The 2026 London Australian Film Festival enters its final day with the London premiere of the powerful Walkley Award-winning documentary, YURLU | COUNTRY. 

OUR MOST REQUESTED FILM OF THE YEAR.

Directed by filmmaker Yaara Bou Melhem and co-created with Banjima Elder Maitland Parker, YURLU | COUNTRY tells the powerful story of Maitland’s fight to heal his ancestral lands in Wittenoom, the largest contaminated site in the Southern Hemisphere, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

For eighty years, blue asbestos mining and its waste have poisoned Banjima Country and its people. Every family in the area has been touched by this tragedy, and Maitland’s struggle to protect country is mirrored by his own personal health battles.

Banjima traditional owners are fighting for the clean-up of their country, and for the health of their families and community, and this deeply moving and beautifully shot film is more than a documentary, it’s a call to action. 

Also screening will be a short film from the Australian Film Television and Radio School.

The 2026 London Australian Film Festival runs from 16-19 July at Finsbury Park Picturehouse. Aussie snacks, sweets & gifts will be on sale in the foyer throughout the festival, with a raffle taking place before every screening. 

With thanks to Yaara Bou Melhem and Illuminate Films

REVIEWS:
“Yaara Bou Melhem’s film is an intimate and unflinching portrait of a man determined to preserve his culture and begin the long journey of healing” - Matthew Eeles, Cinema Australia

“A rich and immersive film that challenges dominant historical narratives and restores voice to those who have long been silenced in the official record of Wittenoom’s dark past.” – Pauline Adamek, FilmInk