65 Film-Maker Alistair Harding on We Came Here For Freedom

"I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it" - Voltaire

https://wecamehereforfreedom.com/

THE TRUE STORY OF THE WELLINGTON PROTESTS THAT THE NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT TRIED TO IGNORE AND THE MEDIA ATTEMPTED TO SUPPRESS.

In 2020-22, the New Zealand government enacted emergency laws, mandates and a medical passport system that caused thousands of New Zealanders to lose jobs, businesses, homes and health. Furthermore, those people were locked out of New Zealand society, unable to go to funerals or weddings, participate in sport, visit loved ones in rest homes or even to visit cafes and hairdressers. 

But when New Zealanders who had suffered under the measures stood up to exercise their democratic rights of protest and freedom of expression, instead of trying to calm the tensions, the government ignored and demonised those who protested as a “river of filth”. And the media censored them and labelled them as white-supremacists and far-right extremists. 

In the end, the divide became so large that the biggest protest movement in New Zealand’s history became inevitable, leading to the Freedom Convoy and Freedom Village occupation on the lawns and streets around parliament in February 2022. And as it happened, award-winning documentary filmmaker, Alistair Harding followed along, living amongst the protesters, filming the events and recording the stories of the people who participated.

The result is We Came Here for Freedom – a documentary film in two parts giving voice to the thousands of New Zealanders who were ignored and mis-represented by their own government and media.  

 

In this episode we chat with award winning New Zealand filmmaker Alistair Harding, who documented the Wellington Protests of February 2022. We get a behind the scenes perspective of those events, how the film came about, it’s impact and a better understanding of what really happened from the people who were there.

The film which is in two parts can be viewed for free on https://wecamehereforfreedom.com/  takes viewers on an intimate journey with the Freedom Convoy that led to the Freedom Camp in Wellington on Parliament grounds. 

For those who were there, the film is an historic documentation of the fight for freedom and for those that were not, an opportunity to experience what really happened from a perspective not seen by the New Zealand media.

Topics & Conversational Points:

• Alistair's journalist & publishing days, wanting to enter the film world
• Branding agency in Singapore, writing, National Geographic
• My vision had been taken from me
• Corporate directing & writing for Microsoft
• Rowing From Home to Home & Human Powered Adventure
• The Sea Decides - award winning documentary 
• Defining moments 
• Ideas are floating around above us - Rick Rubin
• The tourist guide book - quarterly tourist publication in Singapore
• SARS epidemic experience 
• Making films about ordinary people doing extraordinary things
• The protest march in Murupara an inspiring story 
• People were activated & called to speak their truth 
• Four short films before We Came Here For Freedom as preparation
• Filming techniques to make you feel like you're there
• The Sylvia Park screening & screening nationwide
• Screenings are selling out throughout the country 
• Communities are coming together 
• It’s about bringing people together 
• How happy or broken are people now
• The post traumatic collective/individual 
• “I’m not alone”
• A certain desperation in Wellington during the early days of protest
• People are a lot more assured of what they know
• A feeling of healing & still hurt from the event 
• The importance of telling the story
• The documentary acknowledged the people who were there 
• The gaslighting from the media
• How the media can curate a perspective for their own agenda
• The fear based agenda 
• The story that missed the cut of the film
• VFF press conference 
• There are not sides, there are shades 
• A massive psyop 
• The Whanganui showing & the journalist 
• The opioid crisis in the US 
• The mainstream narrative is crumbling
• Questioning the narrative & the mainstream version of events
• The prison camp analogy
• What kind of person goes down to a protest?
• Painted as a river of filth 
• What’s the thread that holds everyone together?
• Being in touch with your purpose in life gives you freedom
• An existential threat 
• Fear was the product & used against us 
• Learning from social pressure & getting past what people think of you
• Being a rule follower & being an upstanding citizen
• What would you stand up for?
• The erosion of democracy & freedom
• The protest at the meat works 
• Steve’s baby shower story
• How we perceive the world around us
• The importance of freedom of speech
• The idea of testing ideas 
• The disinformation project of Feb 2020
• The NZ tall poppy syndrome 
• Having an international perspective on things
• Looking at the bigger picture of things 
• Will NZ wake up to what we really went through?
• Reflecting back on the events of Wellington
• The power of social media & live streaming 
• Is the mainstream media as gatekeepers over?
• The media were fighting for control
• The digital future & the truth belongs to us all
• A society that values truth 
• The power of people coming together
• The Arohata 7 & the power of solidarity, their powerful story
• People power
• Was there an injustice from the police?
• The court of public opinion is what counts
• Story telling & documenting history
• Looking into the eyes of the police state
• Sue Greys tribunal hearing
• Believing what the system tells you 
• Counterspin story 
• Is the tide turning with the media?
• Sam Blanchards “Silenced” movie
• What’s driving all of this that’s playing out in the world?
• Power grabs & greed
• Climate & energy agendas 
• We need to learn to stand together 
• The litmus test of the collective
• Hoping the film reaches those open to a different perspective
• Creating an intimate & personal connection with the people who were there
• The voices who were silenced
• So many people were moved by the screenings 
• The haka was better than any award
• What was on the cutting room floor?
• Lisa Welburns story
• There were bigger hands at work
• The film was meant to be made
• The natural flow of the film & it’s structure
• Contact form on https://wecamehereforfreedom.com/
  

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