Write a short summary of what happens in the film

A young boy rides around on his BMX in a small country town. He spots a koala that has climbed up a timber power-pole mistaking it for a tree. The boy is saddened by this. He lays awake that night worrying. The following day he attaches a trailer to his bicycle. He sets the trailer up for the koala with a little blanket, some water, and gum leaves. He rides back to the power-pole to get the koala down. He fails and is disappointedly looking out to a field. He turns around to see the koala has climbed into his trailer. Ecstatic, he rides to the bush to drop the koala off but is shocked to see a lot of trees have been cut down. He helps the koala to find a suitable tree and joyfully says goodbye. The super then reads “Every home is worth protecting”.

Cultural/Context information for the jury

In Australia a lot of power-poles are made from tall tree logs. They could easily be mistaken for a living tree. Koalas eat gum leaves. Koalas are a threatened species, with the primary reason being habitat destruction.

Tell the jury anything relevant about the edit. Do not name the editor.

The stand out feature of the edit is the way it tells such a big story so quickly. It is difficult to tell an involved and comprehensive story succinctly, without losing any emotional impact. The pacing is brisk, whilst it doesn’t compromise the viewer’s comprehension and emotional response. Working with animals and children is known to be tricky. They both don’t always do what you want them to do. It’s more work in the edit, because you’ve got to find a piece that works with another piece but there’s really not many pieces that work. Continuity is the biggest challenge with these factors. The edit tells different sub-stories under the overarching story: alienation of the child as a lone kid in a rural town; alienation of the koala in a world where their habitats are being destroyed; and more broadly an important environmental message that has global context.