Oranges and Sunshine
Oranges and Sunshine is a 2010 Australian drama film directed by Jim Loach as his directorial debut. It stars Emily Watson, Hugo Weaving and David Wenham, with a screenplay by Rona Munro, based on the 1994 book "Empty Cradles" by Margaret Humphreys. Plot. The film is based on the true story of Margaret Humphreys, a social worker from Nottingham who uncovered the scandal of "home children", a scheme of forcibly relocating poor children from the United Kingdom to Australia and Canada. Margaret reunites estranged families, who are situated in Australia and the UK. and brings worldwide attention  to the cause. Deported children were promised oranges and sunshine but they got hard labour and life in institutions such as Keaney College in Bindoon, Western Australia. Many were given to the Congregation of Christian Brothers, where they suffered physical and sexual abuse. Production. Filming. Filming took place in Adelaide, South Australia, in Nottingham, and at Wirksworth in Derbyshire. Some interior scenes were filmed at the University of Leicester, Leicestershire, in Nottingham County Hall and in the porte-cochère of Nottingham railway station. Other locations that appear are a train on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway; Australia House in London and  an overview of Nottingham Council House and the Old Market Square. A casting session was held in Nottingham to find one boy and one girl for the roles of Margaret's children. Reception. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 71% based on reviews from 68 critics.