Himself
The Road to Home (2015), tells the story of Benny Wenda, the Nobel Peace Prize nominated West Papuan independence leader, in his ongoing struggle to free his people from Indonesian colonial rule. Since his dramatic escape from an Indonesian prison in 2002, where he was held in isolation and tortured as a political prisoner, Benny has been an unceasing crusader on the international scene, campaigning to bring about an end to the suffering of his people at the hands Indonesia's brutal colonial regime. Granted political asylum in the UK, Wenda's freedom of movement was restricted in 2011 when, at the behest of the Indonesian government, Interpol issued a 'red notice' putting him at extreme risk of extradition should he travel.
An undercover documentary filmed in West Papua, providing a rare and moving insight into the long forgotten struggle for freedom of the Papuan people from Indonesian rule. For over 45 years a bitter independence struggle has been fought there between native Papuans and the occupying Indonesian regime, largely unnoticed by the outside world. It is estimated that at least 500,000 Papuans have been killed since the occupation of their land began. Thousands more have been victims of human rights abuses or 'disappeared' for voicing their support of the independence movement. Forgotten Bird of Paradise provides a rare and moving insight into a long forgotten struggle, and reveals how the Papuan peoples resilience and determination for freedom burns stronger now than at any time in history.
