Blackwood-based film Windfall, which documents the extreme weather events of June 2021, will be showing at Woodend this month.
Director Brendan Hehir said the film was filled with amazing footage, local insights and humour, as well as expert analysis and explanation.
While the film captures the fear of an extreme weather event, it also uses humour, and ultimately serves a historical record.
“In June 2021, Victoria was hit with up to 300mm of rain and 12 hours of howling winds, peaking at 180km/h; truly a ‘cool climate cyclone’,” Hehir said of the event.
“It brought moist tropical air all the way from New Caledonia to wrap around a belting mid-winter storm pushing in from the Southern Ocean. The mix was explosive. Hundreds of thousands of trees were uprooted or simply snapped in half.
“With no lights, no power and failing communications, Blackwood residents hunkered down in a stonking great forest of 60m giants, raining down around their heads.
“The aim of this film is to understand and document this freak weather event and the resulting stories of endurance and recovery.”
Hehir thanked the community for contributing to the story and thanked them for their patience in awaiting its release.
Windfall will be showing at the Norma Richardson Hall (St Mary’s), Woodend, on Thursday, August 20, 6pm. The screening will be followed by a chat and refreshments (courtesy of BERG and Progress).
No bookings are required, just turn up.
