Oranges And Sunshine

The film stars Emily Watson, Hugo Weaving and David Wenham.

Oranges and Sunshine
Theatrical film poster
Directed by	Jim Loach
Screenplay by	Rona Munro
Based on	Empty Cradles by Margaret Humphreys
Produced by	Camilla Bray Iain Canning Emile Sherman
Starring	Emily Watson
Cinematography	Denson Baker
Edited by	Dany Cooper
Music by	Lisa Gerrard
Production companies	See-Saw Films Sixteen Films
Distributed by	Icon Film Distribution
Release dates	8 October 2010 (2010-10-08) (PIFF) 1 April 2011 (2011-04-01) (United Kingdom) 9 June 2011 (2011-06-09) (Australia)
Running time	105 minutes
Countries	Australia United Kingdom
Language	English
Box office	$6,299,747

The film is based on the true story of Margaret Humphreys, a social worker from Nottingham who uncovered the scandal of "home children", a scheme of forcibly relocating poor children from the United Kingdom to Australia and Canada.

Deported children were promised "oranges and sunshine" but they instead got hard labour and life in institutions such as Keaney College in Bindoon, Western Australia. Many were given to the Congregation of Christian Brothers, where they suffered physical and sexual abuse at the hands of the brothers.

Despite the numerous death threats from those who try to stop her, Margaret is successful in reuniting estranged families, who are situated in Australia and the UK, and brings worldwide attention to the cause.

Filming

Filming took place in Adelaide, South Australia, in Nottingham, and at Wirksworth in Derbyshire. Some interior scenes were filmed at the University of Leicester, Leicestershire, in Nottingham County Hall and in the porte-cochère of Nottingham railway station. Other locations that appear are a train on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway; Australia House in London and an overview of Nottingham Council House and the Old Market Square.

A casting session was held in Nottingham to find one boy and one girl for the roles of Margaret's children.

Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 71% based on reviews from 73 critics. The website's critics consensus reads, "Grounded in a heartwrenching fact-based story, steered by Loach's sensitive direction, and led by a powerful performance from Watson, Oranges and Sunshine sidesteps its pacing problems and occasionally clichéd screenplay."

Accolades