Mother Nature is pissed off.
From July 2019 til early 2020 most of Australia was on fire. Firefighters worked tirelessly to put the fires out, but had the elements working against them. Gusting winds and dry conditions made things worse and over 44 million acres burned, 34 people died and an estimated 1 1 billion animals burned alive.
Several firefighters recall what they went through and how no matter how hard they tried, the destruction got more and more devastating. On the wildlife side, workers did the best they could to save as many animals that needed saving, but they had limitations.
Even the scientists that were interviewed had a common take away; climate change is real and the world is dying. The past bushfire was one of the worst ones on record and there was nothing they could of done to fight it. But there is something that can be done to make sure that when it happens again, and it will happen again, that the people in Australia can have a fighting chance to make sure that the level of destruction will be lower than what came before.
Director Shane McLachlan takes us on an unflinching journey into what happened on the ground. The government of Australia and the rest of the world needs to end dependance on fossil fuels and do something to fight climate change before it’s too late. With a combination of interviews and raw footage from the firefighters at work, we get a terrifying look into what goes on when battling a foe that doesn’t play fair. Fire doesn’t discriminate, it just destroys.
Melbourne Documentary Film Festival will screen AUSTRALIA BURNS… SILENCE OF THE LAND online and in cinemas. Tickets and more info can be found HERE
