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A picture’s worth a thousand words. And it was a single photograph that lit a creative spark in producer and Bank Australia customer Rob Innes, inspiring his new documentary Chasing the Last Giants. “I saw this portrait of a giant tree in Tasmania, and was just in shock,” he recalls with a palpable sense of awe. “I had no idea we had such big trees in Australia, and as a curious person I just needed to find out more.”
The photo that took Rob’s breath away was the work of husband and wife team Dr Jennifer Sanger and Steven Pearce. Together they produce giant tree portraits to support their conservation and education work as The Tree Projects.
At the time, Rob was working as a TV producer and contacted the pair to film a story for The Project. “The impact that a few minutes of telly had on viewers was huge,” says Rob, who quickly realised there was a bigger story to tell, and more people to reach.
For the last 18 months, Rob, with fellow producer and director Joseph Nizeti, has been capturing Jennifer and Steven’s story and getting up close and personal with some of Australia’s most extraordinary giants. “Jen is an incredible scientist and Steven an incredible photographer,” he says. “Together they go to extreme lengths to locate and photograph these hidden giant trees in the Tasmanian wilderness and then communicate the science of why they matter.”
While undertaking this conservation work, The Tree Projects helped to discover a previously unknown patch of forest dubbed ‘The Grove of Giants’, which was scheduled for logging. It was thanks to their images and a group of passionate campaigners that the area was saved from being completely wiped out.
Having now encountered these hundred-year old beauties in real life, Rob – who grew up surrounded by towering gums at the base of the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria – is more determined than ever to ensure more Australians understand what’s at stake if we lose them.
“When you first experience these trees up close, you realise that they are individuals that have personality traits,” Rob explains. “They’re these living breathing things, and watching a person climb this 100 metre giant is just extraordinary. Steve describes scaling them as like riding a whale – they are alive and moving – which I think is the perfect analogy.”
Rob and Joseph have a very clear vision for what they hope Chasing the Last Giants can accomplish.
“We are working alongside impact producer Leeanne Torpey so that when audiences see this film they don’t just see a great story, they can take action,” he explains. “And our goal – which directly aligns with The Tree Projects’ own work – is to have old growth forests not only recognised for their ecological value, but also their economic potential outside of logging.” This could look like having the trees valued for their carbon and impact on our climate, or acknowledged for their tourism potential. “We want Tasmania to be considered the Big Tree State, similar to how California is recognised for its Redwoods, to remove the financial argument for logging.”
While Chasing the Last Giants has so far been generously supported by the Shark Island Foundation, Screen NSW, Screen Australia and Documentary Australia, Rob and his team need more financing to complete the film and are currently seeking contributions via their Documentary Australia page, where donations are tax-deductible. “It’s a really difficult time for feature documentaries in Australia,” Rob explains. “Broadcasters and distributors worldwide are tightening their belts and environment films have become less of a priority. It’s become very difficult to raise the funds necessary to tell these stories on the scale they deserve.”
Having had his own life changed from seeing one photograph, Rob knows how big of an impact this film could have to help conserve Australia's gentle giants.
“When I speak to friends and family about logging and deforestation, I can give them all the facts and figures and not see any change. But if you show them these trees and tell a story, it invokes an emotional response like I’ve never seen in my life. That’s why we need to tell this story. To change people’s minds and inspire them to take action.”
Want to learn more about Chasing the Last Giants? Head here to read more about the project or to make a donation.
