late industrial and rural landscapes of England, Ireland, Wales and Canada, we then sail across the oceans all the way to Sydney Cove, Van Diemen’s Land and Western Australia.