The Oasis (documentary)
| The Oasis | |
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| Directed by | Ian Darling, Sascha Ettinger Epstein |
| Produced by | Ian Darling |
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Running time
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88 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
The Oasis is a 2008 Australian documentary produced by Shark Island Productions and directed by Ian Darling and Sascha Ettinger Epstein. The film explores the lives of homeless youth living in the Salvos Oasis youth refuge in Sydney.
Every night, Oasis accommodates 55 homeless and disadvantaged youths. Filmed over two years at The Oasis Youth Support Network refuge run by the Salvation Army in Surry Hills, Australia, the documentary follows Captain Paul Moulds, Robbin Moulds and the daily lives of both the young people and the Salvation Army staff who care for them and work with them to try to make a difference in their lives. The film takes an unflinching look at the difficulties and triumphs that happen each day and night. Many of these young people have ongoing problems with drug abuse; violent and abusive behaviour and resistant to attempts to help. But whatever is happening in their lives, Paul and Robbin Moulds are there to work with them to assist in turning their lives around.
The issue of youth homelessness in Australia gained national media attention in Youth Week 2008 via the release of the National Youth Commission’s "Australia’s Homeless Youth" report on 8 April and ABC1’s premiere of "The Oasis" documentary on youth homelessness on 10 April, followed by a panel discussed hosted by Tony Jones. This report influenced the Australian Governments Green Paper Which Way Home? and the White Paper, which set out the Government's national plan of action.
Documentary filmmaking as a tool for social change is relatively new to Australia – with philanthropic foundations traditionally reluctant to fund in this area. The Oasis demonstrated the latent power of documentary film to deliver a high return on social capital. More than two years after the initial screening and live panel discussion on ABC Television in April 2008, supported by a comprehensive education and outreach campaign, the documentary has helped ensure that youth homelessness remains on the national agenda.
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