Dubbo residents on the big screen in a documentary film about the Macquarie Valley

A documentary following the history, ecology and people of the Macquarie Valley is set to come to Dubbo's Reading Cinemas later this month.

'Following the Flow' which was filmed in February 2020 tackles some tough issues in the region, at a time when water management was at the forefront of everyone's minds.

The film features a few residents of Wellington, including Norm Wilson from Twin Rivers Fishing Club and Mike Nolan from Wellington LALC.

Documentary film maker Jed Coppa moved out to the Central West during the worst drought on record and was shocked at the state of the river systems.

"The creeks were dry and the dams were empty, there was so much talk in the media about what was going wrong with our water management, but it often seemed contradictory and I wanted to know more," he said.

This set him and his crew out to explore the Macquarie Valley from top to bottom and meet with as many people as he could along the way to find out what was going wrong.

"I think the story behind 'Following the Flow' is so important, not just out West but for everyone," he said.

"We are all connected to our inland rivers, even if it's just for the clothes on our back, the food on our plates and the habitat for some of our most unique and special plants and animals."

When Mr Coppa set out to shoot 'Following the Flow' it was originally going to be about a river system on life support, crippled by the worst drought on record after years of neglect.

Instead, in February 2020 the drought was finally breaking.

"Instead of shooting dry river beds and meeting with farmers and communities stricken by years of drought we were privileged to see water, and life, returning to the system after three long years," he said.

"Our short film quickly blew out into a feature length movie to fit in all the stories we found along the way.

"We're incredibly proud of what we've put together and want to share it not only with the communities of the Macquarie Valley, but the whole country."

Mr Coppa said that since the story is "first and foremost" about the people of the Macquarie Valley it felt right to bring it to Dubbo first.

"We want the community to have a chance to see the film and see their own stories on the big screen," he said.

"We want people to learn about and love the river that is the heart of the town and get to hear from the First Nations people, ecologists, environmental advocates, water managers, fishos and farmers that look after it."

Mr Coppa said that water management was an issue that wasn't going away.

"The dams might be full up now, but they will empty again and if we can't understand and learn from what happened in 2020 we will be facing fish kills, dust storms and broken communities all over again," he said.

Mr Coppa said he hoped his documentary could shine a light on an "amazing" part of the country.

"We want people from outside the Macquarie Valley to want to come out and enjoy what makes the Central West such a great place. We want locals to see and appreciate the diversity of the area," he said.

"We want people from all sides of the often very tense conversations about water to understand each other just a little bit better."

While Mr Coppa understands that his film doesn't have all the answers to the problems of the water management in the Murray-Darling basin, it does show some common threads.

"It's a federal issue and with a new incoming government it's a great time to talk about how we can do things better," he said.

The screening will take place at Reading Cinema in Dubbo on Thursday, June 9 at 6pm, before bigger plans to have the film distributed for television, festivals and streaming services later in the year.

The screening will be followed by a short Q&A with the filmmakers. Head to 'Follow the Flow' to find out how to purchase tickets.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: