by FilmInk Staff
Stand Up and Jump Street Films present FREEDOM RIDES, launching exclusively at Jewish International Film Festival screenings in October and November.
ABOUT THE FILM
In 1965, a group of university students embarked on a 15-day bus ride with a mission to challenge racial discrimination facing First Nations people in regional New South Wales. Known as the Freedom Ride and led by Aboriginal activist Charles Perkins, this journey became a pivotal moment in Australian activism. With several of the riders being Jewish, including future NSW Chief Justice Jim Spigelman, the Freedom Ride oUers a reminder of the unique allyship that exists between these two communities.
In FREEDOM RIDES, intimately observed by director Eliya Cohen, a new generation of Aboriginal and Jewish students come together 60 years later to recreate the steps of the historic trip. Cohen sensitively captures a contemporary perspective while reflecting on the legacy of the original ride, crafting a film both authentic and unexpected.
Stand Up CEO Gabe Freund reflects on FREEDOM RIDES being “a story every Australian should know: different communities, across generations, choosing to walk the same path together. It’s about what happens when people show up for each other, fully and without hesitation, and how that choice has the power to change everything.”
“There’s a warmth and humanity to this film that we are excited to share with audiences,” says producer Jamie Bialkower. “You can feel the ripples of time across the film, and it’s attuned to both the weight of the past and potential for the future.”
ABOUT THE EVENTS
See FREEDOM RIDES at the Jewish International Film Festival across the following dates:
Melbourne – Sunday October 25, 6.30pm and 7.15pm sessions at Classic Cinemas, Elsternwick
Sydney – Thursday November 12, 6.30pm at Ritz Cinemas, Randwick
All screenings of the film will be accompanied by a panel discussion reflecting on the historic and contemporary allyship between First Nations and Jewish communities in Australia today, copresented by The Jewish Independent.
Panellists will include original Freedom Rider Brian Aarons, Winangali Infusion founder and director Buddy Hippi, and Stand Up’s program manager Nick Gerstel. Confirmed for the Sydney panel only is special guest Aunty Madeline McGrady, a trailblazing filmmaker in her own right and the first Aboriginal person to sit on the board of the Australian Film Commission.
ABOUT THE TEAM
Eliya Cohen is a director and cinematographer passionate about visually striking, deeply human stories that amplify voices often unheard in society. A graduate of AFTRS (Cinematography) with First Class Honours in Screen Arts from the University of Sydney, she works across drama, documentary and video art, with work recognised by festivals, galleries, and broadcasters across Australia. Highlights include cinematographer on GHOST GEAR (shortlisted Best Australian Shorts, Flickerfest 2023), director and cinematographer of SIDELINES (SBS; nominated Best Short-Form Documentary, AIDC Awards 2021, and Short Film Production of the Year, SPA Awards 2022), 2nd unit cinematographer on the AACTA-nominated feature EMU RUNNER (TIFF 2018), and cinematographer on PICTURING HOME (ABC Compass, 2021).
Jamie Bialkower is the director and founder of Jump Street Films, a label dedicated to the development, production and distribution of quality cinema in Australia. Recent releases include FREUD’S LAST SESSION starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, and Danny Ben-Moshe’s documentary CANCELLED. In 2024, Bialkower launched the Jewish Australian Screen Fund to advance the depiction of Jewish Australians on screen, while advocating for Jewish filmmakers across all levels of the industry. In 2025 he produced four short films about post-October 7 life in Australia, including Jacob Melamed’s Bondi-set MEZUZAH MAN. Upcoming productions include GOLEM by Idan Kotzen, the recipient of the inaugural Jewish Australian Screen Fellowship, and EVERYONE’S HAVING A GOOD TIME BUT YOU, the coveted recipient of West Coast Visions 2026.
Stand Up is a movement that turns Jewish values into action. It supports emerging leaders and fosters mutual allyship grounded in shared responsibility, helping build a community committed to justice, dignity and a better future for all. For two decades, Stand Up’s partnership with the communities of Toomelah and Boggabilla has embodied meaningful allyship between the Jewish and First Nations communities. Stand Up’s Freedom Rides program and the subsequent film were made possible thanks to the Pinshaw Family Foundation, Jack & Robert Smorgon Families Foundation, Jackie Vidor and Henry & Marcia Pinskier.
