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W H A T :THE HUNTER
Director Daniel Nettheim, Australia, 2011, 101 minutes.
Filmed in Tasmania.
Genre: Suspense thriller; eco-drama.
Social hour 60 minutes before each screening, with cash bar and a la carte hors d'ouerves from the Europa Bistro and Café.
W H E N :
Wednesday, April 18, 7:00 pm
Thursday, April 19, 7:00 pm
Doors open for social hour at 6:00;
seating at 6:30, film at 7:00.
W H E R E :
The Carnegie Arts Center
1028 Scott Blvd., Covington KY 41011
859-491-2030
Easy Access, Free Parking:
Printable PDF parking map
Interactive directional map
Printable map and written directions
New to the Carnegie? Learn more.
T I C K E T S :
Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.*
Tickets for students and Enjoy the Arts members with valid ID are $10*, available only at the door.
How to get Tickets
On-line:
By phone:The Carnegie,
859-491-2030, Tue-Fri 12-5p
Tollfree,
888-428-7311, Mon-Fri 9a-7p
In person at these area locations
(click each location for a map):
Clifton-Ludlow Avenue,
Sitwell's Coffee House
513 281 7487
Mt. Lookout Square,
Lookout Joe Coffee Roasters
513 871 8626
Downtown Cincinnati,
Coffee Emporium
513 651 5483
W H A T :
Filmed in Tasmania.
W H E N :
seating at 6:30, film at 7:00.
W H E R E :
1028 Scott Blvd., Covington KY 41011
859-491-2030
Printable PDF parking map
Interactive directional map
Printable map and written directions
New to the Carnegie? Learn more.
T I C K E T S :
How to get Tickets
On-line:
By phone:
859-491-2030, Tue-Fri 12-5p
888-428-7311, Mon-Fri 9a-7p
In person at these area locations
(click each location for a map):
Sitwell's Coffee House
513 281 7487
Lookout Joe Coffee Roasters
513 871 8626
Coffee Emporium
513 651 5483
Did You Know?
Australia is home to more biodiversity than any other developed nation on Earth, but its wildlife and wilderness areas are facing an extinction crisis.
Australia has the worst mammal extinction record in the world — 27 mammals have become extinct in the last 200 years. No other country or continent has such a tragic record of mammal extinctions. Another 1,500 mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and plants, along with roughly 3,000 separate ecosystems, are listed as threatened with extinction by the Australian Federal Government.
Australia is home to more biodiversity than any other developed nation on Earth, but its wildlife and wilderness areas are facing an extinction crisis.
Australia has the worst mammal extinction record in the world — 27 mammals have become extinct in the last 200 years. No other country or continent has such a tragic record of mammal extinctions. Another 1,500 mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and plants, along with roughly 3,000 separate ecosystems, are listed as threatened with extinction by the Australian Federal Government.
The Cast
Willem Dafoe
It's a classic case of "small town Midwestern boy makes good" — the Appleton Wisconsin native, known for his gravely voice and steely gaze, has carefully chosen his projects based on the diversity of roles and the opportunity to work with the best filmmakers.
A masterful and experienced character actor (70 films in 35 years), Willem has worked with a stellar list of top-tier Hollywood and Independent directors at home and abroad — Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Oliver Stone, William Friedkin, Spike Lee, Werner Herzog, Julian Schnabel, David Cronenberg, Wes Anderson, Paul Schrader, Lars von Trier, Nobuhiro Suwa, Wim Wenders, et. al.
Respected by directors, crew and his fellow actors for the intensity and passion he brings to his craft, Dafoe has been nominated for 40 film industry awards, winning 22 times. He twice received an Oscar nomination as Best Actor in a Supporting Role, in Oliver Stone's Platoon and in Elias Merhige's Shadow of the Vampire. His work in The Hunter, Antichrist, The Life Aquatic, Auto Focus, Wild at Heart, The Last Temptation of Christ, Light Sleeper, Spider-Man and The English Patient have also garnered nominations and awards for supporting, leading and ensemble performances.
On a broader scale, Willem Dafoe has been recognized for lifetime achievement by a number of domestic and international film bodies: Camerimage, Chicago International Film Festival, CineVegas, Flaiano, Las Palmas, Locarno, San Sebastian and Taormina.
Sam Neill
Sam is very much at home working in Tasmania — born in Northern Ireland, his father was an Army officer from New Zealand and his mother was English. He returned to N.Z. at age seven and eventually received his B.A. in English Literature from the University of Victoria, Australia. He has also lived and worked in the U.K. and the U.S.
Currently he resides in Sydney with homes in Beverly Hills and New Zealand and for the last ten years has owned and operated a winery in the Otago region of New Zealand.
His best-known credits include Daybreakers with Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe, The Good Wife with Rachel Ward, Jurassic Park with Laura Dern, My Brilliant Career with Judy Davis, The Piano with Holly Hunter, The Hunt for Red October with Harrison Ford and Sean Connery, A Cry in the Dark with Meryl Streep, The Dish and The Zookeeper et. al. With 60 films and 40 television movies in forty years, Sam's body of work has been recognized via the Golden Globes, Emmy Awards, AFI and numerous festival and critics organizations.
Frances O'Connor
Frances O'Connor was born in Oxfordshire England to Aussie parents, a pianist mother and nuclear physicist father. Her family returned to Australia when Fran was two and as a young adult she studied peforming arts and received her B.A. in Literature from Curtin University in Perth in 1991.
She got her start in Australian short films and television in the early-mid 90s. Fran moved on to features, Love and Other Catastrophies, Kiss or Kill and A Little Bit of Soul, in the late 90s.
Her breakout role came as the lead in the U.K. film production of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, costarring Harold Pinter, Jonny Lee Miller and Hugh Bonneville. She went on to star with Kate Hudson in About Adam which premiered at Sundance in 2000. Next came Artificial Intelligence with Jude Law and William Hurt, then Bedazzled with Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley, followed by Windtalkers with Nicolas Cage and Mark Ruffalo, Michael Crichton's Timeline, then Book of Love, and The Lazarus Child with Andy Garcia and Angela Bassett.
With two films in post-production, Fran is currently filming a third, Emanuel and the Truth about Fishes with Jessica Biel and Alfred Molina.
Willem Dafoe
It's a classic case of "small town Midwestern boy makes good" — the Appleton Wisconsin native, known for his gravely voice and steely gaze, has carefully chosen his projects based on the diversity of roles and the opportunity to work with the best filmmakers.
A masterful and experienced character actor (70 films in 35 years), Willem has worked with a stellar list of top-tier Hollywood and Independent directors at home and abroad — Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Oliver Stone, William Friedkin, Spike Lee, Werner Herzog, Julian Schnabel, David Cronenberg, Wes Anderson, Paul Schrader, Lars von Trier, Nobuhiro Suwa, Wim Wenders, et. al.
Respected by directors, crew and his fellow actors for the intensity and passion he brings to his craft, Dafoe has been nominated for 40 film industry awards, winning 22 times. He twice received an Oscar nomination as Best Actor in a Supporting Role, in Oliver Stone's Platoon and in Elias Merhige's Shadow of the Vampire. His work in The Hunter, Antichrist, The Life Aquatic, Auto Focus, Wild at Heart, The Last Temptation of Christ, Light Sleeper, Spider-Man and The English Patient have also garnered nominations and awards for supporting, leading and ensemble performances.
On a broader scale, Willem Dafoe has been recognized for lifetime achievement by a number of domestic and international film bodies: Camerimage, Chicago International Film Festival, CineVegas, Flaiano, Las Palmas, Locarno, San Sebastian and Taormina.
Sam Neill
Sam is very much at home working in Tasmania — born in Northern Ireland, his father was an Army officer from New Zealand and his mother was English. He returned to N.Z. at age seven and eventually received his B.A. in English Literature from the University of Victoria, Australia. He has also lived and worked in the U.K. and the U.S.
Currently he resides in Sydney with homes in Beverly Hills and New Zealand and for the last ten years has owned and operated a winery in the Otago region of New Zealand.
His best-known credits include Daybreakers with Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe, The Good Wife with Rachel Ward, Jurassic Park with Laura Dern, My Brilliant Career with Judy Davis, The Piano with Holly Hunter, The Hunt for Red October with Harrison Ford and Sean Connery, A Cry in the Dark with Meryl Streep, The Dish and The Zookeeper et. al. With 60 films and 40 television movies in forty years, Sam's body of work has been recognized via the Golden Globes, Emmy Awards, AFI and numerous festival and critics organizations.
Frances O'Connor
Frances O'Connor was born in Oxfordshire England to Aussie parents, a pianist mother and nuclear physicist father. Her family returned to Australia when Fran was two and as a young adult she studied peforming arts and received her B.A. in Literature from Curtin University in Perth in 1991.
She got her start in Australian short films and television in the early-mid 90s. Fran moved on to features, Love and Other Catastrophies, Kiss or Kill and A Little Bit of Soul, in the late 90s.
Her breakout role came as the lead in the U.K. film production of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, costarring Harold Pinter, Jonny Lee Miller and Hugh Bonneville. She went on to star with Kate Hudson in About Adam which premiered at Sundance in 2000. Next came Artificial Intelligence with Jude Law and William Hurt, then Bedazzled with Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley, followed by Windtalkers with Nicolas Cage and Mark Ruffalo, Michael Crichton's Timeline, then Book of Love, and The Lazarus Child with Andy Garcia and Angela Bassett.
With two films in post-production, Fran is currently filming a third, Emanuel and the Truth about Fishes with Jessica Biel and Alfred Molina.
Discussion Leaders
John Alberti
Wednesday, April 18
A graduate of the University of Southern California (BA, English, 1981) and UCLA (MA, English 1984 and Ph.D., English, 1989).
Dr. Alberti has been teaching at Northern Kentucky University for twenty years, where he focuses on the relationship between American literature and popular culture as evidenced in cinema, television and music.
Currently Director of the Cinema Studies program and Professor of English, John has been instrumental in bringing the Festival of New French Films to NKU — the third annual series is now underway.
Andrea Gazzaniga
Thursday, April 19
A graduate of Wellesley College (BA magna cum laude, English & Italian, 1995) and Cornell University (MA English and American Literature, 2001 and Ph.D. 2004), Dr. Andrea Gazzaniga came to Northern Kentucky University in 2010 from a teaching position at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte.
In addition to teaching English and Victorian Literature, Andrea also specializes in Cinema Studies, and has taught courses on the films of Alfred Hitchcock and film noir.
John Alberti
Wednesday, April 18
A graduate of the University of Southern California (BA, English, 1981) and UCLA (MA, English 1984 and Ph.D., English, 1989).
Dr. Alberti has been teaching at Northern Kentucky University for twenty years, where he focuses on the relationship between American literature and popular culture as evidenced in cinema, television and music.
Currently Director of the Cinema Studies program and Professor of English, John has been instrumental in bringing the Festival of New French Films to NKU — the third annual series is now underway.
Andrea Gazzaniga
Thursday, April 19
A graduate of Wellesley College (BA magna cum laude, English & Italian, 1995) and Cornell University (MA English and American Literature, 2001 and Ph.D. 2004), Dr. Andrea Gazzaniga came to Northern Kentucky University in 2010 from a teaching position at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte.
In addition to teaching English and Victorian Literature, Andrea also specializes in Cinema Studies, and has taught courses on the films of Alfred Hitchcock and film noir.
THE HUNTER does what a good movie is supposed to do, giving us an original, believable story that holds attention throughout. It is well written and beautifully photographed with a well-developed central character.
Without a formulaic Hollywood plot, and without gratuitous sex, bloodshed or special effects, this film assumes the audience has some smarts — without telegraphing every move or telling viewers what to think. It melds multiple mysteries and builds suspense in a narrative arc set in the real world amid important, universal issues. It is a movie you will think about, and talk about, long after the lights go up.
§> If the trailer does not load correctly, watch it here. <§
Without a formulaic Hollywood plot, and without gratuitous sex, bloodshed or special effects, this film assumes the audience has some smarts — without telegraphing every move or telling viewers what to think. It melds multiple mysteries and builds suspense in a narrative arc set in the real world amid important, universal issues. It is a movie you will think about, and talk about, long after the lights go up.
§> If the trailer does not load correctly, watch it here. <§
IN THE HUNTER, ADAPTED FROM JULIA LEIGH'S award-winning book of the same name, the central character is a detached, emotionally distant loner, tasked with finding the last remaining Tasmanian tiger by a shadowy biotech company convinced its DNA has vast commercial value.
TWO-TIME OSCAR NOMINEE WILLEM DAFOE is perfectly cast as middle-aged Martin David, a seasoned, superbly physically fit freelance hunter and survival expert, well suited for a difficult mission in the wilds of Tasmania.
WITH MOUNTAINS, MOORS, BEAUTIFUL OLD-GROWTH FORESTS and sudden dramatic weather changes at elevation, Tasmania is moody, atmospheric and mysterious. The setting, and excellent cinematography, compliment a storyline that presents several disparate mysteries, suspensefully building to convergence in the final act. In a parallel thread, the conflict between loggers and environmentalists provides real-life context as they wrestle for control of Tasmania's massive forests.
AS WE'VE COME TO EXPECT via his other cinematic personas, Willem Dafoe (Platoon, The Last Temptation of Christ, Shadow of the Vampire, Wild at Heart, The English Patient, Basquiat, Auto Focus, Miral) imbues his lead role with introspective complexity and depth. Veteran actor Sam Neill (The Good Wife, Jurassic Park, My Brilliant Career, The Piano, The Hunt for Red October) has a supporting role as the enigmatic Jack Mindy; as does Fran O'Connor (Mansfield Park, Windtalkers, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, Bedazzled, Love and Other Catastrophes) as Lucy Armstrong, a recently widowed mother of two.
BUT THE HUNTER BELONGS TO DAFOE, onscreen in almost every scene. In a manner reminiscent of Joseph Conrad's classic Heart of Darkness, Martin has his own interior darkness: the lone hunter must reconcile his emotional isolation with his growing attachment to the family he encounters, and address the ethical paradox that presents as his mission unfolds. Concurrently, he must deal with the ominous reason why Lucy Armstrong's husband has gone missing; the hidden agenda of Jack Mindy; as well as the discovery that he is not alone in the field — someone is stalking him while he searches for the tiger.
As the scenes flow to conclusion in this psychological drama, the well-developed screenplay, Dafoe's power of expression and the artful use of silence build suspense and a sense of anticipation as his character is transformed in the final frames.
Selected Reviews
"The Hunter is engrossing and thoughtful entertainment. It's a mystery with a message." ~ Michael O'Sullivan, The Washington Post Full review
"The film is really Dafoe's show, and he reminds once again why he is such a tremendous actor and also one so easy to underestimate and take for granted." ~ Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times Full review
"Nettheim films long stretches without dialogue and lets the landscape take center stage, relying on Robert Humphreys' superb camerawork to tell the story. ~ Linda Barnard, Toronto Star Full review
"The Hunter never declares who is good or bad or right or wrong. The implications of Martin's decision when the moment of truth finally arrives are left for the viewer to unravel." ~ Stephen Holden, New York Times Full review
It's especially nice to report the arrival of a new Australian film called The Hunter ... you might call it an eco-thriller. The wonderfully talented Willem Dafoe plays the title role. From his first important screen role in Streets Of Fire, through his career-best performance as Jesus in Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation Of Christ, and on to today's film, he manages to capture the essence of all characters he portrays. He possesses one of the most expressive faces in film today. ~ Larry Thomas, WVXU Radio, 91.7 FM Full review
Seven audience reviews from IMDB
About Thylacine, the Tasmanian Tiger
Geographically and genetically isolated, Tasmania is known for its unique flora and fauna. Many species migrated to the single Australia-New Zealand-New Guinea-Tasmania landmass from South America 50 million years ago, when the southern pole had a temperate climate and the super continent of Gondwana connected South America, Antarctica and Australasia.
Australian mammals and birds have developed distinctive looks and characteristics due to the fact that Australia has been sitting alone in the South Seas for forty million years and is the driest and flattest of all inhabited continents. As schoolchildren, we were fascinated to learn about the strange looking and uniquely talented species found only in Australia. For example: kangaroos, wallabies, dingos, cassowaries, dugongs, currowongs, kookaburras, river dolphins, koalas, devils, quolls, potoroo, wombats, bettongs, emus, bandicoots, and perhaps most incredible — the duck-billed, flat-tailed, toothless, carnivorous, egg-laying platypus.
Another such animal is the Thylacine. Commonly referred to as the Tasmanian Tiger (because of its stripes) and sometimes called the Marsupial Wolf, the Thylacine is actually neither tiger nor wolf — it is a carnivorous marsupial. Strange looking to our eyes, more like a dog than a cat, the Thylacine was both beloved and hated in Tasmania — two of them are shown in the great seal of the State and one is included in the government's tourism logo.
The thylacine's scientific name - thylacinus cynocephalus - is Greek for "dog-headed pouched one." The earliest known example of the species dates back 23 million years to the early Miocene and this thylacinid was much smaller than its recent relatives. The largest member of the family, about the size of a wolf, survived until modern times.
On the Australian mainland and in New Guinea, the thylacine was eradicated by competition from natural predators by the time Europeans moved in, but it survived on the island of Tasmania – for a while. Tasmanian farmers demonized the thylacine as a sheep-killer, although feral dogs and thieving humans were a much greater threat and more likely culprits. The government, pushed by the wool industry, offered a bounty for kills from 1888 to 1909, leading to the demise of species in the wild circa 1930. In July 1936 thylacines were granted governmental protection, but it was too late – the last known thylacine died two months later in September 1936 in the Hobart Zoo. Over the last several decades, there have been thousands of thylacine sightings in Tasmania and on the mainland, but none have been conclusively substantiated.
Since 1936 — in death — the thylacine has become a Tasmanian icon. And ironically, the thylacine was posthumously exonerated of sheep-killer charges: zoological and biomechanical research has determined that thylacine jaws could not handle prey as large as sheep – they were suited only for smaller game such as wallabies, bandicoots and possums.
From research examining thylacine elbow and foot structure, Brown University palaeontologists have shown that it hunted like a cat, not a wolf. While wolves often hunt in packs, chasing down their prey over large distances, the thylacine's bones suggest it used stealth, surprise and short bursts of speed, like a large cat, to catch its meals. From specimens kept in zoos, observers discovered that they would hop and jump like kangaroos when frightened, and they could also sit upright on their hind legs without discomfort.
Visit these links to learn more about the Tasmanian Tiger and the wildlife of Australia:
Wikipedia, facts and history.
The Tylacine Museum.
The lost Tasmanian Tiger, video, 1 min.
Return of the Thylacine? video, 4 min.
Sighting in the wild, 1973. video, 15 sec.
Cloning the Tasmanian Tiger, Discovery Channel, 50 min.
Natural Mystery Series, 10 video segments, 5.5 min each.
The Tasmanian Devil.
Geographically and genetically isolated, Tasmania is known for its unique flora and fauna. Many species migrated to the single Australia-New Zealand-New Guinea-Tasmania landmass from South America 50 million years ago, when the southern pole had a temperate climate and the super continent of Gondwana connected South America, Antarctica and Australasia.
Australian mammals and birds have developed distinctive looks and characteristics due to the fact that Australia has been sitting alone in the South Seas for forty million years and is the driest and flattest of all inhabited continents. As schoolchildren, we were fascinated to learn about the strange looking and uniquely talented species found only in Australia. For example: kangaroos, wallabies, dingos, cassowaries, dugongs, currowongs, kookaburras, river dolphins, koalas, devils, quolls, potoroo, wombats, bettongs, emus, bandicoots, and perhaps most incredible — the duck-billed, flat-tailed, toothless, carnivorous, egg-laying platypus.
Another such animal is the Thylacine. Commonly referred to as the Tasmanian Tiger (because of its stripes) and sometimes called the Marsupial Wolf, the Thylacine is actually neither tiger nor wolf — it is a carnivorous marsupial. Strange looking to our eyes, more like a dog than a cat, the Thylacine was both beloved and hated in Tasmania — two of them are shown in the great seal of the State and one is included in the government's tourism logo.
The thylacine's scientific name - thylacinus cynocephalus - is Greek for "dog-headed pouched one." The earliest known example of the species dates back 23 million years to the early Miocene and this thylacinid was much smaller than its recent relatives. The largest member of the family, about the size of a wolf, survived until modern times.
On the Australian mainland and in New Guinea, the thylacine was eradicated by competition from natural predators by the time Europeans moved in, but it survived on the island of Tasmania – for a while. Tasmanian farmers demonized the thylacine as a sheep-killer, although feral dogs and thieving humans were a much greater threat and more likely culprits. The government, pushed by the wool industry, offered a bounty for kills from 1888 to 1909, leading to the demise of species in the wild circa 1930. In July 1936 thylacines were granted governmental protection, but it was too late – the last known thylacine died two months later in September 1936 in the Hobart Zoo. Over the last several decades, there have been thousands of thylacine sightings in Tasmania and on the mainland, but none have been conclusively substantiated.
Since 1936 — in death — the thylacine has become a Tasmanian icon. And ironically, the thylacine was posthumously exonerated of sheep-killer charges: zoological and biomechanical research has determined that thylacine jaws could not handle prey as large as sheep – they were suited only for smaller game such as wallabies, bandicoots and possums.
From research examining thylacine elbow and foot structure, Brown University palaeontologists have shown that it hunted like a cat, not a wolf. While wolves often hunt in packs, chasing down their prey over large distances, the thylacine's bones suggest it used stealth, surprise and short bursts of speed, like a large cat, to catch its meals. From specimens kept in zoos, observers discovered that they would hop and jump like kangaroos when frightened, and they could also sit upright on their hind legs without discomfort.
Visit these links to learn more about the Tasmanian Tiger and the wildlife of Australia:
Wikipedia, facts and history.
The Tylacine Museum.
The lost Tasmanian Tiger, video, 1 min.
Return of the Thylacine? video, 4 min.
Sighting in the wild, 1973. video, 15 sec.
Cloning the Tasmanian Tiger, Discovery Channel, 50 min.
Natural Mystery Series, 10 video segments, 5.5 min each.
The Tasmanian Devil.
About Tasmania
One of the largest islands in the world, the Australian state of Tasmania lies 150 miles across the straits from Melbourne and is surrounded by the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Perhaps best known as the birthplace of actor Errol Flynn and Nobel Prize winner Elizabeth Blackburn, Tasmania is also home to many unique, diverse and irreplaceable species of plants and animals.
The island state differs greatly from mainland Australia - it's a far cry from the suntans, bikinis and "put another shrimp on the Barbie" stereotype. Indeed, Tassie topography is similar to the majestic New Zealand we've come to know from The Lord of the Rings.
Comparative Perspective: Shaped roughly like the State of Ohio, Tasmania's land mass is about half the size of the Buckeye State and its population of 507,000 — only 4% of Ohio's 11.5 million — equates to 25% of the Cincinnati Metro population. Tassie population density is only 6% of Ohio's with fewer than 20 people per square mile, and with of the inhabitants living in or near the capitol city of Hobart, there are thousands of square miles totally devoid of people.
Tasmania is volcanic in origin with dolerite (magma) infusing granite, limestone and quartzite during the Jurassic period. The combination of these different rock types offers incredible scenery, much of it distinct from any other region of the world. Tasmanian elevations range from sea level to 5,295 feet — the highland plateaus and soaring mile-high mountains offer some of the most beautiful wilderness in the world.
More trees than people.
As witnessed in The Hunter, logging companies and environmental groups have a history of conflict regarding Tasmania's old-growth forests. Tasmania is home to the tallest hardwood forests on Earth, with trees reaching over 300 feet and living over 400 years.
It is also home to Australia's greatest tracts of temperate rainforest. These forests are among the most carbon-dense in world, with tremendous environmental and ecological importance. About 40% of Tasmania is held in the form of parks and reserves, but logging frequently occurs on public lands.
Ninety percent of the timber removed from Tasmania's public forests is turned into woodchips for paper production, which quickly returns the carbon to the atmosphere, increasing global warming. An ugly byproduct of this process is the burning of timber harvest remains in the clearfelling areas - ignited by napalm drops from helicopters - devastating thousands of acres of natural habitat and watersheds via as many as 400 burnings each year.
Visit these links to learn more about Tasmania and its environmental concerns and issues:
Wikipedia, facts and figures.
Map showing the Central Plateau where The Hunter was filmed.
Old-growth forests in jeopardy.
Tasmania's irreplaceable forests.
Pulp Friction, the controversy and impact of one Tasmanian pulp mill project.
Pulp mill gets green light from the government.
Satellite map shows extent of Tasmanian logging.
Logging moratorium ineffective.
One of the largest islands in the world, the Australian state of Tasmania lies 150 miles across the straits from Melbourne and is surrounded by the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Perhaps best known as the birthplace of actor Errol Flynn and Nobel Prize winner Elizabeth Blackburn, Tasmania is also home to many unique, diverse and irreplaceable species of plants and animals.
The island state differs greatly from mainland Australia - it's a far cry from the suntans, bikinis and "put another shrimp on the Barbie" stereotype. Indeed, Tassie topography is similar to the majestic New Zealand we've come to know from The Lord of the Rings.
Comparative Perspective: Shaped roughly like the State of Ohio, Tasmania's land mass is about half the size of the Buckeye State and its population of 507,000 — only 4% of Ohio's 11.5 million — equates to 25% of the Cincinnati Metro population. Tassie population density is only 6% of Ohio's with fewer than 20 people per square mile, and with of the inhabitants living in or near the capitol city of Hobart, there are thousands of square miles totally devoid of people.
Tasmania is volcanic in origin with dolerite (magma) infusing granite, limestone and quartzite during the Jurassic period. The combination of these different rock types offers incredible scenery, much of it distinct from any other region of the world. Tasmanian elevations range from sea level to 5,295 feet — the highland plateaus and soaring mile-high mountains offer some of the most beautiful wilderness in the world.
More trees than people.
As witnessed in The Hunter, logging companies and environmental groups have a history of conflict regarding Tasmania's old-growth forests. Tasmania is home to the tallest hardwood forests on Earth, with trees reaching over 300 feet and living over 400 years.
It is also home to Australia's greatest tracts of temperate rainforest. These forests are among the most carbon-dense in world, with tremendous environmental and ecological importance. About 40% of Tasmania is held in the form of parks and reserves, but logging frequently occurs on public lands.
Ninety percent of the timber removed from Tasmania's public forests is turned into woodchips for paper production, which quickly returns the carbon to the atmosphere, increasing global warming. An ugly byproduct of this process is the burning of timber harvest remains in the clearfelling areas - ignited by napalm drops from helicopters - devastating thousands of acres of natural habitat and watersheds via as many as 400 burnings each year.
Visit these links to learn more about Tasmania and its environmental concerns and issues:
Wikipedia, facts and figures.
Map showing the Central Plateau where The Hunter was filmed.
Old-growth forests in jeopardy.
Tasmania's irreplaceable forests.
Pulp Friction, the controversy and impact of one Tasmanian pulp mill project.
Pulp mill gets green light from the government.
Satellite map shows extent of Tasmanian logging.
Logging moratorium ineffective.