Exciting development news for Wedge-Tail impact documentaries

We're passionate about telling stories that spark conversation and inspire action and have recently been out in the field – with more shoots planned over the coming months – as we continue developing two new impact documentaries exploring some of Australia's biggest environmental and social challenges. Here's a glimpse of what we've been working on.

BIG WATER

We’re delighted to have received development funding from Screen NSW to head out with climate researcher and former farm kid Lee Constable to capture early development material and explore stories for BIG WATER — a new documentary single and digital short-form series exploring the future of freshwater in Australia. What can Australia teach the world about this most important resource?

Lee delves into the story of fresh water in Australia to ask how we can produce food for a growing planet without trashing our natural ecosystems. As the idea of ‘water bankruptcy’ takes hold globally, we meet the people and places of the Murray Darling Basin in this energetic, investigative short doco series. Equal parts shocking and funny, we ask what Australians and the world have learned from this country’s unique but hard-won lessons on water.

BIG WATER (or ‘Murrumbidgee’ in Wiradjuri) is an impact-first documentary series designed for direct-to-audience distribution through partnerships with NGOs, advocacy groups and government stakeholders. If that is you we would LOVE to hear from you.

As part of our broader work in the freshwater space, we've also partnered with Environment Victoria to help shoot and produce Water Belongs to Country, featuring Tati Tati and Wadi Wadi man Brendan Kennedy. The film highlights the importance of healthy rivers and First Nations water justice, and we're proud to have contributed to the campaign.

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If you'd like to support BIG WATER, you can make a tax-deductible donation through Documentary Australia.

HUNTER

We've also recently been in the Hunter Valley with Scott Franks and cinematographer Ryan Andrew Lee, capturing development material that brings the story and landscape of feature documentary HUNTER: A Wonnarua Story to life.

HUNTER deals with change and transition in Australia’s Hunter Valley, an urgent, global-facing story told through the eyes of a Wonnarua man who has spent his life working in the shadow of the international coal giants that have transformed this region.

Wedge-Tail Pictures is supporting sister company Kawal Pictures, a Supply Nation-registered company founded by Scott Franks, the Wonnarua man who features in and writes the story with  Bill Code, the film’s director. HUNTER is produced by Bill and James Saunders, fresh off his time working on YURLU|Country, rounding out the team of key creatives to date.

The film tracks the growth of an energy transition centred around a regional Renewable Energy Zone, following Scott Franks’ legal battles with mining companies over heritage sites, and a push to preserve his nation’s fragmented culture along the way. 

At a time when global energy systems are under strain, the story of HUNTER is more timely than ever. It’s a reminder of how quickly global events can shape everyday life, and why the conversation around energy transition matters right now.

HUNTER has a trickle of development funding we can announce soon, but in the meantime you can make a tax-free donation here. We would LOVE your help on this critical project.

Festivals, TV and streaming: The Lake of Scars documentary journey continues

Following an acclaimed festival run and a theatrical release across the breadth of Australia, Wedge-Tail Pictures' feature documentary The Lake of Scars continues to find audiences both at home and internationally.

Directed by Bill Code and produced with members of the Dja Dja Wurrung community in Victoria, The Lake of Scars tells the story of an unlikely alliance between members of the Yung Balug clan and non-Indigenous locals working to protect ancient scarred trees, middens and cultural heritage at Lake Boort.

Since its world premiere at Antenna Documentary Film Festival, The Lake of Scars has screened at Gold Coast Film Festival, Castlemaine Documentary Festival, Environmental Film Festival Australia, and the Meghalaya International Film Festival in India, earning widespread praise for its sensitivity, beauty and emotional resonance. Critics have described it as “profoundly moving” and “a quietly powerful meditation on reconciliation in action.”

The film screened on NITV and ran on the SBS On Demand platform, with a further Australian release by Ronin Films, followed by a North American and international release through Random Media, landing it on several major U.S. streaming platforms.

In Australia, audiences and educators can purchase the DVD or educational licences here via Ronin Films. The film is also available to stream on DocPlay, Filmzie and on Kanopy via participating libraries and universities.

Internationally, The Lake of Scars has secured a release with Random Media where it can be directly purchased digitally and on DVD, and is now also available on global streaming platforms, including Amazon, Hoopla, The Roku Channel, Google Play and Xfinity.

Teachers in Australia can access the film on ClickView, along with a free ATOM Study Guide created with members of the Yung Balug clan.

The documentary has become a valuable tool for education and reconciliation. Schools, councils, state government departments, universities, the Australian National Maritime Museum, the National Film and Sound Archive and community groups have all hosted screenings to spark conversations about heritage protection, water use and caring for Country. Reconciliation Victoria screened the film in the run-up to the 'Voice' referendum.

Awareness generated by the film has played a role in generating tangible outcomes at Lake Boort, including additional environmental water releases and planning for visitor walkways. With its themes of care, reconciliation and the preservation of shared heritage, The Lake of Scars remains as timely as ever, a testament to the power of community and storytelling to heal Country and connect people.

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SOLD! Impact Campaign takes housing debate to federal parliament

After the documentary SOLD! Who Broke the Australian Dream? aired on Binge and Foxtel back in July, the Wedge-Tail Pictures team have been busy rolling out its impact campaign in order to keep the national conversation about housing reform alive long after the credits roll. Our goal is to use the film as a catalyst for real-world change: connecting communities, policymakers and advocates around one of the biggest issues facing Australians today: housing affordability.

SOLD! has already had a string of successful private screenings across the country, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. On the 29th of October, the campaign reached a major milestone with a special screening in Parliament House, hosted by Senator David Pocock and Greens housing spokesperson, Senator Barbara Pocock (no relation – Pococks just clearly like talking housing!). Special guest speakers for the panel included the documentary's presenter and co-writer Mark Humphries, director and creator Bill Code, Maiy Azize of campaign group Everybody's Home (and our principal impact partner) and financial journalist Alan Kohler, who joined parliamentarians and housing-sector leaders for a powerful discussion. The screening placed the housing crisis squarely in front of decision-makers, showing how policy choices have shaped the system we live in today, and how storytelling can help drive reform.

From here, SOLD! will continue its journey across Australia with private screenings hosted by a growing network of housing and community organisations, local councils, universities and advocacy groups. At each event, audiences will have the chance to hear from advocates, renters, economists and policy experts, as well as the film-makers, connecting the documentary's message to the challenges playing out in their own backyards.

November will see private screenings in Sydney (Casula and Newtown), Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne, all hosted in collaboration with groups including Tenants’ Union NSW, Shelter NSW, QShelter, QCOSS and SACOSS. Each event will reflect the needs of its community, giving audiences practical ways to stay engaged, from joining local housing campaigns to supporting calls for national reform.

Everybody's Home screenings are for members of the campaign – join up and see when the film is on here.

Like all of Wedge-Tail's films, SOLD! was made with one goal in mind: to drive change. With the help of groups like Everybody’s Home and countless community partners around the country, the film is doing just that. Through screenings and discussions, SOLD! is helping audiences take what they’ve seen on screen and turn it into real-world action.

From Parliament House to community halls across the country, SOLD! is bringing people together to rethink what the Australian Dream really means, and how we can rebuild it.