Australian Federal Police: Gone

To promote improved child safety strategies and techniques for parents, Goodoil Films director Justin McMillan and Byron Studios have teamed up to release provocative film, Gone, to compliment the Australian Federal Police National Missing Persons Coordination Centre’s (NMPCC) efforts for International Missing Children’s Day 2018.

The short film opens with a scenario experienced by McMillan in real life: a father, reading a bedtime story to his son, is asked about the whereabouts of a missing child. In attempting a tender though cautionary response, the father crafts an elaborate fantasy, taking his son on an adventurous quest that culminates in a spectacular ending. 

“I’d never before been faced with having to explain to my son the reality of missing children," says McMillan. "After I finished telling him a fictional story, I got to thinking about how horrific the experience must be and the challenges it must raise for communication within a family. I felt obliged to find out more about how I could help prevent this situation from happening, and upon further research I discovered tools, such as the password system, that I could implement to help better protect my child. I was surprised to learn that so many parents, with whom I researched the concept with, had no idea about the password system or any other child protection tools so I immediately knew I had to try and change that."