A Banquet of Consequence
a story of justice and reconciliation
"A Banquet of Consequence", fundraiser dinner and film night at Chaplin's Cafe.
For the second year running, Melanie Thomas, owner of Chaplin's in Trentham, is hosting a fundraising dinner and film night for Words in Winter, Trentham. An accomplished performance artist, and lover of all things creative, this is Melanie's generous contribution towards our festival. This year we're teaming up with Gilda Blacher, film maker and Chaplin's treasure, to bring a dinner & film night to Trentham.
The dinner will be a traditional four-course banquet of delicious Vietnamese dishes, designed to complement the showing of Gilda's documentary.
About the Film Maker
Gilda Blacher was in the film and television industry for 12 years in South Africa before moving to Australia. As co-owner of a production company Tin Rage, she produced hundreds of hours of broadcast content, and wrote and directed documentaries, docu-drama series and magazine programs for broadcast. Tin Rage’s crime series ‘Solving It’ won the Golden Horn Award for best factual entertainment.
"I explore how, and if, the physical and emotional devastation of conflict can be healed through truth, new ways of encountering in a healing context, and personal reconciliation." says Gilda.
About the Film
Wars don’t end when the bombs stop falling and the fighting ceases. The devastation continues long afterwards - in the land itself, and in the minds and the bodies of both the combatants and the non-combatants.
“A Banquet of Consequences” seeks to understand if the work being done by Vietnam veterans in community organisations is a form of restorative justice, encompassing the notions of truth, redemption and reconciliation. Restorative justice requires participants to have a certain kind of courage, to be willing to encounter the ‘other’ side and to think deeply about difficult and complex notions of responsibility or culpability, and to make amends - in this way there can be a healing process for both sides.
The film documents personal stories of resilience and courage and what “restorative justice” means on an individual level. Can people restore peace to the land, to themselves and to former adversaries? The film gives these complex themes human faces and human storytellers, and in attempting to answer these questions, will delve into the deeply individual repercussions of the journey. The questions are simple: How do you live after experiencing atrocity? How do you rebuild a life in any normative way after being forced to kill repeatedly and without reason, or even ‘just’ bear witness to it? And how does anyone confront their culpability in this, seek forgiveness, and in turn forgive themselves?
"A Banquet of Consequence" will start at 6:30 on Saturday August 12th 2017 with a 10:00pm closing, at Chaplin's, High Street, Trentham.
Tickets are $95.00 and will be available only at Chaplin's from 17th July 2017. Numbers are limited, so get in early! Call (03) 4405 4107.
Words in Winter Trentham is receiving a $1,000.00 donation from this event! The Words in Winter committee thanks Melanie Thomas for her generosity and patronage.
Please join us for this wonderful night!
