AllMovie

In 1999, as part of a program on violence prevention, 250 young people in the Australian state of New South Wales were given video cameras and asked to use them to capture a visual representation of their feelings about violence and how it affects people. Hurt was culled from the work of these youngsters, as children re-enact tragic incidents from their lives and those of their friends, ranging from brief flashes of fear and anger to elaborate stories of the impact of domestic violence. Hurt also laces its somber images with messages of hope and an occasional dash of humor. Hurt was coordinated by filmmakers Philip Crawford and Matthew Priestley, with all 250 children who took part in the project cited in the film's end credits; it was screened at the 2000 Melbourne Film Festival.