NAIDOC Week 2026 has officially kicked off, with this year’s theme, ’50 Years of Deadly’, encouraging everyone to celebrate and learn more about First Nations culture in Australia.
As part of the event, the New South Wales and Queensland screen agencies, alongside ABC and other local channels, have released curated programming slates, all designed to elevate First Nations people and storytelling.
Through TV series, documentaries and films, you can learn more about First Nations perspectives, with highlighted programming ranging from lighter-hearted stories for all ages to those telling raw histories.
While you can watch many of these programs outside of NAIDOC Week, here are all the curated highlights that feel particularly important to watch now, with thanks to Screen NSW, Screen Queensland and the ABC.
NAIDOC Week 2026 watchlist – quick links
Sweet Country
Year: 2017
Format: Film
Streaming: ABC iview
‘Inspired by real events, Sweet Country is a period western set in 1929 in the outback of the Northern Territory, Australia. When Aboriginal stockman Sam kills white station owner Harry March in self-defence, Sam and his wife Lizzie go on the run. They are pursued across the outback, through glorious but harsh desert country.’
All My Friends Are Racist
Year: 2021
Format: Series
Streaming: ABC iview
‘In a survival-of-the-fiercest, two twentysomething black millennials decide it’s time to call the racists out. They think it could cause a revolution, instead it causes a downgrade in lifestyle.’
Strait to the Plate
Year: 2021
Format: Documentary series
Streaming: SBS On Demand
‘Aaron Fa’aoso sets out on a journey to discover signature Torres Strait Islander cuisine, providing a snapshot of the food, people and life of the tropical region.’
Bluey (Yolŋu Matha)
Year: 2026
Format: Multiple episodes
Streaming: ABC iview
Five episodes of the beloved children’s TV series Bluey have been translated and produced in Yolŋu Matha, the First Nations language of Northeast Arnhem Land, in celebration of NAIDOC Week 2026. Episodes The Beach, The Creek, Sleepytime, Grandad and Rug Island have all been selected for translation for their culturally relevant themes of family and country, with a particular focus on celebrating ideas of connection.
ScreenHub: Bluey is being translated to Yolŋu Matha for NAIDOC Week
Incarceration Nation
Year: 2021
Format: Documentary
Streaming: SBS On Demand
‘An examination of the connection between relentless government intervention since colonisation to the trauma and disadvantage experiences by Indigenous Australians – the two key drivers of incarceration.’
Barrumbi Kids
Year: 2022
Format: Series
Streaming: Netflix
‘Two inseparable friends make mischief and experience the complexity of each other’s cultures while growing up in a remote Northern Australian community.’
Mystery Road: Origin
Year: 2022
Format: Series
Streaming: ABC iview
‘Jay Swan takes up his first posting in an outback town. A tragic death, an epic love and the brutal reality of life as a police officer straddling two worlds will change his life forever.’
Mabo
Year: 2012
Format: Film
Streaming: ABC iview
‘Mabo tells the story of one of Australia’s national heroes – Eddie Koiki Mabo, the Torres Strait Islander who left school at age 15, yet spearheaded the High Court challenge that overthrew the fiction of terra nullius.’
Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra
Year: 2020
Format: Documentary
Streaming: SBS On Demand
‘Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra takes the viewer through Bangarra’s birth and spectacular growth over 30 years, telling the story of how three young Aboriginal brothers – Stephen, David and Russell Page – turned the newly born dance group into one of Australia’s leading performing arts companies. Through the eyes of the Page brothers and company alumni, Firestarter explores the loss and reclaiming of culture, the burden of intergenerational trauma and, crucially, the extraordinary power of art as a messenger for social change and healing.’
The Lost Tiger
Year: 2024
Format: Animated Film
Streaming: Binge
‘Teo is a plucky young tiger and one of the last of his kind. Found abandoned and wearing a mysterious crystal necklace, he is adopted into a big, boisterous kangaroo family of travelling wrestlers. After receiving visions from an unfamiliar land, Teo must suddenly embark on an epic quest to reconnect with his heritage and save his homeland from the clutches of destruction.’
Reckless
Year: 2025
Format: Series
Streaming: SBS On Demand
‘When feuding siblings June and Charlie cover up a deadly hit-and-run in their hometown of Fremantle, their lives spiral wildly out of control. As the lies pile up, so do the consequences and soon, everyone in town has something to lose.’
ScreenHub: Reckless review – the best Australian comedy of the year
Yurlu | Country
Year: 2025
Format: Documentary
Purchase or rent: Apple TV, Prime Video
‘A vivid ode to Country and an intimate portrait of an Aboriginal elder’s final year as he strives to preserve his culture and heal his homeland, scarred by the largest contaminated site in the Southern Hemisphere.’
‘Banjima Elder, Maitland Parker, calls his Yurlu (homelands) “Poison Country” – a haunting, toxic truth etched into his body. Set against the breathtaking yet contaminated landscapes of Western Australia’s Pilbara region, YURLU | COUNTRY lays bare the devastating impact of the Wittenoom asbestos mines, where millions of tonnes of waste laced with deadly asbestos fibres have poisoned both land and people. It’s Australia’s largely unknown Chernobyl-scale disaster and it’s on Banjima lands.’
One Mind, One Heart
Year: 2024
Format: Documentary
Streaming: SBS On Demand
‘One Mind, One Heart uncovers the extraordinary story of the three landmark Yirrkala Bark petitions that sparked the flame towards recognition of Aboriginal rights. In August 1963, two bark petitions – traditional documents prepared and signed by Yolngu people – were sent to the Australian Parliament and became the first documentary recognition of Indigenous people in Australian law. When a fourth bark petition is found in Derby, Western Australia in 2022, the community begin the ceremony of guiding its journey back to Yolngu Country.’
ArtsHub: Yolŋu power review – AGNSW’s landmark look at Yirrkala innovation
