‘Floodland’ a warning and tribute to the strength of hope

AWARD-winning documentary Floodland will screen in cinemas nationally from February 26, documenting Lismore’s experience in the aftermath of the 2022 floods.

Filmed in the months following the disaster, the film follows local residents as they weigh whether to leave their home town or remain on the floodplain despite the risk of future flooding.

Directed by Jordan Giusti, the documentary centres on how communities respond when disaster becomes a defining part of daily life.

After winning the Sustainable Future Award at the Sydney Film Festival last year, Giusti said he hoped the film would prompt broader reflection on climate risk and recovery.

“There’s a real sense of grief in the film,” Giusti said during his acceptance speech.

“What you find is people who love their home being pushed to extremes and asking whether they can continue if it’s going to keep getting this bad.”

One of the people featured in the film is Lismore resident Harper Dalton, whose home was inundated during the floods and who spent months seeking a government buyback.

Frustrated by delays in the recovery process, Dalton went on to establish Relocate Lismore Homes, a community group assisting residents navigating rebuilding and relocation.

 

Dalton said taking part in the documentary required little performance.

“I wasn’t manufacturing anything for that film,” he said.

“At the time, I was just opening my door and letting a film crew into my life.”

Watching the finished film, he said, had at times been confronting.

“Seeing moments like when I thought I wasn’t going to get a buyback is difficult,” Dalton said.

“But it’s also meaningful to see how the film has come together and how strongly it’s resonating with people.

“This is a story that isn’t going away.”

Dalton said the floods permanently reshaped how he understands time and place.

“I see everything now as before the flood and after the flood,” he said.

“I might think about an old jumper I owned and then remember it went with the flood.

 

“The realisation keeps coming back, but my life has also changed in ways I never could have imagined, including for the better.”

Dalton was elected to Lismore Shire Council in September 2024, shortly after filming concluded.

“I never would have become involved in local politics if the flood hadn’t happened,” he said.

Giusti has said the film aims to show how repeated flood events shape generational ties to place and create a sense of shared experience.

Dalton agreed, saying many residents would remain on the floodplain, whether through necessity or long-standing connection.

“When you talk about this, you’re not just talking about a house,” he said.

“You’re talking about a cultural identification with a place.”