Circle of Silence

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Australian Capital Territory
- CANBERRAWednesday May 0306:30pmPalace Electric Cinema
New South Wales
- Kotara Thursday May 0406:30pmEvent Cinemas Kotara
- RandwickThursday May 0406:30pmRitz Cinema
Northern Territory
- YarrawongaWednesday May 0306:30pmEvent Cinemas Palmerston
Queensland
- FORTITUDE VALLEYWednesday May 0306:30pmPalace James St
South Australia
- AdelaideWednesday May 0306:00pmPalace Nova East End
Tasmania
- HobartWednesday May 0306:30pmVillage Cinemas Hobart
Victoria
- CastlemaineWednesday May 1706:30pmTheatre Royal Castlemaine
- Coburg Thursday Jun 2908:00pmPalace Pentridge
- ElsternwickWednesday May 0306:30pmClassic Cinemas Elsternwick
- GeelongTuesday May 0906:30pmVillage Cinemas Geelong
- NorthcoteWednesday May 1707:30pmPalace Cinemas Westgarth
- Smythes Creek Wednesday May 1006:30pmShowbiz Cinema Ballarat
- WarrnamboolWednesday May 2406:30pmCapitol Cinema
Western Australia
- PerthWednesday May 0306:30pmPalace Raine Square
Circle of Silence is a powerful human drama, a cold case investigation and a politically explosive story. It is inspired by Shirley Shackleton’s Walkley Award winning book of the same name. It uncovers new evidence about the notorious 1975 murders of five Australian based journalists, the Balibó Five, killed in Portuguese Timor whilst reporting on Indonesian military incursions. Shirley’s husband, Greg Shackleton, a Channel 7 reporter, was one of the men murdered. Shirley’s life has been marked by a fierce determination to discover the truth about the deaths and why Australia did not protest over the murders and subsequent genocide in East Timor. She starts her own investigation following the decision by the Australian Federal Police to abandon its war crimes investigation into the Balibó Five murders due to ‘insufficient evidence’. Shirley disagrees with the decision and travels to Timor Leste and Indonesia to discover startling new evidence about the crime.
Circle of Silence was completed in 2022 shortly before Shirley’s passing. An impact campaign accompanies the film and continues Shirley’s determined efforts to uncover the truth about the Balibó Five murders and Australia’s involvement in the cover-up and in the invasion of East Timor.