SYNOPSIS

“The Last of the Locals” is an intimate observational documentary set over one turbulent winter in Thredbo — Australia’s most iconic ski town — where a handful of locals confront the rapid transformation of the place they call home.

At the centre is Stuart Diver, the resort’s General Manager, who survived Thredbo’s tragic landslide and now feels indebted to the village that saved him. Caught between the locals and the corporation that runs both the resort and the town, Stuart strives to reunite a fractured community that has grown divided by progress and control. Alongside him are Heinz, an ageing ski veteran nostalgic for the Thredbo of old, and Kayleigh and Angel, immigrants who built a thriving business from nothing and now navigate the resort’s shifting landscape.

As climate change, rising costs, and commercial pressures reshape the mountain, each must decide what is worth holding onto and what must be let go. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Snowy Mountains, “The Last of the Locals” is a poignant exploration of belonging, resilience, and the love that binds people to place.

Images: Rachel Mounsey