‘The air above his beloved country killed him. His story will break your heart’ - The Sydney Morning Herald
Story by Gabriella Coslovich, The Sydney Morning Herald
5 November 2025
‘Yaara Bou Melhem wants to make one thing clear: “I don’t make activist films. The way I think that we can
engage with people on really difficult and complex issues is through what we call devastating beauty.”
The award-winning journalist and filmmaker’s new documentary, Yurlu| Country, is devastating on multiple fronts:
in its depiction of the exhilarating beauty of the Banjima people’s traditional homelands in the Pilbara region of
Western Australia, the shocking harm inflicted on these lands by asbestos mining, and the shattering health
consequences for local people.’
