Scorched (ATOM Study Guide)

Scorched is a film about the potentially disastrous consequences of climate change in Australia. Extreme weather conditions and a lack of water have turned a serious bushfire situation into a disaster. Scorched is set in Sydney in 2012 at a time when there has been no rainfall for over 200 days. The city has run out of water and become completely reliant on its desalination plant.

During a severe heatwave, the city is ringed by bushfires that simultaneously break their containment lines, leaving Sydney under siege and without sufficient water to defend itself. We follow what happens over a few days in December 2012 through the experiences of several families and individuals caught up in responding to this very plausible emergency. Scorched provides a human face to the realities of a local disaster, as nature and man-made carelessness and corruption come together to create a situation that tests everyone.

Scorched is Australia's first 'what-if' disaster telemovie.