The Big Wet
(1994)
Gold medal winner at the New York Film Festival 1994, The Big Wet provides a striking and vivid portrayal of the wildlife in Australia’s Northern Tropics – epic in their beauty yet unforgiving in their extensive monsoon season.
Punishing in the extreme, the continuous rains sustain the area’s lush beauty while challenging the resident creatures. Wallabies and other small marsupials are forced to seek shelter, and unusually extensive flooding submerges important habitats. However, the arrival of the rains signals life for some, the production charting a variety of intriguing courtship rituals as salt water crocodiles and magpie geese begin their breeding season.
A comprehensive view from the last days of the ‘Dry’ to the first fires of April, the programme was made by renowned producer Dione Gilmour, head of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Natural History Unit (ABC NHU). Collaborating with the BBC and National Geographic on this hour long production, Gilmour enlisted the help of a large team including the award-winning photographer Mark Lamble. Stunning photography depicts the abundance of bird, mammal and reptile life, exploring the effect the variable weather has both on them, and their homes.
Beautifully filmed, The Big Wet offers an intriguing insight into the annual flooding of Australia’s Top End, detailing both the misfortunes and breathtaking beauty that are
Dione Gilmour
