Balibo (film) takes place in a sovereign state in Maritime Southeast Asia called East Timor.
Balibo is a 2009 Australian war film that follows the story of the Balibo Five , a group of journalists who were captured and killed while reporting on activities just prior to the Indonesian invasion of East Timor of 1975 . The film follows dishevelled journalist Roger East , played by Anthony LaPaglia , who travels to East Timor in 1975 to investigate the deaths of the Balibo Five during the buildup to the Indonesian invasion of East Timor . Filming began on 30 June 2008 , in Dili , East Timor , and the film was released the following year . East Timor ( [ iːst_ˈtiːmɔr ] ) or Timor-Leste ( [ tiˈmɔr_ˈlɛʃteɪ ] Tetum : Timór Lorosa'e ) , officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste ( República Democrática de Timor-Leste , Repúblika Demokrátika Timór-Leste ) , is a sovereign state in Maritime Southeast Asia .