Sedition

The story conscientious objectors during World War II.

Sedition, New Zealand, 2005

Vanguard Films
Producer/director/writer: Russell Campbell
Director of photography/sound recordist: Shane Loader
Editing: Russell Campbell, Shane Loader
Music: David Long, Steve Gallagher
Narrator: Carmel McGlone

140 minutes, Exempt

Winner: New Zealand Media Peace Awards, 2005

After the carnage of World War I many New Zealanders formed a movement committed to rejecting war as a means of settling international disputes. When World War II broke out, government and pacifists were on a collision course; and Communists, too, were actively opposed to New Zealand’s involvement in the war. The government would brook no dissent. Anti-war campaigners were fined and imprisoned, and eight hundred conscientious objectors were incarcerated in detention camps for the duration of the war. Sedition tells their story.

Screenings: Sedition screened on 12 September 2009 as part of the Vanguard Films 30 Years Retrospective held at the Film Archive from 2-12 Septemer 2009.