A YEAR AT CLOUDS CREEK is an intimate, character-driven documentary about five defiant locals—each over sixty—who’ve taken a stand to protect an ancient forest in northern New South Wales. This patch of old-growth bushland is earmarked for inclusion in the proposed Great Koala National Park. But the chainsaws are coming.
Armed with hand-painted signs, and unshakable resolve, the Clouds Creek crew have set up camp at the forest’s edge. Their frontline? A makeshift tea stall—“The Glider Reviver”—where they serve free cuppas and conversation about the endangered species still clinging on after the 2019 bushfires: koalas, greater gliders, yellow-bellied gliders, and more.
Their protest is peaceful. Their impact is real. And it’s ruffling feathers.
The NSW Forestry Corporation is losing patience—and money. Logging has been delayed, and the pressure is mounting. Since 2020, the Corporation has copped more than $1.7 million in fines for breaching its own guidelines. Meanwhile, three Clouds Creek activists—including the filmmaker—have been slapped with fines and criminal convictions for blocking access to the forest.
One side wants profits. The other wants a future. So who’s the real criminal?
This is a frontline forged in quiet defiance—and in friendship. Climate despair has turned to action. The longer the protest, the stronger the bonds. Their 6am morning ritual, filmed daily for over a year, reveals a new kind of resilience. This isn’t just a fight for the forest—it’s a story of hope, mental health, and the power of shared purpose.
The film is character-driven, unfolding over a full year. This timeline lets audiences experience the changing seasons, shifting moods, and deepening camaraderie. Daily photographs and videos—captured over 316 days and counting—form a recurring visual motif of persistence and emotional grit. Woven through this are real-time text threads from WhatsApp, Signal and Facebook, offering an intimate, tech-mediated window into modern activism.
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