About the Film

Broken Hill, a remote mining town in the Australian outback, has supplied metals that helped build the modern world. Today, that legacy is taking on an unexpected new dimension: materials and expertise from this historic mining region are helping power humanity’s expanding ambitions in space. The Stars Over Broken Hill traces the surprising links between Earth’s extractive past and the future of space exploration. From Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories tied to the land, to the journey of rocks from “Silver City” onto rocket missions, to the remarkable path of a miner who became a NASA planetary scientist, the film explores how one small town connects to humanity’s push beyond our planet. Set against the stark landscapes of the Australian outback, the documentary asks a timely question: as humanity opens new frontiers in space, can we avoid repeating the cycles of extraction and conflict that have shaped our history on Earth?