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In December 2019, filmmakers Justin Krook and Luke Mazzaferro were flying around Australia to promote a documentary they'd made about the future of artificial intelligence when they began to notice a troubling, and recurring, sight far below them.

"We kept looking out the window and saying to each other, 'What the hell is going on?'" Mazzaferro, a Sydneysider, recalls.

Travelling up and down the eastern seaboard, their view was increasingly one of enormous smoke plumes peeling away from ever larger swathes of charred, scarred landscape.

"We were well aware of the fires that had been raging for months already, but then seeing the scale of it all from the sky was deeply unsettling," he says.

A couple of months later, the pair was invited to hear a long-time member of the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS), Andrew Flakelar, share his frontline experiences of a winter, spring and summer like no other.

Over the course of the 2019-20 bushfire season, 33 people, including nine firefighters, lost their lives, 3094 homes were destroyed and more than 17 million hectares of land was burnt.

Listening to Flakelar, the filmmakers realised they may have stumbled upon the subject matter for their next documentary.

"It was the first time we got a real sense of the humanity behind the fires, as opposed to what we were just seeing on the news," Mazzaferro says.

Krook, an American who has spent much of the past four years living and working in Australia, was astonished to learn that 90 per cent of Australia's firefighters - some 170,000 people - are volunteers.

"Justin was like, 'Wait, hold on - what the hell?'" Mazzaferro laughs.

"That was actually the lightbulb moment when we decided to make this film," Krook says from his base in LA, having flown back to the US mid-year.

"We have volunteer firefighting forces here in California as well, but the scale and level of what Australia has, and how much it's relied upon, is incredible," he says.

From the beginning, Krook and Mazzaferro were inspired to focus on individuals and communities affected by the fires, including firefighters, rather than the fires themselves.

"Most of the stories in the film are happening after the fires went out and the rains came," Krook says.

Even so, the first half hour of their feature-length documentary, A Fire Inside, plunges the viewer into the eye of the firestorm as various subjects give frequently terrifying first-person accounts of their experiences.

And while the pair didn't want to make a film about climate change, there are meaningful contributions from a meteorologist and an Indigenous fire practitioner about what we're getting wrong and how we can fix it.

Crucially, Krook and Mazzaferro were also keen to hone in on those kind souls and organisations that swung into action to help those whose lives had been turned upside down.

"It really was an impossible process getting it down to 10 or 15 characters whose stories we felt we could entwine, because everyone was affected by the fires and everyone had a story," Krook says.

Pandemic restrictions forced the filmmakers to limit their scope to NSW, but given the state recorded 2439 homes destroyed and 5.3 million hectares of land burnt, they weren't exactly hamstrung.

Mazzaferro adds that by focusing on just a handful of townships, they were able to capture "that lovely, intertwined, small community feel, which I think is emblematic of the story at large".

One of the central subjects is Nathan Barnden, a young, volunteer firefighter with Jellat RFS brigade in NSW's Bega Valley.

On New Year's Eve 2019, he risked his life to enter a burning house and rescue a grandmother, her daughter and three grandchildren.

Barnden went on save the lives of 13 people over the summer.

Nevertheless, he became wracked with guilt that he couldn't save his uncle and cousin, who had perished while trying to defend their home not far from where he saved the grandmother and her family.

"We came across Nathan in our initial research as he had already had media attention," Mazzaferro says.

"By that point it was six months on, so he was in a very different place from having cameras pointed in his face right after the fires.

"Still, it took a while for him, and especially his family, to agree to talk to us and build that trust."

Adds Krook: "the fires went on for months and months. People like Nathan lost family members and then laced up their boots and went back out and volunteered".

As the documentary progresses, it becomes clear that Barnden is not alone in having struggled to process the trauma he experienced.

Another firefighter, Balmoral RFS captain Brendan O'Connor, reveals the significant toll the bushfires took on both his marriage and mental health.

The NSW Southern Highlands township of Balmoral suffered heavy damage on December 21, 2019, with 20 houses lost and an estimated 90 per cent of the area's trees burnt.

It's a theme picked up by Commissioner of Resilience NSW Shane Fitzsimmons, who was chief of NSW's RFS during the 2019-20 bushfire season.

"There is this stigma or shame about being emotionally impacted or affected," Fitzsimmons says in the film.

"I would plead to everybody, and particularly our men - not exclusively, but men are the worst offenders in my experience - we've got to do more to open the doors and give permission to our mates, our colleagues, our families, our loved ones, that it is OK to be impacted and affected by traumatic experiences," he says.

Krook and Mazzaferro have received positive feedback from firefighters who have watched the film.

"They've told us that seeing people like Nathan and Brendan be so honest and open about their emotional state has helped themselves recognise they also need help and given them the courage to raise their hand," Mazzaferro says.

In several cases, the filmmakers stumbled upon subjects by happy accident. Paula Zaja, who runs a community pantry and food rescue service in Bargo near Balmoral, is one of them.

"We'd just been to Balmoral and were driving through Bargo to see what their RFS station would look like on camera," Mazzaferro says.

"Out of the corner of our eye we saw a sign that read 'Our Community Pantry'. We went in and said we were making a documentary about the fires, and Paula said, 'I've got some lasagne coming out of the oven, do you want lunch?' That started our relationship with Paula," he says.

At the height of the fires and during recovery last year, Zaja's service was helping feed 4000 families.

"We had volunteers providing food for our volunteers who were providing food for our firefighters," Zaja says in the film.

Another lucky find was pensioner Barbara Stewart, whose Nerrigundah home was destroyed by fire, leaving only her beloved red-brick fireplace and chimney. Alas, for insurance reasons, it had to be toppled.

Forced into makeshift accommodation on her property in the aftermath of the fires, she was eligible for one of 200 temporary accommodation pods provided by the Minderoo Foundation.

Yet in the film Stewart sees fit to donate her pod to a neighbour whom she feels needs it more.

These quiet acts of altruism illuminate the strength, resilience and connectedness of small rural communities.

Mazzaferro hopes the film encourages viewers to realise that everyone can make a difference in their community, especially when the chips are down.

"Individual actions can go a long way," he says.

"It's not just the firefighter who rushes towards danger when everyone else is fleeing.

"It's the Paulas of the world who are providing basic human needs like a hot meal, or the selflessness of someone like Barbara, donating her pod to another family."

A Fire Inside screens at Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre on Saturday and is on-demand from Friday to November 21 as part of the Sydney Film Festival.

For more information visit sff.org.au

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© AAP 2021

For the first time in more than two decades, Australia will commemorate Remembrance Day while not currently involved in an active conflict.

The first Remembrance Day since Australian troops withdrew from Afghanistan, the nation will pause at 11am to mark the 103rd anniversary of the end of World War I, honouring those who have died defending the country.

Australians are asked to stand and observe one minute's silence and reflect on the more than 60,000 troops who lost their lives in WWI, fought between 1914 and 1918.

Veterans' Affairs Minister Andrew Gee, who acknowledged the importance of welcoming home those who fought in Afghanistan, said Remembrance Day was one of the most important days of the year.

"We must never forget the courage, valour and sacrifice of all those men and women who have served this nation in war, conflicts and peacekeeping operations," Mr Gee said.

"From those who fought on the Western Front more than a hundred years ago to those still serving abroad today, we must continue to acknowledge their service and sacrifice."

He said Remembrance Day could be a difficult time for many veterans and those families who lost loved ones.

"This year will be particularly difficult for those who served in Afghanistan, and their families."

While November 11 marks the end of WWI, Remembrance Day's importance has grown to acknowledge all men and women who have died in conflict.

Along with observing a minute's silence, Australians are encouraged to wear a red poppy, viewed as a symbol of hope since being visible on WWI battlefields.

The Australian War Memorial in Canberra will host the national commemorative service, to be broadcast via ABC television and radio and online and addressed by memorial director Matt Anderson.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will attend a service in Melbourne, while Labor leader Anthony Albanese will mark the day at a ceremony in Balmain.

RSL NSW president Ray James encouraged people to pay their respects.

"We can all come together to reflect and remember those who have given their lives in service to their country, those who have come home injured or ill, and those who bravely serve the country today," Mr James said.

© AAP 2021

Australia's climate policies have been ranked last out of 64 countries and the nation among the worst offenders for emissions, renewables and energy use.

The country slipped four spots to 58th overall place in the latest Climate Change Performance Index unveiled at the COP26 summit in Glasgow.

Australia ranked last among 64 countries behind the likes of Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Brazil in terms of climate policy.

The country's highest ranking was 52 for renewables, followed by a score of 54 for energy use and 56 for greenhouse gas emissions.

The index criticised Australia for bringing to Glasgow a 2050 target of net zero emissions that involved no new policies or plans.

Its "technology investment roadmap" was deemed insufficient to decarbonise the economy, cut fossil fuel use and promote renewables.

"This failure to promote renewables ... is exacerbated by inadequate infrastructure investment despite subsidies for fossil fuel production and promotion of a 'gas-led' economic recovery following COVID-19," the ranking said.

"The country's international standing has been damaged by climate denialism by politicians, refusal to increase ambition and refusal to recommit to international green finance mechanisms."

The annual ranking designed by German environmentalists has compared the performance of countries responsible for 90 per cent of global emissions since 2005 across four key categories.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has emphasised Australia's "technology not taxes" approach to climate change led by private investment over government leavers.

The latest policy is a $250 million "future fuels" plan aimed at getting up to 1.7 million electric and hybrid vehicles on Australian roads by 2030.

"It's the private sector that now is responding to consumers, they're responding to what people want," Mr Morrison said.

"Governments don't have to step in and tell everybody what to do anymore when it comes to this, if they ever did."

The plan was criticised by the electric vehicle industry for leaving out tax incentives or fuel efficiency standards.

© AAP 2021