Burning
Director Q&A with Eva Orner
+Post-film Panel Discussion
SATURDAY 30 April | 4:00PM
ACMI
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Q&A with Director Eva Orner
Listen to a pre-recorded Q&A from Academy and Emmy-award winning Australian filmmaker Eva Orner.
Film Synopsis
From Oscar-winning Australian director Eva Orner (Chasing Asylum), Burning takes an unflinching look at the 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires - delving into the subsequent inaction of the government and how we ensure this never happens again.
The bushfires burned 59 million acres, destroying over 5,900 buildings and enveloping Sydney in clouds of smoke. Even by today’s standards, the footage is astonishing, creating new weather patterns of pyro-convective storms that shocked the most seasoned fire fighters. Australia is the world’s largest exporter of coal and gas, creating a deeply entrenched power structure that’s slow to respond.
“The world has changed,” says Greg Mullins, the former Fire and Rescue commissioner of New South Wales. The film profiles him along with other figures who have expertise in combating both fires and climate change. Their call to action is contrasted with footage of Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Rupert Murdoch’s conservative commentators who downplay or deny man-made climate change.
Teenage activist Daisy Jeffrey represents the growing international movement of young people pushing back on the status quo. Instead of “setting the world on fire,” they are dedicated to saving our future.
Film Info
Rating: Unclassified 15+
Director: Eva Orner
Country: Australia
Year: 2021
Duration: 86 minutes
Language: English
Genre: Documentary
Awards: Sydney Film Festival’s inaugural Sustainable Future Award; Amazon’s first feature-length Australian documentary commission
Screening Location: ACMI Federation Square, Melbourne | Plan your visit to ACMI
Accessibility:
Burning is available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
Pre-recorded Q&A with Director Eva Orner
Eva Orner is an Australian, Academy and 2-time Emmy Award winning filmmaker based in Los Angeles.
Eva directed and produced the Netflix Original BIKRAM: Yogi, Guru, Predator which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival (TIFF) 2019.
Eva’s directing credits also include the AACTA award winning Chasing Asylum, which tackles Australia’s treatment of refugees and asylum seekers, Emmy award winning Out of Iraq which follows a gay Iraqi couple over a decade as they try to stay alive and together and seek asylum in the US and The Network, acquired by Netflix, set behind the scenes at the largest and most successful television network in Afghanistan.
Eva’s producing credits include the feature documentaries Taxi to The Dark Side for which she won an Academy and Emmy award, Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson which premiered in competition at Sundance 2007, The Human Behavior Experiments for Sundance, and Herbie Hancock’s Possibilities for Magnolia.
Eva’s latest film “Burning” premiered at TIFF 2021 and was released globally on Amazon in November.
Post-film Panel Discussion
Sophie Parr (moderator)
Festival Director - Human Rights Arts and Film Festival
Sophie is a lawyer and producer with a career that spans a number of industries, including NGO, film production, legal, small business, music and start-ups. Holding a first-class honours degree in International Politics & Sociology and a postgraduate Juris Doctor from the University of Melbourne, she has previously worked with Amnesty International UK, UN Human Rights, RedR Australia, Refugee Advice and Casework Service, and disability start-up Psykinetic. As Festival Director of HRAFF, Sophie is passionate about the role of film and the arts in presenting social justice and environmental issues to a broad audience and inspiring individuals to contribute towards positive change.
Portia Odell
Portia Odell is Director of the Cities Power Partnership where she leads the delivery of the program’s strategy and impact. She holds a PhD from Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute and has a history working with communities, startups and governments helping them accelerate their climate projects. She is passionate about advancing the critical work of local governments taking meaningful action on climate change and is interested in the intersection between research, innovation and policy.
Anjali Sharma
Anjali Sharma is 17 years old and is the lead litigant of the Sharma vs Environment Minister, a class action which successfully established that the environment minister owes all young people a duty of care, until overturned on appeal. She is very passionate about the disproportionate impacts of climate change, particularly towards young people and people of colour.
Instagram @anj.sharmaa
Twitter @anjsharmaaa
Ewan Waller AFSM
Dip.For (Cres 1974) B.For.Sci (Melb 1977) M.Sci (Aberdeen 1991)
I grew up on a farm in East Gippsland studied forestry and subsequently worked as a forester across the Victorian State Forests. I later managed crown land and coasts across Gippsland and was CEO of Gippsland Ports. I studied sustainable development, rural and regional planning at Aberdeen University in Scotland before returning as Gippsland Regional Manager for VicForests.
In 2005, I was appointed as the Chief Fire Officer responsible for fire management across all of the forested public land (a third of Victoria by area). The state experienced some of its most severe fire years during this time including the Grampians, Great Divide and Black Saturday fires. I set up and led the development of the increased preventative burning program and the enhanced community engagement program. During this time, I chaired COAG’s Forest Fire Management Group and was Board Director for the Bushfire CRC and Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities (AFAC).
After finishing full time work, I chaired the ministers Alpine Advisory Committee. I now chair the East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority Board, as well as a director on the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation Board and a member on the Gippsland Lakes Coordinating Committee. I also consult in land, forest and fire management and farm near Bairnsdale.