Gunnedah connection at international film premiere in New York

An investigative documentary with a local connection has had its international premiere recently after seeing success locally and internationally.

The documentary, How to Poison a Planet, delves into per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in Australia and globally. The chemical is largely known for being used in fire-fighting foam but is also found in everyday items.

Director and co-producer Katrina McGowan has a Gunnedah connection through her father Richard McGowan, who was a cadet at the Namoi Valley Independent. She is also the niece of Andrew and Judy McGowan.

The New York premiere was attended by about 400 people, including actor Mark Ruffalo. He appeared in the documentary as an environmental activist.

Katrina said the premiere was almost a full house, notably with law and environmental students in attendance.

She co-produced the film with husband Mat Cornwell and Janine Hosking, who has been a mentor to her in the film world. It was produced by Janine’s company IKandy films.

The Sydney Morning Herald journalist Carrie Fellner also worked in collaboration to investigate the effects of “forever chemicals”.

The documentary was commissioned by the popular Australian streaming service, Stan.

According to the Australian Government PFAS website, the chemical is highly mobile in water and does not fully break down. It is toxic to a range of animals and people.

The documentary has seen success since its Australian release, including with the 2024 Walkley Documentary Award.

The judges described the piece as a “bold, brilliant documentary” and praised the team’s ability to take a regional Australian story and uncover a global problem.

“The team demonstrates tenacity, creativity and excellence in all aspects of documentary craft, while applying strong journalistic rigour,” the judges wrote. “A gripping, powerful work, and thoroughly compelling for a global audience.”

Katrina and the team were visiting the Aboriginal community of Wreck Bay near Jervis Bay. They were following a story about community contamination from firefighting foam on a neighbouring defence air base.

The team learnt about sickness in the community, such as cancers and heart disease.

“It is pretty overwhelming,” Katrina said.

She said it is all about making a step in the right direction. Through education, people can make judgement on how they want to approach decisions around the chemicals.

“People should have the right to make a choice [about what they are buying],” Katrina said.