Transitions Film Festival / Water Docs Film Festival 2020 – Pilliga Rising
A salt-of-the-earth farmer, a German potter, a young Indigenous multimedia artist and an experienced citizen scientist rise up to protect their communities against a proposed coal seam gas-field in the Pilliga forest; a million acres of iconic Australian bush.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer/Editor Mark Pearce
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
The film was primarily made for The Wilderness Society as a social impact campaign tool to unite communities in rural New South Wales (via community screenings and Q&A’s) and inform the metropolitan masses (via festival release) about how coal seam gas can destroy our food security, Indigenous culture, water and wildlife, and outback Australian communities.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
The film takes viewers on a journey involving the intimate lives of four Australians who anchor themselves in courage and convey a desire for unity against coal seam gas in their communities.
Viewers will take away the understanding that when you’re in the trenches dealing with the coal seam gas cartel, even if you win, life will never be the same.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
This story highlights the human impacts of coal seam gas, following the journeys of four community leaders to find freedom and save their land from being poisoned for industrial greed.
Our four characters are driven above all by spiritual obligation – a commitment within to “do the right thing” and to lead and enlighten their communities.
They are characters of courage and individual strength, who empower others for the long-term. Their motives conflict with the motives of a financially rich industry that wields its power through short-term gains for the betterment of themselves. No matter what we choose to do in life, we can always justify the means to our actions, but when we dig deep enough and research the oil and gas industry, we discover a cartel who is serving itself.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
I sensed the film would impact people at a higher level of consciousness if we used character intimacy and meaningful exploration of interview responses, combined with visuals that are set against the naturalistic beauty of the Pilliga forest and surrounding farmlands.
Pilliga Rising took us on tough location trips in the outback over the course of a year, including a development trip to cast four diverse characters living in the region. It was essential to cast characters who not only exemplify the concerns of food and farming, water, wildlife and Indigenous culture and heritage but characters who are undertaking an activity within their community that is worthy of national significance.
Our characters are shown plainly and naturally, yet with arresting compositions and enchanting scenery. I believe it’s this type of visceral and real experience which can activate our consciousness and change the way we think and feel.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
In 2019, The Wilderness Society and Lock The Gate Alliance hosted screenings of the film to 24 communities (rural and metro) across New South Wales in Australia. To their credit and local communities, many of those screenings were packed houses. Audiences have been really connected with the film, many people with tears welling up in their eyes. People have said it’s a sad irony, and others commenting that the film is an inspiration for activists to get active.
We’ve had some great publicity and support all over. Here are some comments from publicists and personalities after they watched the film.
“Pilliga Rising is a mesmerising, heartbreaking, exhilarating tale of a community unified in defence of land and livelihood.”
–Elizabeth Farrelly, Columnist
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
“A compelling story about the environment, culture, community and survival - and why activism is essential.”
–Richard Horstman, Contributor
THE JAKARTA POST
“A personal, emotive and well-shot film about the potential despoliation of important environmental parts of NSW by a coal seam gas company. The film highlights the damaging aspects to the water table from fracking, as well as the individual stories of people and the land. A major addition to documentaries on key issues impacting Australia’s future”.
¬–Peter Krausz, Former Chair
AUSTRALIAN FILM CRITICS ASSOC.
“Pilliga Rising provides a deeply penetrating insight into one of the great tragedies of our time: the devastation wrought by coal seam gas production.”
– David Donovan, Managing Editor
INDEPENDENT AUSTRALIA
“This film shines a light on the frightening and daunting enormity of the fracking and onshore gas industry onslaught on this country. At the same time, Pilliga Rising reminds me that the power of community and everyday people coming together to protect each other and their most treasured resources can move mountains and change the world for the better. These movements, however stressful and frustrating they may sometimes be, have the ability to bring the best out in the human race.”
– John Butler, Australian Songwriter/Musician
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The film is a little difficult to curate for some festivals because its duration (40min) falls between a short and a feature-length. We are somewhat saddened that a couple of Australian environment and social impact festivals didn’t select the film as it relates to their theme and we felt they may take it on for the crucial reason of getting people to understand the huge community resistance to coal seam gas in outback Australia.
However, we chose the 40min length as it’s not too long, and not too short to draw people from their homes for an evening, travelling to community centres and cinemas, which allows environmental organisations to host a 30min Q&A after the film, to include updates about the gas project in New South Wales. So, community screenings were always a priority to create events and make them accessible to communities… and Pilliga Rising continues to do that and build the movement against coal seam gas in 2020.
Internationally, the film has screened at festivals in Malaysia, Indonesia and has been well received in Canada at two festivals, and that’s no great surprise because Canada currently faces similar situations as Australia with gas development on an industrial scale.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
It would be a win for the people of the Pilliga if one individual, or a social/environment organisation, or an educational institution noticed this film at We Are Moving Stories and hosted their own screening in New South Wales.
People can do this by clicking here.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
It would be an awesome outcome if an Australia streaming service cam on-board. It’s all about the content being a ‘hot-button issue’, which is what we expect this to be with decisions about the gas project being made this year.
Internationally, an online distributor for different regions would also be a great thing.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Ideally, to impact the people that matter to build the movement and to impart pressure on the New South Wales state government as well as oil and gas giant, Santos to stop gas production in northwest New South Wales.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
If gas came to your community, would you rise?
Would you like to add anything else?
The Narrabri Gas Project proposes to drill 850 wells over 95,000 hectares of iconic Australian forest and is the first of seven gas fields planned for the arid farming region that surrounds the forest. According to a major survey in the region, 96 per cent of people over 3.2 million hectares are opposed to the coal seam gas development.
Among the biggest concerns relating to Santos' proposal is the impact of drilling on the Great Artesian Basin, part of which lies beneath the planned CSG project.
The 850 well production project is still under assessment and Santos is still pushing for approval.
The assessment has been delayed for months whilst the NSW Department of Planning has waited for Santos to respond to their request for further information regarding groundwater impacts and monitoring, bushfire risk and management plans and the disposal of 430,500 tonnes of contaminated salty wastes.
Santos recently provided some information in response to these requests, however, the information provided does not properly address the concerns raised by the government departments.
The next step will be for the Planning Department to consider the inadequate information Santos provided and decide if they accept it or not.
The Planning Minister may call a public hearing regarding the project.
People can stay up-to-date with the campaign by signing up for campaign updates with the Wilderness Society NSW or Lock the Gate Alliance on either of their websites or by following them on Facebook. The Facebook page Protecting the Pilliga also specifically focuses on the Pilliga campaign.
Here's a recent article from November 2019 about the development of the project.
CSG inquiry postponed, after NSW govt and public servants refuse to appear
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
MARK PEARCE (producer/director) has been working with the Humanitad Foundation, producing videos for the New Earth Project and the International Tribunal for Natural Justice. Mark also has a handful of feature-length projects in development, about a few issues; including nature, consciousness, and natural health solutions, which may kick off later this year.
MILES BENNET (cinematographer) has been working hard on health and Indigenous community projects in Victoria and is also working with Mark on a couple of the feature-length projects mentioned above.
Interview: January 2020
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Pilliga Rising
A salt-of-the-earth farmer, a German potter, a young Indigenous multimedia artist and an experienced citizen scientist rise up to protect their communities against a proposed coal seam gas-field in the Pilliga forest; a million acres of iconic Australian bush.
Length: 39:45
Director: Mark Pearce
Producer: Mark Pearce
Writer: Mark Pearce
About the writer, director and producer:
MARK PEARCE is an award-winning filmmaker from Australia, creating social impact films around themes of nature and humanity. He produces journalistic projects at his production company, Balangara Films in Maleny, Queensland. Mark has produced a slate of films that have won international acclaim, including ‘Nature Needs You’, ‘A Gentle Giant’ ‘Looking After Our Food’, ‘Looking After Our Country’, ‘Looking After Our Environment’ and ‘Our Greatest Blessing’.
His advocacy films have opened festivals in Melbourne, Frankfurt and Sarajevo and featured in articles for The Wall Street Journal International, Medium, The Australian, Independent Australia, ABC Australia, The Guardian, and Australian National Geographic to name a few. Importantly, his stories have changed the outcome of many lives, successfully lobbying governments to protect the animals, the people, and the places we love.
Key cast: Paris Norton (herself), Tony Pickard (himself), Maria Rickert (herself), Adam Macrae (himself).
Looking for: distributors
Facebook: Pilliga Rising
Hashtags used: #PilligaRising #NOGASinthePilliga #StopCSG #ProtectingthePilliga
Website: www.balangarafilms.com
Other: Vimeo
Made in association with: The Wilderness Society (Australia)
Funders: Crowdfunded by The Wilderness Society (Australia)
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Transitions Film Festival / Brunswick Mechanics Institute-270 Sydney Rd, Brunswick (Melbourne Australia) Wednesday February 26th 2020 @5:30PM; Water Docs Film Festival / Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema 506 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M5S 1Y3, Toronto, Canada. Sunday, March 29th, 2020