Acclaimed filmmaker Kasimir Burgess sets out to create a biopic about his father, Greg Burgess, one of Australia’s most influential and celebrated architects and recipient of the Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal. Renowned for his luminous, community-driven buildings shaped by environmental sensitivity, Indigenous collaboration and spiritual geometry, Greg’s work redefined the relationship between architecture, landscape and spirit in Australia. But as filming progresses, Greg begins experiencing occasional episodes of Transient Global Amnesia, prompting father and son to reflect more deeply on memory, legacy and the passing of time. What begins as a portrait of an extraordinary career gradually evolves into a more intimate meditation on memory, family and the stories we carry. When Greg expresses a desire to revisit his buildings, they embark on a pilgrimage through nine of his most significant works — from the Brambuk Living Cultural Centre in Gariwerd to the Uluru–Kata Tjuṯa Cultural Centre and, finally, to the modest house in Box Hill where Greg was born. As Greg’s story unfolds, the buildings seem to hold fragments of friendship, grief, devotion and love, while archival footage of childhood and of Greg nursing Kasimir’s mother through her final illness reveals that his most profound architecture may not be made of timber or stone, but of care. In tracing the emotional landscape of his father’s life, Kasimir searches for continuity — and for what endures through family, place and the stories we choose to pass on.
Originally trained as a sculptor, Kasimir Burgess is an award-winning Australian filmmaker whose work spans drama and documentary, marked by a poetic visual style and intimate engagement with landscape and character.
His early short films garnered international recognition, including the Crystal Bear at Berlin (Lily) and Film of the Festival at Raindance (Booth Story). His debut narrative feature Fell was acclaimed by The Hollywood Reporter and Screen Daily. His AACTA- and Walkley-nominated documentary Franklin became the longest-running Australian documentary theatrical release of 2022.
His most recent feature, Iron Winter — a coming-of-age story set amid the stark beauty of the Mongolian winter — premiered in International Competition at Visions du Réel and has since won the Grand Prize at Banff Mountain Film Festival, the Golden Frog at CamerImage, and multiple additional awards.
