ZACH'S CEREMONY Releases Nationally March 30th

The award-winning film ZACH'S CEREMONY will open across Australia from Thursday 30 March. Directed by Aaron Petersen and featuring Alec Doomadgee and his son Zachariah, ZACH'S CEREMONY is an extraordinary, feature-length documentary captured over ten years. The film shows one boy's journey to manhood in a complex, emotionally driven story that explores the fascinating and unique question of what it means to be a modern man belonging to the oldest living culture on earth.

ZACH'S CEREMONY screened at both the Melbourne International Film Festival and the Sydney Film Festival in 2016 and won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at both festivals. It also gained support from AFL legend Adam Goodes who said: "This film has the power to change Australian society." The film was also part of the inaugural Good Pitch² event in 2014.

When we first meet Zach he is a bright, friendly 10-year-old boy who loves his dad, Alec. Zach talks excitedly about his upcoming initiation ceremony, a cultural obligation for his tribe and a vital part of his indigenous heritage. Zach yearns to be seen as a man in the eyes of tribal society and, more importantly, his father.

Complications arise as Zach enters adolescence and the pressures of his life mount. Zach feels too white to be accepted by his family and friends and too black for his inner city peers. Combined with Alec's well-intentioned but strict style of parenting, Zach snaps and starts to rebel. Against the backdrop of Indigenous oppression, Zach's teenage experimentation and his violent reactions to racism leads the troubled youth to some dark places. Alec knows that without a true connection to his culture, Zach is lost. It's time for Zach to answer the call of his Elders, to take part in the ancient rite of passage and walk in the footsteps of his ancestors.
ZACH'S CEREMONY will be released in cinemas by Umbrella Entertainment from 30 March. For all screening details please visit:

http://www.umbrellaentfilms.com.au/movie/zachs-ceremony/

Playing at the following participating cinemas:

VIC: Cinema Nova

NSW: Starcourt Lismore (1st of April)

NSW: Belgrave Armidale (3rd April Q&A with filmmaker)

NSW: Tamworth Forum 6 (4th of April Q&A with filmmaker)

NSW: Orange Odeon (5th of April)

NSW: Griffith Cinemas (TBC)

NSW: Yamba Community (Fan Force 30th March)

NSW: Majestic Sawtell (Fan Force 16th March)

NSW: Maitland Reading Cinema (Fan Force 18th March)

WA: Sun Pictures Outdoor Broome

QLD: New Farm Cinema

QLD: Gladstone Cinema (Fan Force 4th April)

QLD: BCC Ipswich (Fan Force 27th March)

QLD: BCC Toowoomba Strand (Fan Force 29th of March)

TAS: State Cinema

SA: Mercury (4th of July)

SA: Odeon Star Cinema Sephamore (Fan Force 4th of April)

NT: Alice Springs

NT: Events Darwin (TBC)