The Family

"Inside one of Australia's most notorious cults"

Aug 1 2016 TV-MA 1h 38m
Documentary

Anne Hamilton-Byrne was beautiful, charismatic and delusional. She was also incredibly dangerous. Convinced she was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, Hamilton-Byrne headed an apocalyptic sect called The Family, which was prominent in Melbourne from the 1960s through to the 1990s. With her husband Bill, she acquired numerous children – some through adoption scams, some born to cult members – and raised them as her own. Isolated from the outside world, the children were dressed in matching outfits, had identical dyed blonde hair, and were allegedly beaten, starved and injected with LSD. Taught that Hamilton-Byrne was both their mother and the messiah, the children were eventually rescued during a police raid in 1987, but their trauma had only just begun.

Plot

An incendiary, heartbreaking investigation into one of Australia's most notorious cults, and the scars its survivors still bear today.

Written by

Rosie Jones

Directed by

Rosie Jones

Cast

Sung Yun Cho, Lex de Man, Jordan Fraser-Trumble

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

United States of America, United Kingdom, Australia

Production Companies

Dogwoof, MIFF Premiere Fund, Film Victoria, Screen Australia, Big Stories, BBC

Languages

English

Awards

1 win & 3 nominations total

Trailers
The Family - Documentary - Trailer
Behind the Scenes
Screening The Family - Cameo Cinemas, Melbourne
Scores
# of Votes
366
Average Rating
6.3 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA