The People Smuggler, a book by filmmaker Robin de Crespigny that was first written by her as a film script, has been launched at Sydney Writers’ Festival.
The book tells the true story of Ali Al Jenabi who “became a people smuggler in order to get his family here”, said refugee advocate Ngaretta Rossell at the event.
She first approached writer Virginia Duigan and her husband, director Bruce Beresford, about using film to draw attention to his story, and subsequently found her way to de Crespigny.
Unable to get traction with potential film partners, scriptwriter John Collee suggested de Crespigny re-write the script as a book, although she at first protested that she’d never written a book.
“John said write a chapter and I will tell you if you can write,” de Crespigny said in a moving speech at the launch.
“It was an epic journey that needed to be told in its entirety,” she said of Al Jenabi's journey, going on to explain that she had to try and become him in order to write in the first person and in his voice.
“I had to write it as a Western agnostic woman presuming to be an Arabic Muslim man,” she said. “The breakthrough was learning the rhythm.”
Al Jenabi, who continues to seek asylum in Australia, also spoke at the launch, as did one of the people he helped reach Australia.
“We always hoped that this book would contribute to and change the shape of the debate and, without tempting fate, we are off to a good start,” said Penguin publishing director Ben Ball after noting that the book had already had some very positive reviews.
Political commentator and former Australian diplomat Bruce Haigh also spoke at the launch.