Environmental Film Festival Australia is back with EFFA presents: Home Grown, their first ever festival to focus entirely on Australian cinema.
Taking place on Saturday 1 June at ACMI, Fed Square, this pop-up event invites audiences to journey across our coastlines, mountain regions, desert landscapes, cities and ecosystems, through personal stories of nature, belonging and protest.
From Werribee Gorge to the Northern Territory, traversing the tops of Mt Kosciuszko and all the way down to Bruny Island, EFFA presents: Home Grown shares distinctly Australian perspectives on the environment, connection to country, and the fight to protect our home.
Designed to spark conversation and demand action, this exploration of Australia on screen includes documentaries, animation, comedy, experimental visual art and even a seagull falling in love with a drone.
Festival Co-Director, Freyja Gillard said: “In a time when many are experiencing climate anxiety, this program is all about empowerment and hope.”
“The climate crisis can feel really big and overwhelming, so we wanted to highlight local home grown stories, showcasing Australia’s unique environs and the tangible efforts being made to preserve them,” she said.
The day will include an Australian Shorts package, the feature-length Where The Water Starts and a double feature of Water Is Life and RIVERTREE, alongside filmmaker panels, Q&As and community gatherings.
EFFA presents: Home Grown
Saturday 1 June, 2024 – ACMI, Fed Square, Naarm/Melbourne
- 2pm-3.45pm Australian Shorts Package
- 4.15pm-5.35pm Feature – Where The Water Starts
- 6.15pm-9pm Double feature – Water Is Life and RIVERTREE
Australian Shorts Package
The Australian Shorts Package includes short intro speeches and is followed by a panel of selected filmmakers.
- Bird Drone (2023) 8’55 | A heartfelt story of unrequited love between a lonely seagull and a human-operated drone with a limited battery life.
- A CALL TO ARMS (2023) 20’ | A dance film traversing the landscapes of Takayna, from rugged coastline to the deep ancient temperate rainforests.
- No Distance Between Us (2018) 12’ | Explore the history and cultural significance of the Willandra Lakes Region in far-west NSW, the largest human fossil footprint site in the world.
- An Island Off An Island (2023) 8’09 | An intimate portrait about life in Bruny Island, away from the distractions of the outside world.
- Petrichor (2019) 1’48 | A vibrant sensory experience drawing you through a vivid, jewel-toned ecosystem of insects and nature.
- Outpicker (2023) 14’ | A queer immigrant finds a sense of belonging in the Australian landscape through litter-picking.
Feature screening – Where The Water Starts (2021)
The Snowy Mountains have acted as a huge sponge releasing water through summer into several great rivers. Now it’s being trampled, dried out and burnt up. With the fragile alpine environment at a tipping point, Where The Water Starts follows Richard Swain and other respected Aboriginal community leaders, as they fight to protect the High Country.
Following the screening, attendees are invited to join EFFA in Cameo to discuss the film in a partially-led community gathering.
Double feature Water Is Life (2018) and RIVERTREE (2023)
Includes a short intro speech and the screening is followed by a Q&A with SEED Mob and Rivertree representatives. Attendees are invited to join after the Q&A, for the ‘EFFA presents: Home Grown’ Reception, an evening of conversation, networking and acknowledgements, a chance to meet the EFFA volunteers and partners, and discuss opportunities for action. Includes drinks and vegan refreshments.
- Water is Life (2018), 25’48 | Aboriginal communities fight against fracking plans in the NT, learning from First Nations brothers and sisters in the US who are suffering the effects of greedy gas companies
- RIVERTREE (2023), 30’ | A story that celebrates the mighty Clarence River (Biirrinba, Boorimbah). An adventure of community, connection and kin in the shadow of the mountains, and the race to mine the rare minerals buried in the mountain.
For the full program, visit effa.org.au
Tickets:
- Single Ticket: Standard $18, Member $12, Concession $14
- Session 3 with Reception: Standard $55, Member $29, Concession $31
- All day pass: Standard $60, Member $45, Concession $49
EFFA will donate 5% of all ticket income to Pay The Rent – www.paytherent.net.au
Tickets available via ACMI.
