The Burnt Half is a powerful, complex, engaging and gripping, character-led, observational documentary. It’s a film that goes to the heart of a shattered community in the wake of the 2020 bushfires that destroyed two-thirds of this idyllic island. Kangaroo Island was once the jewel in the crown of South Australia, a global tourism icon and an agricultural breadbasket. Through the film we meet some of the individuals most affected by the fires and look at the unimaginable emotional, psychological and physical toil these individuals had to endure during the fires and their aftermath. Most pressingly, as the story evolves the film uncovers the simmering tension and anger on the island, as many in the community feel the fires could have been avoided. Their anger stems from a belief that the impact of the fires could have been reduced were it not for meddlesome bureaucrats and legacy fire management practices that stood in the way of front-line responders who had the means to put the fires out before they grew into the inferno that destroyed the island.