'"Dark Paradise" by Noelle Janaczewska is the story of Japanese immigrant Jô Takasuka, who grew Australia's first commercial rice crop in 1914/15 - as told by a benshi, or silent film narrator.
'From the moment the Takasuka family arrive in Melbourne in 1905, they have to battle not only a harsh physical environment, but also a hostile political climate, thanks to the notorious "White Australia" policy. "Dark Paradise" is a fictionalised account of such a time and place. Noelle Janaczewska has imagined the life of Jo and his wife Ichiko in a script both lyrical and powerful.'
Source: ABC Radio National Airplay website, http://www.abc.net.au/rn/airplay/
Sighted: 10/08/2009