Synopsis
FEATURE-LENGTH SOCIAL IMPACT DOCUMENTARY
A documentary journey through the flood torn communities of the Northern Rivers, New South Wales—behind closed doors and into the minds and hearts of those whose lives were upended by the most catastrophic flood in modern Australian history in February of 2022.
A resident carrying possessions through flood waters in Woodburn. Image Credit: Olivia Katz
The Flood
February 28th 2022
Northern Rivers, NSW, Australia
On February 28th 2022, a catastrophic storm converged over the Northern Rivers and set into motion the worst flood in modern Australian history—displacing many thousands of people over night. As rivers converged and levees overtopped, the ocean swelled, and hills collapsed, the streets became raging brown rivers, taking with them everything in sight.
St. Carthage Cathedral, Lismore, NSW | March 2022
‘The disaster after the disaster’
7+ months after the flood
While graphic images of the floods clearly showed a region in crisis, 7 months on, the region finds itself in an entirely new crisis. Desolate streets and quiet suffering, shell-shocked, and reckoning with immense grief and endless uncertainties, these communities now face a confounding tangle of hoops to jump through without adequate leadership or communication from their local, state and federal governments.
Flood devastated house In Broadwater, abandoned by residents now displaced. Image taken 6+ months after flood.
Still waiting
for help
The flood displaced
Without viable alternatives, the region has witnessed thousands of people move back into their flood prone, gutted and mould filled homes, many now living without access to heating, water, or even electricity. Thousands of others, the renters, remain stuck in temporary accommodation 7+ months on, sheds, shacks, pods, caravans, motels, and campsites remain packed to the brim with flood refugees.
Name, Town
Cheryl & David, Tucki Tucki NSW
Name, Town
Overview of Acts
ACT ONE
The disaster after the disaster
Act 1 of our documentary focuses on the "disaster after the disaster", the aftermath and ongoing crises in the region after these floods.
ACT TWO
Advocacy
Act 2 Sees narrator/director Olivia Katz hitting the pavement to seek answers and advocate for these communities—boldly questioning agencies, authorities, and those in power as to why this help isn’t getting to those who so desperately need it.
ACT THREE
A greater vision
Act 3 The final phase of filming will bring community leaders, engineers, architects, ecologists, climate adaptation and mitigation specialists, educators, community members and elders together to re-envision and re-design the Northern Rivers—collaboratively and holistically.
Watch the trailer
A documentary journey through the flood torn communities of the Northern Rivers, New South Wales—behind closed doors and into the minds and hearts of those whose lives were upended by the most catastrophic flood in modern Australian history in February of 2022.
