Thirty-four years ago five journalists were killed under questionable circumstances in Balibo, East Timor. They were in the town to document and report on the bloody conflict surrounding Indonesia’s invasion of the country. The quintet consisted of Australians Greg Shackleton and Tony Stewart, New Zealander Gary Cunningham, and Britons Brian Peters and Malcolm Rennie.

While Indonesia, and the Australian government for that matter, has repeatedly claimed the Balibo Five (as they’ve been referred to ever since their deaths) were killed in crossfire, family and friends have always thought otherwise. In 2007, the coronial inquest into Brian Peters' death cemented their suspicions, finding that the Balibo Five were killed deliberately by Indonesian forces and not in the heat of battle.

Australian director Robert Connolly's new film Balibo takes as a starting point the coronial version of events. He believes it’s “appalling” that it has taken over three decades for the revelations presented in his film to be accepted as truth. “It’s staggering that politicians don’t come clean on this. It is time to say this is what happened,” he says, with obvious exasperation in his voice.

In 2008, during the making of the film, Indonesia's foreign ministry asked for their point of view to be included in the film. “My opinion,” says Connolly, “is that we’ve had the Indonesian view for 34 years. Their view is that the Balibo Five were killed in crossfire. The coroners made mention that there are no witnesses to support that.”

While based on historical fact the film is a political thriller, and to make it more entertaining Connolly drives the film along at a rapid and intense pace, highlighting the graphic nature of the conflict. Anthony LaPaglia plays Roger East, a veteran journalist who is lured to East Timor by a young and dashing Jose Ramos-Horta (played by Guatemalan-born actor Oscar Isaac) to head up the news agency there. Instead, East becomes obsessed with the Balibo Five as he tries to uncover the truth behind their deaths.

LaPaglia and Connolly also worked together in 2001 on The Bank. “It has been eight years since I worked with Anthony,” says Connolly, “and like a lot of creative collaborations, they just get better. Anthony and I have a shorthand - we have become friends. We could push each other and be more challenging without feeling threatened.”

It was actually LaPaglia who brought the story to 40-year-old Connolly’s attention in the form of Jill Jolliffe’s book Cover-Up. Connolly has no recollection of the incident as a child, explaining that he was living in London at the time and that the papers were dominated by news of the dismissal of the Whitlam Government.

The remainder of the cast (who form the Balibo Five) consists of Damon Gameau as ambitious reporter Greg Shackleton, Nathan Phillips as the smooth correspondent Malcolm Rennie, Underbelly’s Gyton Grantley as cameraman Gary Cunningham, Tom Wright as cameraman Brian Peters and Mark Leonard Winter as sound recordist Tony Stewart.

According to the film, which is based on 8000 East Timorese testimonials of the Indonesian invasion and the findings of the coronial inquest (Deputy State Coroner Dorelle Pinch said that her findings apply to each of the Balibo Five and not just Peters), the journalists knew Balibo wasn’t the safest place to be in light of the imminent invasion.

When asked why they stayed if they knew it was dangerous, Connolly says: “They thought the rival network had the story and they wanted to get it – sure it was partly an ego thing, but I don’t judge them for that. They were murdered and had no reason to be – Indonesia was allied with Australia. I don’t judge them for the youthful confidence that they had.”

Balibo is the first film to be made in East Timor, which only gained independence from Indonesia a decade ago.  

“The Timorese were very happy to help [make the film]. We had great support. In every department we had Timorese as trainees – we wanted to leave knowing locals had some experience with the film process and that they might go on to make their own films,” says Connolly, who ranks Balibo as the highlight of his career.

The director concludes our interview on a sombre yet uplifting note: “The positive thing – if there is one – about the deaths of the Balibo Five is that it became a way of keeping the story of the tragedy that was befalling East Timor alive in the Australian psyche.”