Factual

A year after the tragic fire season that devastated Australia in 2019, Love Nature, a family-friendly wildlife and nature brand, is prepping After The Wildfires (1 x 60’’) for its online and linear platforms reaching 200 million homes around the world. Love Nature announces the series today at Jackson Wild’s virtual summit. Premiering this November, the hour-long special is a gripping account of the wildfires that ravaged Australia, centered on the animals that struggled to survive the disaster and the people who gave their all to save them. Produced by Sydney-based Northern Pictures, the documentary includes dramatic footage of the fires as they spread across 20 million acres of Australian land, alongside first-hand stories of the ongoing recovery efforts. A Love Nature original commission, After the Wildfires is co-produced by ABC (Australia), CBC and Blue Ant International. Blue Ant International will also oversee pre-sales and licensing exclusively outside of the commissioning territories.

“After The Wildfires is an incredibly timely and compelling look at just how fragile our natural world is,” says Carlyn Staudt, Global General Manager, Love Nature. “Northern Pictures was the perfect production partner to capture the breathtaking essence of Australia and reveal the overwhelming impact that the fires had on the landscape and the animals, and profile the people who are dedicating their lives to help.”

Shot during and in the aftermath of Australia’s worst fire season in recorded history, the hour-long program explores the calamitous toll the devastation had across the entire continent’s mega-diverse habitats and wildlife. The relentless fires led to the death of over 3 billion individual animals, including endemic species found nowhere else on the planet from kangaroos, koalas and wombats to platypus, quolls and tiny microbats. Alongside the monumental loss, After the Wildfires charts the long-term ecological recovery and the incredible human effort to support wildlife through stories of hope, human interaction and resilience. Viewers see how the fires have magnified the need for more meaningful environmental protections with a hopeful look toward the future.

“Blue Ant International has made a considerable investment in this important program because it shines a light on the long-term impact of the Australian fires and takes audiences beyond the news accounts that the entire world watched in 2019,” says Ludo Dufour, SVP, International Co-Productions and Sales, Blue Ant International. “This documentary provides an up-close look at the toll those fires had and the universal call to action to protect the world’s megadiverse habitats.”

“Fire has shaped Australia for millenia, however, last year’s devastation shows just how climate change is increasing the scale and intensity of these fires and destroying entire ecosystems,” says Karina Holden, Executive Producer, Northern Pictures. “The footage we were able to capture tells an important story that we all need to conserve and maintain our amazing biodiversity.”

After the Wildfires is executive produced by Karina Holden at Northern Pictures. James Manfull executive produces the series on behalf of Love Nature. The special is produced in association with ABC Australia, CBC Canada and Blue Ant International.