Thank you to the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) for awarding YURLU | COUNTRY Best Feature Documentary 2026. The award was accepted by Executive Producer Chris Kamen and the team is so honoured by the jury’s statement.
“We are thrilled to award Best Feature Documentary to Yaara Bou Melhem’s Yurlu | Country. The Jury would like to honour and acknowledge the significant collaboration by Banjima Elder and advocate Maitland, and the ongoing involvement and connection by the community. Yurlu | Country is a crucial exposé on the environmental and cultural devastation in Western Australia delivered at the hands of corporate entities and the state government, which has severely impacted Aboriginal lives and livelihoods for generations. This is a profoundly moving and visually stunning documentary that interweaves the personal, cultural, and environmental into a story of urgent resonance. This overlooked Australian story reframes the ongoing crisis and its global impact on Australia’s environmental reputation concerning fallout of mining and its lasting effect on creating ‘poison country” – AIDC Jury Statement
