Framing the Political Through the Personal

A Chat with Tom Zubrycki

Since his earliest days in Sydney’s community video movement, veteran documentary maker Tom Zubrycki has been framing the political through the personal, with his intimate protraits of individuals caught up in the winds of conflict and change. His latest film delves into the divided discourse around global warming, through the struggles of Sydney-based activist Maria Tiimon and the plight of her low-lying Pacific island nation of Kiribati, which is already succumbing to rising sea levels. On the eve of The Hungry Tide’s theatrical release, Dan Edwards spoke to Zubrycki about his fifteenth film, his 70s roots and the state of play in Australia’s documentary realm.