The Diplomat is a 2000 Australian documentary film, directed by Tom Zubrycki, following East Timorese independence leader Jose Ramos Horta.
David Stratton wrote in Variety: Patient, fly-on-the-wall approach to filmmaking pays off, thanks in large part to the charisma of its subject and the unforeseen events that provide an upbeat ending.
Zubrycki makes interesting use of newsreel footage, which is shown in black-and-white with slabs of red inserted.
"[1]Phillip Adams wrote The Weekend Australian: "its portrait of a bloke whose refusal to surrender was, and remains, astonishing.
"[2] Philippa Hawker of The Age wrote "The Diplomat has made the most of its timeliness: it's an engrossing, powerful document of a subject, a process and an extraordinary political turn of events.