HOSTAGE OF THE STATE is, in many ways, a spiritual successor to THE JAMMED.

THE JAMMED was inspired by real accounts of sex trafficking in Melbourne. In some cases, girls as young as fourteen were trafficked from South-East Asia and exploited in Melbourne brothels as sex slaves. When discovered by authorities, many of these minors were treated as immigration offenders, detained, and deported.

THE JAMMED was a shocking portrayal of society's darker underbelly, but Dee McLachlan was not prepared for an even greater shock.

In 2018, Dee met a mother in South Australia whose child had been removed by deception and the concealing of evidence. This encounter set her on a path from which there was no turning back, and over the following seven-plus years, she advocated relentlessly on behalf of families, assisted in the preparation of court submissions across multiple jurisdictions, and published hundreds of articles, a video series, and the book The Child Protection Racket. More recently, she acted as litigation guardian for two fugitive teenagers in the Supreme Court in a bid to secure their liberty. Ultimately, her efforts helped make a difference, and she is now mentoring the older sister to tell their story through a screenplay.

Both HOSTAGE OF THE STATE and THE JAMMED examine vulnerable people caught within powerful, often cruel and unforgiving systems that profit from their exploitation. Drawing upon three true stories that Dee became directly involved in investigating and advocating for, HOSTAGE OF THE STATE explores the deeply controversial issue of families being unjustly torn them apart.

Through a series of interwoven real-life stories, HOSTAGE OF THE STATE will pose a confronting question to the audience: 

What happens when the child protectors become the enemy of the State?

Screenplay by Dee McLachlan

Drawing on true documented accounts, court transcripts and seven years of firsthand investigation, Hostage of the State explores what happens when the systems created to protect children destroy families instead. The film exposes a hidden bureaucratic machine operating with immense power and almost no accountability.

The three stories at the centre of the film are profoundly personal. Dee  became directly involved in attempts to help and rescue some of the real children whose experiences inspired the narrative — drawing her into a hidden world few Australians ever see until it is too late. Raw, confronting and emotionally devastating, Hostage of the State is not simply about child protection — it is about power. It's when love, instinct, resistance and even grief becomes reinterpreted as evidence against those fighting to protect their children.

Like The Jammed, the film aims to confront audiences with realities many would prefer not to believe exist. It asks a terrifying question:

What happens when the people trying to save a child become the enemy of the State itself?

June 2026

Financing and Investment

We are seeking investors who believe cinema can do more than entertain — that film can challenge institutions, ignite public debate, and help drive a much-needed cultural change.

Hostage of the State is not simply a commercial feature film; it is a powerful and confronting story drawn from real accounts. Like The Jammed — a film that helped ignite national conversation and contributed to legislative change surrounding sex trafficking — this project aims to provoke both national and international debate around the protection of families and children.

We are looking for partners who genuinely understand the power of film to shift public consciousness, influence discourse, and leave a lasting social impact on Australia far beyond the screen.

REVIEW

“It’s the singularly most brilliant expose I’ve ever read on the topic of Child Protection”

Matilda Bawden - (B.A. B.Soc. Admin) Specialist Support Co-Ordinator/ Social Worker.