FLOODLAND Documentary Screening Brisbane - Citizen COP 2026
Description
Join us for a community screening of the award-winning documentary Floodland, followed by a Q&A discussion panel.
About Floodland:
A new documentary film, directed by Jordan Giusti, FLOODLAND tells the story of the devastating 2022 Lismore floods. Winner of the Sydney Film Festival’s prestigious 2025 Sustainability Award, FLOODLAND is a powerful illustration of the urgent need to support communities facing the climate emergency and how to enable their recovery and healing through community-led solutions.
Lismore is Australia’s flood capital, priding itself on historic resilience in the face of immeasurable deluge. But as the climate crisis rises tides, uncomfortable truths boil to the surface, leaving residents wondering if their precarious way of life can survive a changing world.
FLOODLAND was produced by MOFA and is distributed in Australia by Bonsai Films and is part of Documentary Australia’s Climate Story Lab.
The event will start with a Welcome to Country by Aunty Kathy.
Aunty Kathryn Fisher is an Aboriginal elder who was born on and grew up on Cherbourg Aboriginal Reserve. She now lives in Brisbane where she is linked to the Turrbal People through kinship ties. She has a strong spiritual connection to her people, the land and traditions. Aunty Kathryn is here with us today to deliver the Welcome to Country on behalf of the Turrbal People of Brisbane.
The film runs for 90 minutes, and will be followed by a 30 minutes Q&A, featuring:
Jeremy Chirpaz is a Senior Sustainability Advisor at UnitingCare Queensland, with expertise in energy efficiency, green building, and climate risk assessment. He is also the co-founder of Give Industries, the only commercial electrical business in Australia operating as a not-for-profit, which has donated more than $1 million to highly effective charities.
Professor Margaret Cook is an environmental historian at the Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, and an Australian Research Council Industry Fellow. Her research focuses on climate-related disasters and community resilience. She is the author of A River with a City Problem and Disasters in Australia and New Zealand, along with numerous journal articles. Margaret has also contributed widely to public discourse on floods through television, radio, and print media.
Leanne Sturgess is a long-term West End apartment resident who has experienced first-hand the devastating impacts of the 2011 and 2022 Brisbane River floods. As an active member of award-winning Resilient Kurilpa, formed after the 2022 floods, she has turned that lived experience into action—helping apartment communities better prepare for, respond to, and recover from severe weather events. She played a key role in developing Resilient Kurilpa’s Flood Management Plan and regularly shares her practical insights through webinars and presentations.
Trigger warning:
FLOODLAND contains firsthand accounts and images of the Lismore floods, including scenes of evacuation, loss of homes, and community displacement. It may be distressing or triggering for people who have experienced any kind of disaster‑related displacement, including climate‑related events such as floods, fires, or storms. Viewer discretion is advised, and we encourage you to prioritise your wellbeing: you may choose to watch with support, take breaks, or step away at any time.
About Citizen COP Australia
Citizen COP Australia is a decentralised, people-powered movement running alongside the global COPs in 2026. Enabled by People For Nature, but intentionally independent and distributed, Citizen COP invites communities, organisations, schools, businesses, artists, and local groups across Australia to host their own events during the COP period. Rather than a single central event, Citizen COP is a nationwide network of conversations, workshops, and actions that bring global climate and nature discussions into local communities. It connects people to science, solutions, and each other, strengthening civic engagement and ensuring citizen voices contribute to Australia’s climate and nature conversations.
https://www.peoplefornature.org.au/citizen-cop
About People For Nature
People For Nature is a volunteer-powered environmental charity empowering communities through climate and biodiversity education, citizen conservation, and science. We believe that when Australians understand and connect with nature, they’re more likely to protect it — safeguarding our climate, ecosystems, and well-being.
Your tax-deductible donation helps us bring initiatives like Citizen COP Australia to life and inspire real change for the planet. https://www.peoplefornature.org.au/donate
This is a public session by People For Nature.
For any questions or support, please contact:
Audrey Barucchi | a.barucchi@peoplefornature.org.au | 0406 683 018
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