‘Koala Rescue’.
Essential Media and the UK’s Parade Media are co-producing a one-hour documentary which chronicles the heroic efforts to save koalas during Australia’s summer from hell.
Commissioned by the Seven Network, Koala Rescue follows the work of volunteer firefighters, national park and wildlife officers, firemen, vets and nurses.
All profits from international sales handled by Parade Media will go to the NSW Rural Fire Service’s bushfire disaster appeal. The doc will premiere in March.
The crew led by producer/director Max Uechtritz has been filming at a wildlife hospital, bushfire-ravaged Kangaroo Island and at various locations along the Eastern seaboard.
The film is described as a “story of heartbreak and hope – where the spirit of dedicated koala carers triumphs above the white noise of political obfuscation and climate change denial.”
Essential Media GM Brendan Dahill, who is serving as executive producer with David Alrich, said: “The plight of our koalas and the incredible volunteers that have faced the inferno to rescue and care for them really has become a symbol for the triumph of the Australian spirit in the face of adversity and some of the most extreme weather conditions we have ever seen.”
Parade Media CEO Matthew Ashcroft added: “Essential’s access from inside the bushfire catastrophe, and the stories of unsung Aussie heroes and their plight to save Australia’s wildlife is truly remarkable.
“We hope that by donating all profits from international sales to the NSW RFS Bushfire Disaster Appeal we can in some way contribute to the safeguard of future generations living in the bush.”