Once Upon a Time in Punchbowl (2014)
Tells the inside story of the challenges the Lebanese Australian community has faced in Australia and how they have fought to overcome them. This landmark documentary series hears from community leaders, police, families and individuals, as they combine to tell the compelling and dramatic story of a proud and resilient community, under intense pressure and scrutiny. The story begins in the 1970s when large numbers of Lebanese migrants flooded into Australia. Many were Muslim, most were traumatised by civil war, all were desperate to build a better future. Over the coming decades, these new Australians struggled to establish a new life in their adopted country.
Seasons & Episode
Following the Lebanese Civil War thousands of refugees, more than half of them Muslim, pour into the Sydney suburb of Punchbowl sparking a clash of cultures.
By the late 1990's the Lebanese community is being terrorised by a violent criminal minority for whom drugs and criminal delinquency are the preferred lifestyle.
As 9/11 and the War on Terror puts thousands of Lebanese Australian Muslims in the firing line, their loyalty is questioned like never before and tensions explode.
After the Cronulla Beach riots in December 2005, lots of Lebanese Australians were left outraged at what they perceive as an attack by wider Australia on their Australian identity, their culture and religion. After rumours spread of reprisals against the Lakemba Mosque thousands met up to protect the building.
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