Once Upon a Time in Punchbowl

Released: 2014-06-19

Runtime: 50 minutes

Episode Overview

Following the Lebanese Civil War thousands of refugees, more than half of them Muslim, pour into the Sydney suburb of Punchbowl sparking a clash of cultures.

Series Overview

Tells the inside story of the challenges the Lebanese Australian community has faced in Australia and how they have fought to overcome them. This landmark documentary series hears from community leaders, police, families and individuals, as they combine to tell the compelling and dramatic story of a proud and resilient community, under intense pressure and scrutiny. The story begins in the 1970s when large numbers of Lebanese migrants flooded into Australia. Many were Muslim, most were traumatised by civil war, all were desperate to build a better future. Over the coming decades, these new Australians struggled to establish a new life in their adopted country.