Director Jane Hammond
Score 6/6

WA’s south-west forests are part of one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet and are recognised for their ability to capture and store carbon. They are vital to slowing run-away climate change yet instead of preserving them we are cutting them down at an alarming rate for charcoal, firewood and woodchips. Forests play a crucial role in the water cycle but the streams that once bubbled through these ecological communities are drying up and the critical habitat they provide for endangered species is shrinking. Cry of the Forests takes viewers to the heart of the forests to see first-hand the beauty of these towering ecosystems and the life they support.

Cry of the Forests is being screened as part of the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival. Also we got to interview Director Jane Hammond via Zoom.

Even if you are not the most environmental person and your contribution to saving the planet amounts to remembering to put your recycling in the right bin and composting your kitchen scraps (like me) your aware of the effects of climate change on the environment and possible even believe that cutting down trees for lumber needs to be done in a sustainable way. So, a lot of you are going to be surprised about the Western Australian Government’s management of WA’s south-west forests and the effect that this management style has had on plantation lumber in Western Australia. Now, director Jane Hammond has delivered a highly informative documentary that isn’t preachy, that has some stunning yet heartbreaking footage that is probably a little confronting when seen on a cinema screen (for those of you wondering I watched Cry of the Forests at home on my laptop). There were interesting points made by the cultural custodians of the forests about the connection that the people have with the forest. Interesting points were also made about the effect of bauxite mining on old growth forests.