The Walkley Award for Excellence in Documentary
Celeste Geer wins Walkley Documentary Award for 2012
A moving documentary about a Victorian rural community's recovery from the devastating Black Saturday bushfires has won the Walkley Documentary Award for 2012.
Then the Wind Changed by Celeste Geer and Rebel Films / ABC TV emerged victorious from a strong field of contenders for the Award, presented at the 57th annual Walkley Awards Presentation and Gala Dinner on November 30 at Parliament House in Canberra.
The documentary features vivid and emotional accounts of the fire by members of the Strathewen community, which lost 27 residents from a population of about 200 to the horrific bushfire.
Walkley Documentary Award judges said Then the Wind Changed is an exceptional documentary due to its originality, impact and public benefit.
"As both an observer and a participant in the story, Celeste Geer achieved rare intimacy with the members of her community as they put their lives together long after the headlines had moved on.
"Her film blends dramatic archival footage with survivors' stories of grief and recovery, and prompts an emotional response," the judges said.
Geer is the second winner of the relatively new Walkley Documentary Award, following the inaugural winners Darren Dale, Tony Krawitz and Chloe Hooper for The Tall Man by Blackfella Films, which examined the death of Palm Island man Cameron Doomadgee while in police custody in 2004.
See the full list of 2012 Walkley Award winners here
Walkley Documentary Award 2012 Longlist Screenings
The National Film & Sound Archive is screening films from the 2012 Walkley Documentary Award Longlist in the iconic Arc Cinema in November and December.
Go Back to Where You Came From: Series 2
Time: 6pm
Date: 22 November
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Go Back to Where You Came From ticks every box in the current refugee debate, featuring unprecedented access to the Christmas Island detention centre and locating relatives of former asylum seekers in Mogadishu and Kabul through meticulous research. Confronting and effective television.
Then the Wind Changed
Time: 2.40pm - 3.40pm
Date: 30 November
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Then the Wind Changed is a first-person insight into the community of Strathewen, where Victoria’s Black Saturday bushfires of 2009 claimed 30 lives and destroyed the town. Filmmaker Celeste Geer demonstrates both empathy and intelligence in this story about a small community’s recovery.
Closing Ranks
Time: 3.45pm - 4.45pm
Date: 30 November
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An extraordinary piece of investigative journalism from ABC’s Four Corners that not only examines the process of police internal investigations into the use of lethal force, but also brings the tragic and lasting impact on a victim’s family into the light.
Once Upon a Time in Cabramatta
Time: 5pm - 6pm
Date: 30 November
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Once Upon a Time in Cabramatta unfolds with impact and piercing insight while serving as a comprehensive historical record spanning four decades in this remarkable Sydney suburb, using eyewitness testimony and expert analysis, and featuring impressive production values. One episode will be screened from the series.
All the Way
Time: 6pm
Date: Thursday, 6 December
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Anne Delaney reveals new information about tensions in the Australia-US relationship during the Vietnam War, winning praise from the Walkley Documentary Award judges for presenting the facts in a coherent, inclusive manner.
Divorce: Aussie Islamic Way
Time: 6pm
Date: 13 December
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With broad access to the Islamic judicial council and Islamic men and women seeking divorce, Divorce: Aussie Islamic Way is a candid glimpse into a domestic issue unknown to most Australians. While the interviews are raw and intimate, the film handles this delicate subject ethically.
