WA-made feature docs announced as part of MIFF Premiere Fund 2026
Western Australia’s renowned documentary sector is set to take the spotlight at this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF).
Western Australia’s renowned documentary sector is set to take the spotlight at this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF).
Announced today, two highly anticipated WA-made feature documentaries will premiere as part of the prestigious MIFF Premiere Fund 2026 line up.
Jebediah: Are We Ok? offers an unprecedented and deeply intimate look at one of the country’s most enduring alternative rock bands.
Crafted over eleven years by writer-director Arlo Dean Cook (Westgate) and produced by award-winning Western Australian Producer Brooke Tia Silcox (Rockabul, Meal Tickets) of No Thing Productions, the film juxtaposes three decades of raw, unseen personal archives, home videos and interviews.
Jebediah Are We OK – WA Crew (L – R) EP Brendan Hutchens, Line Producer Rose Grandile Pizzi, Producer Brooke Tia Silcox, Post Supervisor Merlin Eden, Director Arlo Dean Cook, Motion Designer Kristen King, Re-Recording Mixer Ric Curtin, BTL Screenwest Attachment Alzbeta Rekosh, Sound Editor Xoe Baird, Post Supervisor Francesca Hope, Colourist Caitlan O’Connor by Ezra Alcantra (c) Jebediah Are We OK Pty Ltd 2026.
“Filming Jebediah’s 20th Anniversary Tour, I was struck not by nostalgia, but by endurance,” says Director Arlo Dean Cook.
“Ever since I started filming with them in 2015, I’ve felt welcomed into their community. Documenting the band in their hometown was always a joy, from the first three sold-out shows at the Astor to the final shoot at the Rosemount Hotel. Aside from music venues and their homes around Fremantle, Bull Creek, and Como, we captured beautiful moments in Bunbury, Busselton, Dunsborough, and Pemberton. The film turned out far better than I could have ever imagined, and I can’t wait to celebrate it soon in front of their hometown audience.”
Executive produced by Brendan Hutchens (VAM Media) and Sarah Wiegard, the documentary features a soundtrack anchored by Jebediah’s unmistakable catalogue, alongside newly reimagined interpretations by contemporary artists from Australia’s independent music community including WA home-grown band the Panics. Post-production was completed locally in Perth at Siamese, XB Studios and Ric Curtin Studios.
Rosa-Lee Principe. Hard As Puck. Credit Noel Smyth .
Hard As Puck captures the politics, the people and the messy reality behind grassroots sporting clubs.
Directed by Isaac Elliot (MaveriX, We Are Sexual Beings), the feature-length documentary follows Western Australia’s best and only para ice hockey team, The Garden Island Pirates as they wrangle sponsorships, and overcome politics in their determination to take on the world. But when the enigmatic founder (and chief grant procurer) prepares to step away, the club is thrown into turmoil.
Through setbacks and personal clashes, bitter losses and hard-fought wins, Hard as Puck explores what it takes – and means – to run a local sports club with unexpected international ambitions.
Hard As Puck was the recipient of the 2024 Brian Beaton Award which supports documentary filmmakers to share meaningful Western Australia social impact stories with local and international audiences.
“Congratulations to the WA teams behind these two extraordinary feature documentaries. We are proud to support Jebediah: Are We Ok? and Hard As Puck, and I can’t wait to see how audiences embrace these uniquely Western Australian stories when they premiere at MIFF this year,” said Caroline Douglas, Screenwest Documentary Executive.
Hard As Puck is a Forward Media and Norfolk Pictures production, in association with Cocktatoo Co.Lab & Zacka Films, financed with principal production and development funding from Screen Australia and with the assistance of Screenwest and Lotterywest, MIFF Premiere Fund, VicScreen, Mind the Gap, Shark Island Foundation and Documentary Australia. Distribution by Halo Films for Australia and New Zealand.
Jebediah: Are We OK? is a No Thing Productions film, financed with the support of Screenwest and Lotterywest, MIFF Premiere Fund, VicScreen, Mind the Gap, Nude Run, Madman Entertainment, Siamese, The Corner Hotel, Maton Guitars, Heaps Normal and Documentary Australia, in partnership with Support Act. Madman Entertainment will handle theatrical distribution across Australia and New Zealand.
Explore MIFF’s first-glance line up here.
Explore our funding opportunities for Western Australia producers and production companies here.