Alias Ruby Blade

Directed by: Alex Meiller Released: 2019 (educational) Year of Production: 2013 Running Time: 78 mins and 51 mins Language: English Subtitle Options: English Closed Captions Subjects: Human Rights, South East Asian Studies, Feminist Film   Intrigue. Romance. Revolution. It all comes together in this action-packed documentary which chronicles the tumultuous birth of a new nation in East Timor through a never-before-seen perspective. Kirsty Sword, a young Australian activist, aspired to be a documentary filmmaker, but instead she became a revolutionary.    Working for the underground Timorese resistance in Jakarta, she adopted the nom de guerre Ruby Blade. As Ruby Blade, she became a courier shuttling correspondence in and out of the notorious Cipinang Prison where the enigmatic leader of the resistance, Kay Rala “Xanana” Gusmao, was serving life in prison for his revolutionary activities. Through correspondence, they fell in love. Along the way Sword filmed her journe