Fatal
Forest
"The ruthless pursuit of Red Gold drove the colonial expansion up Australia's east coast."
A forgotten story of ambition, violence, and the true cost of building a nation.
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Status
In Production
Format
3 Part Series
Director / Producer
EdgeLock Productions
Year
2026
The Film
A forgotten chapter of Australian history
Fatal Forest uncovers the story of "Red Gold" — the cedar timber that fuelled colonial expansion up Australia's east coast and left a trail of ambition, conflict and consequence that shaped the nation we live in today.
It is a story largely absent from the history books. The men who pushed into the dense coastal forests, the violence that followed, and the communities — Indigenous and settler alike — whose lives were irrevocably changed by the relentless pursuit of timber wealth.
Produced by EdgeLock Productions, Fatal Forest is a 3-part documentary series that brings this hidden history to the surface — rigorously researched, viscerally told.
Themes
What the film explores
Red Gold
Cedar timber was the engine of colonial expansion — more valuable than gold to the settlers who pushed north. Fatal Forest traces the ruthless economics that drove men into the forests and the nation that was built on their backs.
Ambition & Violence
The cedar rush was not a peaceful enterprise. Fatal Forest examines the conflict, dispossession and human cost that accompanied the colonial frontier as it moved through Australia's east coast forests.
A Forgotten History
This is a story largely absent from the national narrative. Fatal Forest recovers the voices, places and events that shaped modern Australia — and asks why this chapter has remained hidden for so long.
Production
History recovered.
Rigorously told.
Fatal Forest is produced by Andrew Pfeiffer and EdgeLock Productions. The series combines deep archival research with contemporary filmmaking to bring one of Australia's most overlooked colonial histories to a modern audience — told with the same precision and rigour that defines everything EdgeLock does.
2026
Production Year
Feature
Documentary Format
AU
Country of Origin
Open
Industry Enquiries
Get Involved
Open calls & opportunities
Industry Partners
We are seeking industry partners — forestry, resources and safety organisations — to participate in the documentary and support production.
Partner EnquiryCrew
Experienced documentary crew sought for principal photography. Candidates must be comfortable in remote and physically demanding environments.
Crew ApplicationInvestors & Distributors
Investment and distribution enquiries are welcome. A full production package is available to qualified parties on request.
Investment EnquiryContact
Production Enquiries
Whether you're interested in partnering, investing, joining the crew or distributing Fatal Forest — we'd like to hear from you. All enquiries are treated in confidence.
Production Company
EdgeLock Film & Production ServicesA production by EdgeLock Pty Ltd