POZIERES

Between July and August, 1916, the small village of Pozieres in northern France became the centre of one of the bloodiest battles of the Great War. By the end of August the village had been destroyed. The battles to reclaim the territory for the French nation were to become legendary.

* WINNER! First Place, Gold Camera Award - BEST DOCUMENTARY, 2000 US International Film & Video Festival

POZIERES is a tiny village in Northern France. In 1916, during the Great War, Pozieres became the centre of one of the bloodiest battles and the key to the success of the Battle for the Somme. The village was stormed and captured by Australians. In less than seven weeks they suffered twenty-three thousand casualties for this tiny patch of earth.

POZIERES was like a stone thrown violently into a pool that was the consciousness of a nation. The ripples spread outwards from the French village to the homes and hearts of those who endured, suffered and lost. POZIERES is a twentieth century tragedy.

This film takes the viewer back in time. Our camera finds young men in the fields and trenches of France, railway carriages in Egypt and the Australian bush. We meet their families in the parlours of small cottages and rowdy public meetings in Australia.

Everyone is touched in some way by this tiny village, and eighty-four years later we go back to Pozieres to find out, if it was all worth anything.

Principal credits:

Written and directed by Wain Fimeri
Produced by Lynda House
Associate Producer – Charlotte Seymour
Director of Photography – Jaems Grant
Editor – Mark Atkin
Production designer – Chris Kennedy
Sound recordist – Mark Tarpey
Music composer – Bruce Smeaton
Cast (in order of appearance):
Narrator – Nadine Garner
David Tredinnick (as Tom Gardner)
Helen Morse (as Mabel Gardner)
James Shaw (as General Haig)
Christopher Schlusser (as Frightened Soldier)
Mat Dyktynski (as Eric Liddy)

Producer in association with Nine Network Australia
Produced with the assistance of the Australian Commercial television Production Fund
Produced with the assistance of Film Victoria

© Elm Films Pty Ltd, 2000

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• preview Click here to download POZIERES Study Guide (PDF 206.8 kb)

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