When Aussie film-maker and social worker, Jason Bray, arrives in the Philippines, he is a man on a mission. Motivated by a deep sense of frustration at the imbalance of rich and poor in the island nation, Jason will delve back into his previous Filipino experiences in an attempt to address the injustices of this colourful yet volitile country.

In May 2007, Jason and his cameraman Woody join an unusal mix of Europeans, Australians and Filipinos to monitor the violent rural province of Nueva Ecija. With purpose and excitement, the group travel the countryside meeting dubious politicians, hearing stories of mass corruption and even visiting the aftermath of a shootout. What starts off as an exciting adventure slowly turns into a nightmare as the fear and immidation of Filipino politcal violence infiltrates the group and leads to divison and confusion just days after the election.

In the present day, Jason is out to discover what the outcome of the 2007 election was for Nueva Ecija and the group - who won, who lost and who survived? More importantly, in a political landscape dominated by guns, goons and gold, can Jason discover where the hope in the Philippines future lies? Two years in the making, Ballots and Bullets is a thrilling, yet heart felt documentary that is entertaining, insightful and ulimately challenging for anyone concerned about the plight of those struggling to live under oppressive political regimes.

SCREENINGS

(Feb 2010) Ballots and Bullets completed a local tour campaign with 4 screening dates in our neck of the woods, S.E. Queensland. We are very excited about our current and upcoming projects, so if you would like to see our current documentary or learn more about Red Earth and the other forthcoming exciting projects on deck, come to one of the screenings and help support independent filmmakers and our other important causes!

23 March, 7 pm - Kawana Uniting Church - Thunderbird Drive Bokarina

24 March 7.30pm - West End Uniting Church - 11 Sussex St, West End

25 March 7.30pm - Centenary Uniting Church - 37 Riverhills Rd, Middle Park

26 March, 7pm - Sunnybank Uniting Church - Hellawell/Hillcrest, Sunnybank Hill

12 April, 6pm - Sydney - Tom Mann Theatre, 136 Chalmers Street, Surry Hills (local contact: Peter Murphy on 0418-312-301) - tickets $10

14 April, 7:30pm - Adelaide - Pilgrim Centre, 12 Flinders St, Adelaide (local contact: Pilgrim Church office, 8212 3295) - tickets $10

16 April, 7pm - Perth - Film and Television Institute WA, 92 Adelaide Street, Fremantle, WA (local contact: Russell Brown 0407-081-895) - tickets $15

PRODUCTION UPDATES

(Feb 2010) A re-edited DVD version is now available and will be kicked off at a series of screenings beginning in March in SE Queensland. In April we hope to continue the tour with screenings in most other major cities in Australia. Stay tuned to our website for those upcoming dates as they are firm.

(Oct 2009) Finally two and a half years in the making and several trips to the Philippines, Ballots and Bullets is getting closer to completion. Running at a tight smooth 52 minutes long, Ballots and Bullets will be doing the rounds with the broadcasters any day now. With wonderful contributions from from Skev Mavros (Editor), Graham Hobson (Sound track) Russell Brown, Woody (both camera) and the QPIX documentary development team , Ballots and Bullets has never looked and sounded so exciting.

VIEW THE TRAILER:

NEW! (Sept 2009) View the new 2:23 trailer for the film:

PRODUCTION PHOTOS :

Click here to view a slideshow of selected photos from Ballots and Bullets on location in The Philippines in June 2007

(photos courtesy Whackie)

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:

Jason Bray, Director, on Ballots and Bullets: info to come

About the Director: Ever since I left home and high school in 1990, my passion has been to learn more about the people that I share this world with. From the country football fields in Western Queensland to the city slums of Manila in the Philippines, I have met people of all walks of life and heard incredible stories of both strength and weakness, failure and success. I have came to the conclusion that these stories need to be told to a broader audience. For humanity to remain compassionate and merciful, it needs to know what is happening in the hearts of those around them – near and far.

View information, photos and a trailer from Jason's first documentary film, Breathless.

When not working on docos, Jason is working with a social justice travel organisation called Global Walking in Middle Park (Brisbane), Queensland, Australia.

Email Jason.

PURCHASE BALLOTS ON DVD:

We are pleased to be able to offer the Ballots and Bullets DVD for sales from our website via PayPal. Payments via PayPal are secure and you don't need to have an account if you'd like to pay by credit card. DVDs are in region-free PAL format. For international enquiries, please contact us for global shipping rates.

** This film is exempt from Australian film and video classification.
This is a resource designed for social workers and is to be used as a tool for training and education **