The Plastic Country

Australia likes to think of itself as the Lucky Country. A nation defined by pristine coastlines, vast ocean and a deep cultural connection to the sea.

But over the past few years, I began to realise that beneath this identity lies another story, one that is far less comfortable to confront.

A story made of plastic.

My journey into this issue began in my hometown of Cronulla in southern Sydney. One afternoon, a water polo training session was cancelled because the bay was too polluted with rubbish. What struck me most was how normal the situation seemed. Plastic floating in the water had simply become part of the backdrop of everyday life.

That moment sparked a question that has stayed with me ever since: how did it get to this?

As I began researching this film, I discovered that Australia is among the highest users of plastic per person in the world. Yet we are also a nation whose identity is deeply tied to nature and the ocean. That contradiction felt impossible to ignore.
I set out across Australia to investigate the true scale of the problem.

From the remote coastlines of East Arnhem Land to stormwater drains in our major cities, the journey revealed a complex story about how plastic flows through our society. I met Traditional Owners who are witnessing their sacred beaches become dumping grounds for waste carried by global ocean currents. I spoke with scientists studying the growing presence of microplastics in the environment, and wildlife carers treating animals increasingly affected by plastic ingestion and entanglement.

What quickly became clear in this journey is that plastic pollution is no longer just an environmental story.

It is increasingly a human health story.

Scientists are now detecting microscopic plastic particles and the chemicals associated with them in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and even inside the human body. As one researcher explained to me during filming, we are essentially running an uncontrolled experiment on ourselves and the ecosystems that sustain us.

At that moment, the investigation became personal.

As part of the film, I chose to test my own body for chemicals associated with plastic exposure. The results revealed the presence of compounds commonly used in plastic production. Seeing those results forced me to confront something unsettling: this crisis is not happening somewhere distant or abstract. It is happening inside all of us.

Throughout the filmmaking process, we were constantly confronted with the scale and complexity of the issue. Plastic is embedded in almost every part of modern life, from packaging and consumer goods to global supply chains and economic systems. It quickly became clear that the story could not be told simply through images of littered beaches or wildlife impacted by waste.

Instead, the film became an investigation into how a material that was once celebrated for its convenience has quietly become one of the defining environmental and public health challenges of our time.

Stylistically, we approached the film as a journey of discovery. Rather than presenting a finished set of answers, the audience travels alongside me as the investigation unfolds. The aim was to create a sense of curiosity and urgency, allowing viewers to encounter the evidence as it is revealed and to grapple with the same questions that drove the filmmaking process.

Along the way, the film captures the extraordinary beauty of Australia’s coastline and landscapes, from remote northern shores to the beaches many of us call home. Experiencing that beauty is important, because it reminds us what is at stake. The contrast between these breathtaking environments and the growing presence of plastic pollution becomes a powerful tension throughout the story.

Music also plays a role in grounding the film in place. The sound of Arnhem Land band King Stingray threads through parts of the journey, bringing a distinctly Australian energy and cultural connection to Country as the investigation moves across the continent.

To deepen the immersive experience, the film’s sound design was crafted with Australian sound designer David White, whose Academy Award-winning work includes Mad Max: Fury Road. His approach helped shape the emotional rhythm of the film, drawing audiences into both the beauty and the unease that accompanies this investigation.

Throughout the film, animated sequences are also used to help unpack complex systems behind plastic production, waste flows and microplastic pollution, allowing audiences to visualise processes that are otherwise invisible.

While the issue can at times feel overwhelming, we were equally committed to highlighting the people working toward solutions. Across Australia we met innovators developing new materials, community groups tackling waste at a local level, and policymakers beginning to explore stronger regulations on plastic production and use.

These efforts demonstrate that change is possible, but they also highlight the scale of transformation that will be required.
Ultimately, The Plastic Country is not simply a film about pollution. It is about the relationship between modern society and the materials we create and consume. It asks how a nation that prides itself on natural beauty became so dependent on a substance that is now contaminating the very environments we cherish.

More importantly, it asks what responsibility we share in shaping what happens next.

My hope is that the film encourages audiences to look at plastic differently. Not simply as waste, but as a material that carries hidden consequences for our ocean, our wildlife, and our own health.

Australia has an opportunity to confront this challenge head-on and lead the transition toward a more responsible relationship with the materials we produce and consume.

If this film helps drive that shift in awareness and action, then it will have achieved its purpose.

Kal Glanznig
Director, The Plastic Country