Fire Fighting

The 57-minute docu-drama,written and directed by Geer,recounts the story of residents of the town of Strathewen,which bore the brunt of the bushfires on the day christened,Black Saturday. At least 30 people died in a town with a population of 250 as the wind suddenly changed path and blew in their direction.

Through home footage and personal interviews,the film unwraps the stories of survival from four principal characters — a family of four,an organic farmer,a husband who lost his wife and the principal of a primary school. “It would be unfair to compare it to the tragedy that struck Uttarakhand recently,but my film is not solely about the town. I wanted to create a sense of universal human empathy for anyone who watched the film,” says Geer.

The film received the Walkley Foundation award for Best Documentary with two other nominations in Australia. In the initial days after the bushfire struck Strathewen,Geer casually started capturing footage of her surroundings and the reactions of neighbours. With time,she realised the material was good enough to make a film.

The documentary works on two levels — a personal account of Geer,and a factual portrayal of how the events shaped the conscience of a community. “I had to balance my role as a filmmaker and have empathy for my neighbours. I chose my characters on the basis of their capacity for reflection. There were many people I filmed,who were really fantastic to talk to,but they didn’t have anything physical happening in their lives to hang the story on,” she says.