Deadly line-up of Western Australian First Nations television to be celebrated in NAIDOC Week

A deadly slate of Screenwest-supported First Nations productions will screen during NAIDOC Week, celebrating the impressive talents of Western Australian screen practitioners. 

It comes as production of First Nations TV series Reckless, continues around Fremantle (Walyalup). 

This year, NAIDOC Week, which runs from 6-13 July, marks its 50-year milestone of honouring and elevating Indigenous voices, culture, and resilience. 

The 2025 theme, The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy, celebrates not only the achievements of the past but the bright future ahead – empowered by the strength of young First Nations leaders, the vision of communities, and the legacy of ancestors. 

Screenwest Chief Executive Officer Rikki Lee Bestall said: “Western Australia has an incredible pool of First Nations screen talent.  Screenwest is dedicated to empowering local filmmakers and ensuring they have the skills and support they need to continue to tell these important stories of their culture and community on local, national and global stages.” 

Screenwest First Nations Executive Irma Wood said: “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the original storytellers of this land. I am beyond proud to see the work of our talented mob shine.” 

Production of BBC Studios Productions Australia’s new dark comic suspense series, Reckless, for SBS and NITV, kicked off in mid June, with Western Australian actress Tasma Walton and AACTA Award winner Hunter Page-Lochard leading a powerhouse cast. 

The creative vision behind Reckless is led by writer and Executive Producer Kodie Bedford, who returns home to WA to make the four-part series about two feuding siblings who are forced to work together to get away with an accidental hit-and-run death. 

Comedy entertainment series Big Backyard Quiz will premiere on NITV and SBS On Demand on 12 July, celebrating the history, culture and achievements of First Nations Australians. 

Hosted by 10 News First presenter and Western Australia’s own Narelda Jacobs OAM and Steven Oliver, and filmed in Perth (Boorloo), the 10-part cheeky quiz show challenges contestants to see who knows the most about the people, land, food, music, sport and history of Australia with an Indigenous lens. 

Western Australian comedy series, Warm Props, airs on NITV and SBS On Demand, created by award-winning First Nations director Jub Clerc and brought to life with the help of talented WA co-writer Kimberley Benjamin and produced by Jodie Bell for Ramu Productions. Set in Broome (Rubibi), the heartening series traces Jub’s personal experiences as an extras casting director, writer, director and actor in theatre, film and television. 

Our Medicine, airing on NITV, SBS and SBS On Demand, shines a rare spotlight on First Nations healthcare, with unique access to First Nations doctors, nurses, paramedics and traditional healers that takes viewers behind the frontline. 

The six-part observational series is co-directed by Karla Hart and Kimberley Benjamin, and is produced by Karla Hart Enterprises and Periscope Pictures. 

In addition, SBS On Demand is screening Western Australian 2022 coming-of-age drama film, Sweet As, directed by Jub Clerc and inspired by her own experiences growing up in the Pilbara region, while 2011 Australian drama Mad Bastards – written and directed by Brendan Fletcher and filmed in the Kimberley – is showing on Netflix and SBS On Demand. 

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