A Loving Friend - Documentary

In this sequence Donald Friend and his diaries are brought to life with archival footage and the gifted, sharply acerbic voice of Australian actor Richard Aspel.

Kerry Negara's cryptically titled documentary, 'A Loving Friend', exposes attitudes within influential arts circles that will shock some viewers - while ordinary pedophiles are despised, the crimes of many artist pedophiles are excused, diffused and denied.

Alarmingly, the artists in this film who were notorious sexual predators of children and adolescents, are re-invented by an arts elite as culturally nurturing, caring and causing no harm. Respected academics and curators lead us to believe that it is the children who actually seduce the artists, and that there is in fact a bad and a good pedophilia'.

With a focus on the diaries of Australian artist Donald Friend, who lived for many years on the Indonesian Island of Bali, 'A Loving Friend' reveals a circle of feted Western artist pedophiles who have operated in vulnerable communities across Asia and Australia since the 1930s: such as German Walter Spies and Canadian Colin McPhee, who successfully groomed and seduced not only the communities they exploited but also the arts establishment who have bought into the romanticised versions of their lifestyles.

Balinese men who were adolescents in Friend's house tell us a less romantic version of Friend's lifestyle and their experiences as Friend's houseboys.

In the published diaries, The National Library of Australia has no qualms including the names of boys Friend openly describes having sex with. Kerry Negara talks to one of these men.

Filmed over four years and with access to communities in Bali and the art world in Australia, director and presenter Kerry Negara brings previously off limits conversations to the screen with an insight that unsettles.

www.negarafilmtvmedia.com

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• sexual
• predators+
• pedophilia+
• art;
• barry
• pearce+
• margaret
• olley+
• frank
• campbell+
• paul
• hetherington+
• ian
• britten+
• lou
• klepac+
• james
• murdoch+
• mead+
• donald
• friend+
• walter
• spies+
• colin
• mcphee

[bluespinach1]

Frank Campbell seems to be the only one of this pompous bunch who isn't living in la la land.. shame on you Margaret Olly for your comments and to think my film maker friend made a documentary about you....despicable

[mamiyaseven]

Art has become a monster word for some of us..