Ali and the Long Journey to Australia

A stop-motion animation film presented as part of our 2023 digital exhibition program. Developed by Monash University and students from refugee backgrounds.

Many stories were shared, but the children wanted their stories to be heard beyond academic papers.

The project was born from Monash Education research by Professor Mervi Kaukko and Professor Jane Wilkinson investigating what helps refugee children succeed at school.

Using a technique called Storycrafting, 13 students from Noble Park Primary School in Melbourne’s southeast wrote and illustrated a book called Ali and the Long Journey to Australia.

It tells the story of 10-year-old Ali and his family’s search for safety. The children drew on their imagination and personal experiences to create it. Monash then worked with professional animators to turn it into a film. More than 2,500 still images were used to create the action. 10-year-old Nathan, one of the co-creators of the book, narrates the story.

The film was released five years ago and hundreds of thousands of people have heard their story. The video has also become a featured resource by the Victorian Department of Education and the Human Rights Film Festival and is used in classrooms all around the world, and won the Bardic Studio Directors Award at the 7th annual KidzFlicks, The Sydney International Festival of Films by Children.

Best of all for the children? Their hero – writer Andy Griffiths – sent them a personal congratulations for their work.

CREDITS

Written and illustrated by
Annas, Aminat, Kavi, Mohamed, Mohammed, Na Hay, Nasiya, Nathan, Parmina, Ro Han, Sithwat, Temira and Wahida with the help of Mervi Kaukko and Noble Park Primary School.

Animation by Clem Stamation

Production by Lara McKinley and Rodney Dekker for Monash Education

Supported by  The Trust Project, University of Tampere, Finland