About this episode
The episode features an interview with cinematographer Benjamin Bryan discussing his work and the impact of climate change on traditional practices in Mongolia.
Welcome to the very first episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast for 2026! It’s great to be back. It wasn’t until the back end of 2025 that I realised how few episodes of this Podcast I recorded last year with a focus on more written interviews. I’m going to make it a priority in 2026 to record more episodes and hopefully reach my 150th episode which would be very exciting. On to this episode… I usually stick to interviewing directors and actors, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to guest cinematographer Benjamin Bryan - someone whose career I’ve kept a close eye on since first taking notice of his work on documentary, Franklin in 2022. Few cinematographers working in Australia are shooting films like Benjamin, and his work in his latest film, Iron Winter, is nothing short of breathtaking. Iron Winter observes two friends from Mongolia’s remote Tsakhir (Saak-ear) Valley, as they undertake a grueling rite of passage, herding 2,000 horses across the icy Mongolian steppe in search of grazing land below the snow. This tradition has been under threat in recent times due to harsh weather conditions made worse by climate change and the effects of urbanisation on the local…
People in this episode
Host: Cinema Australia
Guest: Benjamin Bryan
Topics covered
- cinematography
- film industry
- interview
- documentary
- climate change
- Mongolia
Keywords
- Benjamin Bryan
- cinematography
- Iron Winter
- climate change
- documentary
- Mongolia
- film
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Franklin, Iron Winter, Ancestry Road, Careless, Lake Boga
Places: Mongolia, Tsakhir Valley
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- Episode #131 | Natalie Abbott · April 8, 2026 · 21 min
- Episode #130 | Miley Tunnecliffe · March 16, 2026 · 1h 3m
- Episode #129 | Jordan Giusti · March 6, 2026 · 54 min
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