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The Diplomat

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Original title: The Diplomat
Year: 2000
Running time: 52 min.
Country: Australia
Director: Tom Zubrycki
Screenwriter: Wilson da Silva. Idea: Geoff Barter
Cast: Documentary, Self: José Ramos-Horta
Music: Jan Preston
Cinematography: Robert Humphreys, Jo Parker, Joel Peterson, Tom Zubrycki
Producer: Emerald Films, Film Australia
Genre: Documentary | Historical Documentaries. Politics. Biography. History of Indonesia
Synopsis: This documentary follows East Timor's freedom fighter and Nobel Peace Prize winner José Ramos Horta in the final tumultuous year of his campaign to secure independence for his country. The former Portuguese colony was invaded by Indonesia in 1975. Exiled soon after, José Ramos Horta exchanged his gun for the suit and tie of a diplomat. He spent 24 years as a roving ambassador, fighting to ensure the world did not forget East Timor's desire for freedom. His is a life driven not by personal political ambition but by the debt of blood he owes to fellow Timorese who have died in the conflict, including two brothers and a sister. "The Diplomat" takes up Ramos Horta's story in the final dramatic stages of his long journey - the fall of Indonesia's President Suharto, the referendum to determine East Timor's future, the overwhelming vote for independence, the devastating carnage that ensued, the intervention of United Nations peacekeepers, and Ramos Horta's final triumphant return to his homeland. José Ramos Horta allowed the film-makers extraordinary access to his public and personal life. The film reveals his strengths and weaknesses, his moments of doubt and frustration, his anger and disappointment, his elation and triumph, his charm and his dry humour. Ramos Horta emerges as a tenacious and beguiling character whose role as a diplomat and peacemaker was crucial to achieving independence for his country.

Awards: 2000: Australian Film Institute: Best Documentary, Best Direction

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User history

The Diplomat

2000

Tom Zubrycki