We Are Conjola
Documentary
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Directed by Ash Brennan
1hr 47min
Buy TicketsOn New Year’s Eve 2019 director and film maker Ash Brennan lost his house in the Conjola Park Bushfire which nearly killed his brother and many others who stayed to fight. From his hotel room, Ash saw what was left of his home in the background of a TV news report. After almost being wiped off the map, a traumatised community waited for help. But it never came. Conjola was left abandoned. The unlikely heroes in Conjola were the local artists whose poetry, paintings, sculptures, writing and music who inspired the community to begin their pathway to recovery. Ash Brennan is creating a powerful and moving documentary about the people of Conjola and their stories, and is seeking donations to help complete the project. “For all of us who lost our houses, who suffered the trauma, who got badly burnt, and on behalf of those who sadly perished, we want our stories heard so this can never happen again. ‘We are Conjola’ is a story of survival, a story of community and a celebration of art†said Mr Brennan. Ash hopes that the creation of this film will be part of that recovery. From the Prime Minister of Australia and all the way down to fire management agencies, there were many failures which led to this disaster. Told by those who were there with footage that shows fire like it has never been seen before. This story also shows the value of art and that all levels of government need to support the arts.
