We are at a fateful moment in history. The global markets are in turmoil, unemployment is rising around the globe, civil unrest is spreading, and the world watches with baited breath, stunned and fearful for the future.
And yet, at this defining moment, extraordinary and positive things are also happening. Approximately 200 of Turkey's leading intellectuals just weeks ago issued an apology on the Internet for the World War I-era massacres of Armenians in Turkey. And several months ago, while my film Australia was in post-production, the Australian government issued a formal apology to the indigenous Aboriginal people of Australia for past wrongs caused by successive governments. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd singled out for mention the "Stolen Generations" -- thousands of mixed-race children who were forcibly removed from their families in a policy of assimilation which lasted from the 19th century to the late 1960s.
This apology was particularly meaningful for all who were working on the film as my film deals closely with the Aboriginal peoples, and stars dozens of Aboriginal actors (many of whom were stolen, are direct descendants of the stolen, or have close relatives who were stolen). One of the main characters, the extraordinary 11-year-old mixed-race actor, Brandon Walters, is Aboriginal, as is our assistant director and script consultant, Steve McGregor -- their first-hand knowledge and insight into the material was essential and critical to the film.
Already I see Australia, my much-loved homeland, as reaping the benefits of a psychological shift in attitude towards a stain that has marked our country's history for so long. The long-awaited government apology to the Aborigines is a positive message of hope. This apology is about acknowledging past transgressions and expressing heartfelt remorse for the mistakes of the past. As such, it represents crossing a divide, and will serve, I hope, as the first step toward a much-needed reconciliation. I believe such steps have particular resonance now in the United States, when President-elect Barack Obama is about to assume the leadership of this country.
One of the things that struck me about Obama was his stated willingness to reach across the partisan divide, to work with the people 'across the aisle' to forge solutions to the many enormous challenges his administration faces. President-elect Obama understands the importance of healing so we can do the important work of dealing with the issues that confront us as a strong, united front. Indeed, the problems facing the United States -- and countries around the world right now -- are so towering that our only hope is in reaching out to our neighbors, building bridges, and moving on from old wounds.
While I am not so naïve as to believe that apologies such as the ones issued by the Turkish intellectuals or the Australian government mean an end to the rancor, heartbreak, distrust and anger that surround so many of the historical events which prompted them, I do believe that they are a first step forward in the process of healing. I hold out great hope -- one that often serves as the inspiration for my filmmaking -- that the human spirit is strong, resilient, and persevering, and that with a willingness to acknowledge old wounds, and apologize for them when necessary, we can face the future with courage and strength.