ABC Executive Producer's Statement
When I was first approached to look at a rough cut of The Oasis two things intrigued me. First was the passage of time the film had been shot over, two and a half years allowed for powerful storytelling to take shape and changes in people's lives to be captured. Second was the previous work of the two directors.
Seeing the raw and confronting material jump out of the screen was convincing; not just that there was potentially a powerful TV program for the ABC schedule but that real heroes did exist. The work that Paul Moulds and his family were doing in the film I found not just remarkable but hugely inspirational. I felt assured this would be the TV-way to bring the sometimes difficult and confronting subject of youth homelessness into people's living spaces in a way that could provide hope and some answers.
Showcasing this feature-length film has afforded the ABC a unique opportunity to provide a multi-platform event for audiences between a television broadcast, a substantial website, radio participation, and a panel discussion hosted by ABC Lateline's Tony Jones - all beaming a focus on this fundamental issue during National Youth Week.
In short, a full-scale multi-media event that will allow discussion to resonate long after the last frame of the film has faded.
