K.T Simpson
Marking the forty-year anniversary of the ‘Franklin campaign’, Australian documentary Franklin will be heading into theatres from September 4, launching a national cinema release with a simulcast Q&A screening featuring environmentalist Oliver Cassidy and former Australian Greens leader Bob Brown.
The stunning new Australian documentary Franklin is directed and co-written by Kasimir Burgess (The Leunig Fragments), co-written by Claire Smith and produced by Chris Kamen.
Featuring never-before-seen archival footage and interviews with key players such as former Greens leader Bob Brown and Tasmanian Aboriginal elder Uncle Jim Everett, the eight-year-long Franklin campaign is revealed as Australia’s most significant environmental protest and an inspiring example of the power of peaceful protest to bring about lasting change.
Spectacularly shot in 4K by cinematographer Benjamin Bryan, against a backdrop of glorious natural beauty, eighth-generation Tasmanian and environmentalist Oliver Cassidy embarks on a life-changing solo rafting trip down the remote Franklin River. His goal is to retrace his late father’s 14-day expedition to attend the blockade that saved the World-Heritage listed national park from being destroyed by a huge hydroelectric dam project in the early 1980s.
Highly cinematic, Franklin is a deeply personal and utterly absorbing film, with Oliver Cassidy physically challenged beyond his limits as he battles against the odds on his journey of healing, both from recent gender affirming surgery and the grief of the loss of his father. “It’s a story that gives us all hope,” says co-writer Claire Smith.
“This is a film about everyday people standing up for what they believe in to make the world a better place,” says Oliver. “The Franklin river campaign is more important than ever, given the right to protest is under threat around Australia.”
Following its successful run at the Melbourne International Film Festival, Franklin will screen in cinemas nationally on Sunday, September 4, followed by a live simulcast Q&A with Oliver Cassidy and Bob Brown. Cinemas nationally will also screen the film in-season from September 8, 2022.
