'On the 11th of December 2005, a frenzied mob of 5000 White Australians fueled by alcohol and stupidity violently attacked anyone of Middle-Eastern appearance that dared to enter the beach-side suburb of Cronulla.' (Production summary)
'In the context of sustained interest in the mobilization of Muslimness beyond generic and hence immobile identity tropes, I consider how Australian mainstream television and film productions work to challenge and disrupt essentialist representations of Muslimness. Case studies feature two television series and a feature film, examined through the lens of transnational mobility theory and in the context of mediated anti-racism. The productions I discuss, ‘The Spice Journey’, ‘The Mosque Next Door’, and ‘Down Under’, all turn on intra- and inter-communal mobility of Muslim identities. They are part of a larger trend in popular media productions in current Australian film and on television, which reacts to Islamophobic sentiments in the country by drawing attention to embodied multiple subjectivities. Findings suggest that Australian entertainment media can add meaningful input to the diverse and complex negotiations of culture and identity among Muslims in Australia but may sidestep other forms of racism like anti-Indigeneity in the process.' (Publication abstract)
'No one escapes ridicule in Abe Forsythe’s laugh-out-loud film about two carloads of vengeful, testosterone-charged young hotheads in the aftermath of the 2005 riots.'
