A Year at Clouds Creek is about five powerful individuals who formed a community vigil that has kept the NSW Forestry Corporation out of their local State Forest, Clouds Creek. The stakes are high and so are emotions. This is a documentary about mental health and how coming together, sharing a joint vision, keeps the climate blues at bay, and just maybe, save a forest.
The Clouds Creek Vigil is a force to be reckoned, in this David versus Goliath battle. They are armed with hand-painted signs and camping chairs to block access to the forest and run a Glider Reviver stall that offers free tea, coffee and information to passing traffic. And they are winning.
Their 6am morning routine has been filmed for nearly a year. Their personal stories are engaging, revealed through observation and interviews, that show how this vigil has changed their lives and why they are so committed to saving this forest.
The documentary presents both sides of the conflict: the environmentalists’ vision of Clouds Creek as a sanctuary for endangered species that must be saved because it is a critical part of the proposed Great Koala National Park, a place of world significance. The other, the NSW Forestry Corporation, that is losing money, and possibly jobs if they can’t harvest Clouds Creek Forest before the Great Koala National Park is declared. This side of the argument will be told through interviews with Forestry and their corporate videos. The audience is encouraged to form their own opinions.
I have been editing for over 32 years, mainly documentary. I have a Co-directors credit with Nick Torrens for ‘The Men Who Would Conquer China’ in 2004. Editing documentaries has always been like co-directing for me. So I will list here some of my editing credits to illustrate this. 2021 AUDREY NAPANANGKA, Feature Doc. Dir Penny McDonald Chili Films Prod. Sydney, Melbourne, Darwin FF. SBS/NITV Chili Films Prod. 2017 YARRIPIRI’s JOURNEY 28 Min. Doco. Dir Jay Fisher Paw Media. Yuendumu. NITV. SBS. 2016 COLOUR THEORY Series 3 Underground. Dir. Dena Curtis 2 x 25 mins. SBS. NITV -REINDEAR IN MY SAMMI HEART Feature DoFeature Doco.Dir. Janet Merewether. Go-Girl Productions. Margaret Mead FF NY -COAST AUSTRALIA. Series 2. Neil Oliver 8×52 min. Great Southern Film & TV. EP Debbie Cruell. BBC. ABC THE BURNING SEASON -Dir. Kathy Henkle. Hatchling Prod. DARK SCIENCE 52min Doco Dir. Johann Gabrielson & WarwickThornton. Frank Haines Films. etc