The Furnace shows how ‘migrants have built Australia as a nation’

“This film will show people in the Sikh community that our ancestors poured not just sweat, but even blood, for the foundation of Australia as a nation. So we have every right to proudly call this country our true home,” says Perth-based Amarjit Singh Pabla about the film ‘The Furnace.’

A still from the film The Furnace, showcasing cameleers in outback Australia in the 19th century Source: Roderick MacKay

Highlights

• The Furnace was the only Australian film in the Venice Film Festival 2020
• A Sikh consultant worked on the movie for over two years, and three people were specially brought in to tie turbans on the Sikh characters in the film
• The dialogue is in several languages including English, Persian, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu and Badimaya, an Indigenous language
• The Furnace released Australia-wide on December 10 and showcases cameleers of the19th century

The Furnace presents a fictional account of true events that were purported to have occurred in 19^th century Australia, with an attempt to highlight the contribution made by cameleers during the time of the gold rush.

Director Roderick Mackay says the cameleers were mostly migrants from India, Afghanistan and Persia, who provided an essential lifeline to the early settlers and enjoyed a warm relationship with the Indigenous communities.

Although the central character is a young Afghan cameleer in 1897, there are three strong Sikh characters in The Furnace as well.

Representatives from the Australian Sikh Heritage Association were consulted throughout the film, as were people of Muslim, Hindu, and Aboriginal backgrounds, to make the characters as authentic as possible.

Mr Amarjit Singh Pabla from ASHA told SBS Punjabi, “Three members from the Sikh community were especially brought in for the duration of the shooting to tie turbans on the actors playing the two powerful Sikh characters in the movie.”

A still from the film The Furnace Source: Roderick MacKay

He says the storyline of the film is also based on historical evidence.

“There is a character named Jundah Singh in this movie, and there are records to show that there was a cameleer by that name back then.”

“Not only that, I feel the characters truly come alive and display of their cultural characteristics. Without giving too much away, there is a scene in the movie where a Muslim character washes his hands and forearms in preparation for Namaz (prayers) but the settlers are unhappy for wastage of water in a desert land.”

“You have to see the film to know what happens next, but the Sikh character really shines through when Jundah Singh instinctively tries to protect his Muslim brother,” says Mr Pabla.

Although the film was only released on Thursday, December 10 in over 100 Australian cinemas, it has already received critical acclaim at advanced screenings and film festivals.

The Furnace is the only Australian film selected for the prestigious 2020 Venice Film Festival and was screened at the Perth Film Festival as well.

“Premier Mark McGowan also watched it alongside many others when it was screened in Perth,” says Mr Pabla.

The film was six years in the making and was shot over of period of six days in October-November 2019. The location was Mount Magnet, an original gold mining town that is known to be the longest surviving gold mining settlement in Western Australia.

A behind the scenes look at the filming of The Furnace Source: Roderick MacKay

Mr Pabla says, “The filming took place in 44-degree heat, which literally made it a furnace – a true melting pot.”

And according to him, there’s much more that makes the movie a “true melting pot”.

“Well, you see Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, Aboriginal and Chinese characters along with white settlers in the film. Not just that, several languages like English, Persian, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu and an indigenous language are also spoken. So it really depicts the cultural melting pot of the time.”

Mr Pabla says this is a movie that everyone must watch, because the history prevalent in the mainstream “is biased” and films like this are making an attempt to correct that.

One of the main Sikh characters in The Furnace, played by Mahesh Jadu Source: Roderick MacKay

“The Furnace shows the true history of Australia – how migrants have contributed in building the nation as we know it now. The cameleers travelled through harsh lands when there were no roads. Distance, weather, degree of difficulty didn’t matter, they used grit and determination to build the nation we know as Australia.”

He believes a film like this will help migrant communities feel “more at home.”

To hear the full report click on the audio link above.

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