Episode #134 | Serge Ou

Episode #134 | Serge Ou

From Cinema Australia by Cinema Australia

May 3, 2026 · 16 min

About this episode

Matthew Eeles interviews filmmaker Serge Ou about his documentary 'Under a Bamboo Sky'.

Welcome to the Cinema Australia Podcast. My name is Matthew Eeles. In this very mini episode, I’m joined by Under a Bamboo Sky filmmaker Serge Ou, to discuss his confronting and revealing new documentary which hits Netflix this week after a successful run of Q&A screenings across the country recently. A tale of human connection, hope and resilience in the face of great tragedy, Under a Bamboo Sky uses new technology to bring to life the unbelievable story of Australian soldiers held prisoner by the Japanese in WWII. Using their own words in their own voices, Under a Bamboo Sky weaves the oral testimonies of more than 60 former POWs together with newly colourised archival material and new location footage to deliver a moving and intimate first-hand account of their experience. Serge’s directorial experience spans drama, documentary, and commercial productions. Across a broad range of genres, he has directed more than 150 hours of broadcast and theatrical content for the domestic and international film and television markets. Dozens of his films have been recognised at festivals around the world. A note to listeners that this short episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast was…

People in this episode

Host: Matthew Eeles

Guest: Serge Ou

Topics covered

  • documentary
  • human connection
  • POWs
  • Australian history
  • film production

Keywords

  • Serge Ou
  • Under a Bamboo Sky
  • documentary
  • POWs
  • Netflix
  • Australian soldiers
  • WWII

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Netflix

Books & works: Under a Bamboo Sky

Places: Australia

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