Director Hollie Fifer
Rated PG
Score 6/6

An indigenous community in Papua New Guinea is forced to fight back before they are cruelly evicted from their land in favour of a five-star tourist hotel.

I know this is not the kind of subject matter to making jokes with connections to other, and maybe if you bear with me I might come to the realization that this really is not a joke but for some reason while watching I thought of the 1997 Australian movie directed by Rob Sitch The Castle. Specifically, I thought of Tiriel Mora’s character Dennis Denuto when he said, ‘It’s the vibe of the thing, your Honour.’
When it comes to how Joe Moses and community where evicted from their homes, the vibe was certainly ignored. Dame Carol Kidu was right when she made a point in the documentary along the lines of progress doesn’t stop in any country. I also get it that a massive land development would attract jobs and I can only assume once the development of Paga Hill was completed there would have been tourism jobs that would probably follow. However, like with everything there is a right and a wrong way of doing things. Going by the footage shown in this documentary of the evictions of the community on Paga Hill could at best be described as being conducted in a manor that is morally backward. If I was being accurate I would have to say that evictions were conducted in violently frightening manor. It would also seem that judging by the resettlement plans offered by the Paga Hill Development Company the vibe was completely ignored.
I loved that in a situation when it would be so easy to resort to violence that art was sold so that the community could pay its legal fees. So that they could challenge the highly questionable methods of the Paga Hill Development company that was supported by the PNG government.