The Kokoda Trail links the southern and northern coast of Papua New Guinea and, like the battle of Gallipoli in WW1, the Kokoda Track campaign of WW2 remains a landmark of Australian history. When a group of soldiers are cut off by the Japanese advance, they must fight their way back through the treacherous New Guinea jungle to their own lines.
Ill-trained and ill-equipped volunteers, these men were known as chocolate soldiers, expected to melt in the heat of battle. Director and co-writer Alistair Grierson presents Australia’s last line of defence with tremendous realism. Superbly shot and with box office takings of over AU$ 3 million, Kokoda is a powerful tribute to the soldiers who risked their lives in this unforgiving location.