FEATURE DOCUMENTARY - IN DEVELOPMENT
LOGLINE
In Australia’s most iconic ski town, four locals - an ageing purist, a hustling immigrant duo, and the resort’s general manager - grapple with the changing tides of progress, nostalgia, and survival over one fleeting winter.
SYNOPSIS
With unprecedented access, The Last of the Locals is an intimate and visually rich documentary capturing one transformative winter season in Thredbo, Australia’s most iconic alpine village.
At the centre of the film is Stuart Diver, Thredbo’s General Manager and a figure whose life is deeply entwined with the village. Stuart was the sole survivor of the devastating 1997 Thredbo landslide, a tragedy that killed 18 people, including his first wife. Later, he also lost his second wife to cancer. Having endured profound personal loss, his connection to Thredbo is as emotional as it is professional. Now leading the resort through growing climate pressures and corporate change, Stuart must find a way to balance the village’s future with its identity and soul. Alongside Stuart, we meet Heinz, an Austrian immigrant who has called Thredbo home for over 50 years. Through his memories, we revisit the resort’s colourful, sometimes wilder past, and reflect on the transformations reshaping its landscape, culture, and long-standing traditions. We also follow Angel and Kayleigh, a hardworking immigrant couple who’ve built a thriving cleaning business and are raising their daughter in the village. Their story offers a portrait of modern ambition and immigration grounded in a strong appreciation for community and place. As the winter unfolds, the film explores the mechanics of life in the mountains - from snowmaking and grooming to the emotional ties locals have to the land and each other. When unpredictable weather threatens to derail the season, the stakes come into sharp focus.
The Last of the Locals is a cinematic meditation on community, resilience, and what it means to belong in a place shaped by memory, ambition, and the ever-changing forces of nature.
