The extraordinary story of Bob Brown and the forest

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The Giants explores the intertwined fates of trees and humans in a poetic portrait of environmentalist Bob Brown and the Forest.
From a seedling to forest elder: the film is a masterclass that draws on Bob’s 50 years of inspiring activism, from the Franklin campaign for Tasmania’s last wild river, to today’s battle for the Tarkine rainforest. Told in Bob’s own words, his story is interwoven with the extraordinary life cycle of Australia’s giant trees, brought to the screen with stunning award-winning cinematography and immersive animated forest landscapes.

One of Australia's most successful documentaries of 2023, the film inspired national rallies, put deforestation on the political agenda, and mobalised countless individuals and community groups to stand up for forests.

★★★★
"BEAUTIFUL AND INSPIRING"

The Guardian

★★★★
"THIS EYE-OPENING PORTRAIT OF BOB BROWN WILL STUN AND DELIGHT YOU."

Sydney Morning Herald

★★★★★
"SUBLIME."

Moviedoc

"INSPIRING....BEAUTIFUL....JOYFUL."

Jane Campion

"EVERY AUSTRALIAN NEEDS TO SEE IT."

Geraldine Brooks

Meet the Giants

Bob Brown

A Force for Nature

One of the most recognised figures in Australian politics, Dr Bob Brown has had a profound influence on the Australian cultural and political landscape. Like Greta Thunberg his activism began with a few simple, lone acts of protest that helped create a movement. He went direct from a Risdon prison cell to the Tasmanian Parliament. He has fought to save the Franklin River, Tasmania’s wilderness, and to stop the Adani coal mine. He’s campaigned for indigenous rights, LGBT rights, refugee rights, gun control, political accountability and against the Murdoch empire. Along the way he’s been imprisoned, assaulted, threatened, and shot at.

Tasmanian Myrtle Beech

Tarkine / takayna

This iconic tree is largely restricted to growing in the tarkine’s cool temperate Gondwanan rainforest. Covered in moss, laden with lichen they look like an ancient tree from a fairly tale. They are part of a rich eco-system that includes mychorrizal relationships with the extraordinary, blue Cortinarius metallicus fungi. They are at risk of logging and mining activities in the Tarkine.

Eucalyptus Regnans

Styx Valley

Eucalyptus regnans are the tallest flowering plants on earth, the equivalent of Australia’s Redwoods. These magnificent trees play a vital role in water catchments, as habitat and carbon storage but are being logged, mostly for low-value wood pulp and turned into short-life span paper products. The trees are also referred to as known as ‘Giant Ash’, Tasmanian Oak’ or, in Victoria as ‘Mountain Ash’ or ‘Vic Ash’.

Huon Pine

Tasmanian Southern Forests

Huon Pines are among the oldest growing trees on earth – this slow growing species can live for thousands of years. Fossil records show that Huon Pines have been growing in Tasmanian soil since Gondwanan-times – for around 40 million years. After extensive logging the Huon Pine is now a Tasmanian rarity – surviving trees are at risk of climate change and destruction of their surrounding environment through logging, road building and mining activities. 

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"IN A WORLD OF CHAOS AND UNCERTAINTY, BE A BOB BROWN."

–THE CURB

Credit block for the film