SCATTERED PEOPLE is an inspiring and thought-provoking documentary about our music and our humanity which paints a picture of life as a musician seeking asylum in an unwelcoming country.
It is a story of restitution and hope, of shared humanity and the role music can play in forging bonds of friendship and respect and giving voice to otherwise unsung heroes. It features interviews with music icons including Missy Higgins, John Butler, Archie Roach, Michael Franti, Katie Noonan, Dan Sultan, Baker Boy, Harry James Angus and more.
The Scattered People are a band of kindred spirit musicians in Brisbane, Australia who play, write and record the music and stories of asylum seekers they encounter in detention and community centres, producing high quality albums. We follow their relationships, rehearsals and public performances and hear their heartfelt stories of courage and character as they create Sugarmill Road, their last album.
About the Film
Music can heal and transform on a personal and community level. But can it build a bridge between middle Australia and some of the world's most vulnerable people?
Through the eyes and hearts of two Iranian musicians, Scattered People is a story about the healing power of music, bringing together people, cultures and countries while exploring Australians' attitudes towards people seeking asylum. Scattered People is about the power of music to create change and restore hope.
The Story
Mas must leave Iran in three days as he was discovered playing western music and singing about the unfairness of his government.
Saha discovers western music secretly, through her father at a young age, and realises this is her passion but she is not allowed to sing or play music in Iran because she is a woman.
They don’t know each other yet, but they take their separate perilous journeys across the seas to Australia where they end up in detention.
We follow their stories from life in detention and community centres to professional recording studios where music gives voice to the voiceless. They meet and join the Scattered People band and we discover how music breaks down barriers, gives them purpose, shapes their identities and builds an inclusive community culture.
Saha and Mas are welcomed into a new life in a new country through the healing power of music yet at the same time are still living in a state of limbo on temporary protection visas.
We also meet Professor of music therapy, Jane Davidson, who describes the physiological and emotional impacts as well as cultural benefits of music and Laura Hassler, Founder of Musicians without Borders in the Netherlands.