In 1965, a group of university students boarded a bus and embarked on a 15-day journey through regional New South Wales, confronting the racial discrimination and segregation experienced by First Nations people.
Known as the Freedom Ride, the journey became a pivotal moment in Australian activism and helped bring national attention to injustices that had long been ignored.
Sixty years later, director and cinematographer Eliya Cohen revisits this important chapter of Australian history in Freedom Rides, bringing together a new generation of First Nations and Jewish students to retrace the steps of the original journey.
The film also explores a less widely known aspect of the 1965 Freedom Ride: the significant involvement of Jewish students, including future NSW Chief Justice Jim Spigelman. Their participation provides a powerful reminder of the longstanding allyship between First Nations and Jewish communities and the potential for solidarity across different cultures and generations.
Intimately observed by Cohen, Freedom Rides offers a contemporary perspective on the legacy of the original journey while allowing the new generation of participants to engage directly with its history. Rather than simply looking backwards, the film considers what the Freedom Ride means today and what can be learned from those who were willing to stand alongside one another in the face of injustice.
Stand Up CEO and Executive Producer Gabe Freund says the film is ultimately about the enduring power of connection.
“Freedom Rides tells a story every Australian should know: different communities, across generations, choosing to walk the same path together,” Freund says.
“It’s a story about what happens when people show up for each other, fully and without hesitation, and how that choice has the power to change everything.”
For Cohen, whose work as a director and cinematographer has focused on visually striking, deeply human stories that amplify voices often unheard in society, the project represents another opportunity to explore complex social histories through intimate storytelling.
A graduate of AFTRS with First Class Honours in Screen Arts from the University of Sydney, Cohen has worked across drama, documentary and video art. Her credits include directing and shooting Sidelines, which screened on SBS and received AIDC and SPA Awards nominations, as well as cinematography work on Ghost Gear, Emu Runner and Picturing Home.
“There’s a warmth and humanity to this film that we are excited to share with audiences,” says Freedom Rides producer Jamie Bialkower.
“It’s been hugely rewarding to focus on a widely unknown chapter in Australian history, while at the same time exploring how and why it’s relevant today. You can feel the ripples of time across the film, and it’s sensitively attuned to both the weight of the past and the potential for the future.”
Freedom Rides will have its world premiere at the Jewish International Film Festival, commencing October 18 in Melbourne and Sydney.
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