SYNOPSIS
Feature Documentary | 90 min | 2027 release
It was to be the pinnacle of his career. To much fanfare, Australian-Lebanese visual artist Khaled Sabsabi was announced as Australia’s representative at the Venice Biennale, also known as ‘the Olympics of the art world’.
Five days later, his appointment was spectacularly revoked in the name of ‘social cohesion’. The story made national headlines, donors pulled funding, board members and staff resigned, thousands of artists signed letters of solidarity and an internal review was launched.
Then after months of upheaval and uncertainty, Khaled is finally reinstated – and in a shock announcement, makes history by bringing not one but two works to Venice.
From the vibrant streets of Western Sydney, through the hustle of Bangkok and the bustle of battle-scarred Beirut all the way to the City of Canals, we follow the twists and turns on Khaled Sabsabi’s ROAD TO VENICE as he unveils ground-breaking artworks.
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We are at a critical and exciting moment in the journey of our feature documentary, ROAD TO VENICE – a film that will resonate with those interested in the arts, the strength of our cultural institutions, freedom of artistic expression and how diasporic communities negotiate ideas of identity and belonging.
We are currently fundraising to finish production of the film and are seeking support from key supporters (individuals and organisations) and the public. Any donations, big and small are welcome and are tax-deductible via the Australian Cultural Fund.
THE ARTIST
Khaled Sabsabi is an acclaimed Australian multidisciplinary artist whose work explores human collectiveness, the complexities of identity politics, and the impact of ideology through a continual transfer between the material and the philosophical. Khaled fled the Lebanese civil war for the suburbs of Western Sydney in 1976.
He began his creative life as a hip-hop performer but more recently has produced sound art, immersive installations and theatre pieces. For over three decades, Khaled has developed arts programs and works that explore the complexities of place, displacement, identity and the migrant experience.
KEY CREATIVES
Yaara Bou MelhemDirector & Producer
Yaara Bou Melhem is an acclaimed Australian writer, director and producer and founder of Illuminate Films which makes films that often tackle the most pressing issues of our time. Yaara turned to documentary filmmaking after 15 years as an investigative journalist and foreign correspondent for SBS Dateline and Al Jazeera English, with her work receiving two UN Media Peace Awards, two New York Film & Television Festival Awards and six Walkley Awards.
Her latest award-winning feature documentary, YURLU | COUNTRY (2025) is currently on the festival circuit and is a collaboration with First Nations Elder Maitland Parker about his fight to heal his homelands in Australia’s Pilbara region – the largest contaminated site in the Southern Hemisphere. It has won over a dozen film and industry awards including the Walkley Documentary Award and the FIFDH Vision for Human Rights Award. Its impact campaign included a Side Event at the UN Human Rights Council and Banjima People launching litigation for the remediation of their lands. It will have a global release on Al Jazeera English in 2026.
Jan FranDirector
Jan Fran is a Walkley award-winning journalist and co-founder of Ette Media, an independent media company that specialises in media literacy and critique. Jan’s fifteen-year career has seen her shoot and present documentaries from all over the world for SBS Dateline and Viceland.
She’s hosted SBS’s The Feed, Channel 10’s The Project, and most recently the ABC’s Question Everything alongside, Wil Anderson. She is also one of Australia’s leading “newsfluencers” and is best known for her sharp social commentary videos on social media which attract millions of views.
PARTNERS
We are looking for partners to support the completion of the film and our impact campaign.
We would like to acknowledge the early support from Screen Australia and Screen NSW.
Thank you also to all of our supporters including; Shark Island Foundation, Johanna Featherstone & Oranges & Sardines Foundation, Lorraine Tarabay & Nick Langley, Richard Elmslie & Lesley Tilley, Charles Hamish & Amee Patel, Kerry Gardner AM and others who have supported via Documentary Australia and the Australian Cultural Fund
