THE MAKING OF THE FILM
In late 2013, when Peter Greste and his colleagues were arrested in Cairo, the world recognized the gravity of their situation amid Egypt's political turmoil. Initially, many, including producer Carmel Travers, hoped it would resolve quickly, but as months passed, it became clear that Peter was in a vulnerable position. After his release in 2015, Travers and Greste connected, and through his memoir The First Casualty, they decided to adapt his story into a film that highlights the personal and universal struggle of maintaining integrity in an unjust system. With Kriv Stenders on board as director, drawing on his experience with both documentary and commercial films, and Peter Duncan adapting the screenplay, the team was able to capture the raw emotion and political depth of Greste’s ordeal.
FILMMAKERS
DIRECTOR
KRIV STENDERS
Kriv Stenders is one of Australia’s most renowned, respected and prolific film directors with numerous critically acclaimed and award-winning shorts, documentaries, music videos, television commercials, television series and feature films to his credit. His early feature films include BLACKTOWN, THE ILLUSTRATED, FAMILY DOCTOR, BOXING DAY, and LUCKY COUNTRY.
His fifth feature, RED DOG, released by Roadshow in August 2011, earned over $22 million at the box office, making it the eighth highest grossing Australian film of all time. It has also become the highest selling Australian DVD of all time. RED DOG won both Best Director and Best Film at the 2011 IF Awards and Best Film at the inaugural 2012 AACTA Awards.
FILMMAKERS
PRODUCER
CARMEL TRAVERS
Carmel Travers has been writing, producing and directing television shows for more than three decades. She’s also founded and run production companies including Beyond International, Energee Entertainment and Purple Pictures.
Film and television productions created and produced by Carmel include 15 seasons of the science show, BEYOND 2000, CLIMATE IN CRISIS, Netflix Original Series ALIEN TV, Netflix Original ONE FOUR –AGAINST ALL ODDS, WICKED, CROCADOO, GLORIA’S HOUSE and the feature film THE MAGIC PUDDING. Awarded works include the documentary films RED FLAG OVER TIBET, REFUGEE LIKE ME and TRUTH, LIES AND INTELLIGENCE, all written, produced and directed by Carmel.
[PLACEHOLDER]
FILMMAKERS
SCREENWRITER
PETER DUNCAN
A recovering lawyer, Peter Duncan is a lauded and experienced director and screenwriter. His feature films include CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION, starring Judy Davis and Sam Neill, which received multiple AFI, Film Critics Circle and festival awards. His film UNFINISHED SKY, starring William McInnes and Monic Hendrickx was even more generously awarded.
Peter was a co-creator, writer, director, producer and showrunner of RAKE (2009 - 2019), which starred Richard Roxburgh. The series garnered multiple award nominations and wins both international and domestic. Peter also co-wrote, produced and was showrunner for the US version of RAKE.
FILMMAKERS
PROTAGONIST
PETER GRESTE
Sydney born Peter Greste had wanted to be a journalist since his youth. He became a foreign correspondent, working in the Balkans, South and Latin America, the Middle East and Africa for Reuters, CNN, WTN and the BBC.
He’d been living in Nairobi for some time, working for Al Jazeera, when he received the call that would dramatically change his life –that Al Jazeera’s Egypt correspondent was going home for Christmas. Peter was asked to fill in for roughly 14 days. 400days later, he was still there...
DEVELOPMENT
When global headlines broke, in the last days of 2013, that acclaimed Australian war correspondent Peter Greste and his colleagues had been arrested in Cairo, there was an immediate sense of the gravity of their situation. Tension was high in Egypt and the new Government was determined to silence dissent. Over the next few months any chance of the film crew being released diminished as they were subjected to a sham trial facing serious charges of terrorism. Greste’s release in February 2015, followed by Fahmy and Mohamed’s release months later, became major stories amid growing concerns about threats to journalists. It was a story that Carmel Travers, herself a former Journalist, wanted to tell.
With the eventual publication of Peter's gripping memoir The First Casualty in late 2017, Greste and Travers agreed to collaborate on the making of a feature film. Peter wanted to not only tell his personal story but also explore the wider threats to journalism.
Travers knew the screenwriter had to be someone with a deep understanding of journalism and global politics, which led her to PETER DUNCAN. Duncan was immediately drawn to Greste’s book, impressed by its cinematic flow. He appreciated that it wasn’t just an autobiography but a story rich with political and legal themes.
Travers then arranged a dinner for Duncan and Greste, hoping they would connect. Duncan’s first draft was a direct adaptation of the book, aiming to capture Greste’s sense of confusion and helplessness during his imprisonment. Travers wanted to find a director early in the process, and Kriv Stenders, who had a personal connection to Greste through their families, was the perfect choice. Stenders, with his experience in both documentary and commercial films, was drawn to the story’s universal themes of survival.
PRODUCTION
The film follows Peter’s journey from his arrest to his release, immersing the audience in his experience. Stenders says, “The film is immersive, creating a truly emotional story told from Peter’s perspective. We’re never ahead of him, experiencing everything as he does and have a real sense of his loss of agency."
The script took three years to develop, with close collaboration between Duncan, Greste, Stenders, and Travers. Their process built strong creative and personal bonds, with Duncan praising Stenders’ intense vision and ability to refine the material over time. Stenders, in turn, admired Duncan’s skill in shaping the screenplay, gradually drawing more depth from Peter Greste’s book to enhance the film.
A key element of the screenplay’s authenticity came from Greste’s detailed accounts of his time in prison, which helped flesh out every aspect of his experience, from his emotions to the physical environment. Art Director, Fiona Donovan, has masterfully realized this world with Costume Designer, Joanna Mae Park, adding to the verisimilitude and authenticity. Geoffrey Hall, long time collaborator with Kriv Stenders as Director of Photography signed on to realize this vision.
It was with the eventual inclusion of renowned Australian actor, Richard Roxburgh in the lead role, that The Correspondent, the film truly took shape. Casting Director, Anousha Zarkesh, bringing in an extraordinary Australian/Middle Eastern cast, all of whom, spoke fluent Arabic, and a familiarity with the context of the story.
The film highlights the challenges journalists face, especially at a time when governments increasingly target them to suppress uncomfortable truths. Greste, since his release, has co-founded the Alliance for Journalists' Freedom, advocating for stronger protections for journalists worldwide.
Ultimately, The Correspondent is about the personal cost of truth-telling, focusing on Greste’s journey through an unjust system and his determination that the sacrifices he made were worth it.
