Franklin

The wonderous and spectacular Franklin River in Tasmania is just over 200km west of Hobart. The World Heritage Area is one of the planet’s last remaining wild river terrains, a composition of breath-taking cave and rock formations, majestic forests and sacred panoramas. Director Kasimir Burgess puts the Franklin River on the centre stage in the new, powerful feature-length documentary Franklin, showcasing its beauty and its battle for survival. 

In cinemas Thursday 8 September, Franklin recounts the monumental seven-year campaign to save the Franklin River from being drowned by the construction of a hydroelectric initiative in the early 1980s. The ‘Franklin Campaign’ has gone down in history as the most significant environmental protest in Australia, demonstrating the effectiveness of non-violent action. Spearheaded by Bob Brown, the former Greens party leader, the river was saved by the Labor Government under Bob Hawke’s prime ministership. 

Franklin is told through two interwoven threads. Oliver Cassidy, an eighth-generation Tasmanian and environmental activist, embarks on a solo 14-day rafting trek down the Franklin River to retrace his father Mike’s expedition. Still grieving the loss of his father, Oliver pushes through exhaustion, cold, hunger and unsurmountable obstacles while recovering from his recent gender affirmation surgery. Hugo Weaving provides a narration, reading excerpts of Mike’s diary, while we learn about Oliver’s journey through touching interview clips of his mother. 

Interviews and never-before-seen archival footage are employed to retrace the footsteps of the campaign. Uncle Jim Everett, Aunty Patsy Cameron, Upriver activists Lisa Yeates, Tim Morris and Benny Zable, and Bob Brown all weigh in and provide their reflections and memories, each showcasing their emotional connection to the river and their involvement to protect it from destruction. It was fascinating to see the activists battle with police, the tensions between the activists and local Tasmanians, and the code they lived by to pursue a peaceful protest. The campaign culminates in ‘Green Day’ or ‘G-Day’ – just days before the 1983 Australian election – where the activists unite for one-last attempt to prove to the world that the river is worth saving. 

The message taken from Franklin is the enduring power of the collective to spark systemic change. Put simply, this is inspiring stuff. The documentary is superb and probably one of the best I have watched in a long time. What was unexpected is the undercurrent of poignance and sadness. Watching Oliver’s journey and mourning his father, the story about the Lea Tree, and the sheer power the river made for emotive viewing.  

Franklin is a mix of activism, sustainability, jaw-dropping beauty and a beautiful personal story. It’s a story of an Australia that cares about the environment and its future. 

Franklin has been nominated in the Best Documentary category at the upcoming AACTA Awards.

Franklin
In cinemas Thursday 8 September 2022
View Trailer