Event description

This documentary, Antarctica - The Giant Awakens by Award Winning Australian film director - Liz Courtney sheds light on our warming ocean and the threat of sea level rise, which could impact millions in the coming decade.

The warming ocean and atmosphere are accelerating the melt of the Antarctic ice sheet—a growing threat for coastal cities like Singapore, vulnerable regions along Australia’s eastern seaboard, and island nations across Oceania already experiencing rising seas, intensifying storms, and more frequent king tides. Understanding how and why Antarctic ice is changing, and how quickly, is critical if we are to confront the climate crisis and protect our future.

Recently, the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) led an expedition to Antarctica - the first scientific mission from Singapore. This film, follows a team of scientists including two emerging female PhD students as they embark on the research expedition to undertake sampling of air microbes on the Western Antarctica Peninsula, and measures of change in sea surface temperature, and the rate of glacial melt, to better understand the impacts that a frozen land thousands of kilometres from this region could have on sea-level rise this century.

Director, Liz Courtney will introduce the film and answer questions following this screening along with Dr Ariel Pezner, oceanographer and marine biogeochemist at UTS and marine scientist and UTS PhD student Hadley England.

This is your chance to also hear what it takes to select, train and take a film crew to Antarctica – and a few behind the scenes’ stories!

Seats are limited book now – bring your ideas and questions to the screening.

Watch the trailer for Antarctica - The Giant Awakens below:

This event is part of UTS Global Goals Month 2025, and is presented by UTS Sustainability and UTS BUILD. Explore more of the Global Goals Month program here.

Contact the host of Antarctica - The Giant Awakens Film Screening