Set in Australia in 1931, RABBIT-PROOF FENCE tells the story of a government policy that required "half-caste" children (whose mothers were Aboriginal and whose fathers were white) to be taken from their homes by the authorities to be trained to work as servants. Based on the true story of Molly Craig, Philip Noyce's film of small gestures and few words follows the odyssey of three young girls who escaped from the government's training facility and, using the country's long stretches of rabbit-proof fences as their guide, walked 1500 miles to get back home.

Told squarely from Molly's point of view, RABBIT-PROOF FENCE also highlights the Australian government's treatment of Aboriginies by A.O. Neville (Kenneth Branagh), the legal guardian of the country's indigenous people. His plan to "breed out" the Aboriginal blood of the half-castes is marked by a cool calculation and moral blindness that stands out in sharp contrast to Molly's spiritual and intuitive relationship to the people and places she encounters on her journey.

Theatrical release: November 29, 2002 (NY/LA)

DVD Features:

Region 1
Keep Case
Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.35
Letterbox - 2.35
Additional Release Material:
Featurette: · Following the Rabbit Proof Fence Documentary
Audio Commentary: Philip Noyce - Director, Peter Gabriel - Composer, Kenneth Branagh - Star, Christine Olsen - Screenwriter, Doris Pilkington - Source Writer
Interactive Features:
Scene Access
Interactive Menus

Distributor Notes: Rabbit-Proof Fence

RABBIT-PROOF Fence -- featuring the Golden Globe-nominated score by Peter Gabriel -? is a powerful true story of hope and survival and has been met with international acclaim! At a time when it was Australian government policy to train aboriginal children as domestic workers and integrate them into white society, young Molly Craig decides to lead her little sister and cousin in a daring escape from their internment camp. Molly and the girls, part of what would become known as Australia's "Stolen Generations," must then elude the authorities on a dangerous 1,500-mile adventure along the rabbit-proof fence that bisects the continent and will lead them home. As shown by this outstanding motion picture, their universally touching plight and unparalleled courage are a beautiful testament to the undying strength of the human spirit!

Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

Ningali Lawford: Actress, RABBIT-PROOF FENCE (2002)
David Gulpilil: Australian Actor/Aborigine
Jason Clarke: Actor, RABBIT-PROOF FENCE (2002)
Deborah Mailman: Actress, MONKEY'S MASK (2001)
Kenneth Branagh: British Director-Actor

Phillip Noyce: Australian Director

Phillip Noyce: Australian Director
Christine Olsen: Screenwriter, RABBIT-PROOF FENCE (2002)
John Winter: Producer, RABBIT-PROOF FENCE (2002)

Christine Olsen: Screenwriter, RABBIT-PROOF FENCE (2002)

Peter Gabriel: British Singer/Songwriter

"...Noyce has tailored an epic tale into a lean, economical movie....He directs with sensitivity and an impressive level of objectivity..."
"...Noyce and his screen writer Christine Olsen tell the shameful story straight…letting the pathos emerge naturally from the unfolding events..."
"...[A] sturdy, touching movie....The movie becomes a paean to the beauty of the Australian countryside and the decency of most of the common people who aid the fugitives..."
"...The young actresses who play the fugitives, all newcomers, shoulder the story confidently..."
"...This is the best kind of movie, the kind that comes back to haunt you months after watching it. Resonating and, above all, reminding. Go see..."
"...Spare and unyielding....Noyce honors the story best by standing back. Noyce lets the landscape and the untrained actresses own the screen..."