‘The Blood Run’ Documentary launches on SBS

by FilmInk Staff

The documentary, shot and directed by first-time Australian film-maker Mitch Gates, is now available on SBS On Demand- further raising awareness and funds for Leukaemia research.

First launched to limited release at the end of 2023, The Blood Run has been acquired by national free-to-air broadcaster, SBS for their daytime schedule and SBS On Demand platform. The first broadcast was 28th May 2025 and it is now streaming.

The emotive and powerful documentary covers the 2022 fundraising efforts of Cal Gates, Mitch’s brother, as he sets out on an extraordinary 250 km journey to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation.

Inspired by the loss of his wife’s mother and seeing the impact that it has had on her family, Cal stated: “10 Years ago my beautiful wife raised over $9,000 by shaving her head to raise further money for the study into this disease that has hurt her family. To say I was inspired was an understatement. Often hair can represent so much for a woman, so to see her do this was an amazing thing to witness.

So, I thought about what I could do in order to contribute… I can’t shave my head because I have no hair already, so I kept thinking about what I could do that would help to raise some funds to help”.

To raise funds, Cal channelled his love for running and set out to run from Newcastle to Sydney along the Great North Walk (GNW) trail, a gruelling 250 km route with over 10,000 meters of vertical gain. Cal estimated that the run would take approximately 60+ hours to complete, requiring immense physical and mental endurance.

The aim was to raise $100 per km of the GNW Trail, totalling $25,000. They significantly exceeded their target, raising $53,000 by the end of the run itself and off the back of the documentary, ended up raising $175,000.

The film not only highlights the physical and emotional challenges Cal faced during his run but also showcases the incredible support from the community that turned his solitary challenge into a collective triumph.

Cal commented: “53 people a day get diagnosed with Leukemia which is far too many, every cent we raise goes to helping stop this horrible illness.”

The Blood Run is available now via SBS On Demand, Foxtel, Kayo and Binge.