by FilmInk Staff
Western Australian documentary filmmaking is making its mark, with two Screenwest-supported feature documentaries part of this year’s prestigious Melbourne International Film Festival Premiere Fund lineup.
This week, Jebediah: Are We OK? and Hard As Puck will make their world premieres at MIFF, before returning home to WA for special screenings at CinefestOZ.
The MIFF Premiere Fund supports a select group of Australian feature films each year, providing filmmakers with an opportunity to premiere their work.
Jebediah: Are We OK? will open CinefestOZ with a red carpet gala screening at Margaret River HEART on 28 August, while Hard as Puck will make its WA premiere in Busselton on 4 September.
Directed by Arlo Dean Cook and produced by Western Australian producer Brooke Tia Silcox, Jebediah: Are We OK? is more than a decade in the making – an intimate portrait of one of WA’s most enduring alternative rock bands.
Emerging from Perth’s 1990s music scene, Jebediah became one of Australia’s defining bands of a generation. Drawing on three decades of home videos, personal archives and candid interviews, the documentary explores friendship, creativity, resilience and what it means to sustain a life in music across generations.
Hard As Puck, directed by Isaac Elliott and produced by Chanel Bowen and Noel Smyth, follows WA’s only para ice hockey team as they chase selection for the Australian team while fighting to keep their club alive after their founder prepares to step away. Uniquely Western Australian, Hard As Puck is a powerful story of identity, community and belonging. It highlights the strength of people who refuse to be defined by limitations and the communities that grow when barriers are challenged.
Hard As Puck was the recipient of Screenwest’s 2024 Brian Beaton Award, which supports documentary filmmakers to share meaningful WA social impact stories with local and international audiences.
Rikki Lea Bestall, Screenwest Chief Executive Officer, said: “These two documentaries are deeply Western Australian and speak volumes about the unique stories and high calibre of creative talent we have right here in our state. Screenwest is proud to support films like Jebediah: Are We OK? and Hard as Puck, and the creative teams behind them, who have shown tenacity and passion to bring these stories to the fore.”
Brooke Tia Silcox said Screenwest’s early support had been instrumental in bringing Jebediah: Are We OK? to life.
“I grew up in Perth and, like so many Western Australians, Jebediah’s music formed part of the soundtrack to my life. What surprised me most in making this documentary was discovering that beneath the music, this is really a story about friendship, creativity and the different ways we navigate life’s changes.
“Whether audiences have been fans for 30 years or are discovering the band for the first time, I think there is something deeply relatable about their journey – the importance of the people who shape us, the passions that stay with us, and the friendships that endure over time.
“Screenwest’s support was instrumental at two pivotal moments in the film’s journey, first through development and later through production financing. Their early belief in the project helped us build momentum, connect with partners and ultimately bring this story to audiences.
“When we began making the film, we thought we were embarking on a two-year journey. Instead, it became more than a decade. The film evolved alongside our own lives – we started before Arlo and I had children and finished as parents ourselves. In many ways, the making of the film mirrored the story we were telling: about sustaining creativity, friendship and purpose as life continues to change.”
Chanel Bowen, a member of the disability community and advocate for inclusivity, said she was proud to tell the story of the Garden Island Pirates through her feature debut, Hard As Puck.
“At its heart, Hard As Puck is not just a film about para ice hockey – it is a story about belonging, resilience and the power of community. The Garden Island Pirates showed us that sport is not only about competition; it is about connection, identity and creating a place where people feel they truly belong.
“Screenwest’s support helped us take this story from a local idea to a feature documentary with the opportunity to reach audiences nationally and internationally. Their belief in stories that celebrate inclusion and community was a crucial part of bringing Hard As Puck to the screen.
“Building trust with the players was an important part of the process, and that trust allowed us to capture moments that are honest, funny and deeply human. They are remarkable athletes, but they are also a group of people who support each other, challenge each other and share a genuine love for the game.
“I hope audiences come away seeing the players first and foremost as athletes, teammates and individuals with their own ambitions and stories. Disability is part of their experience, but it is not the story. Their determination, humour and passion are what make this film so powerful.”
PRODUCTION CREDIT: Hard As Puck is a Forward Media and Norfolk Pictures production, in association with Cocktatoo Co.Lab & Zacka Films, financed with principal production and development funding from Screen Australia and with the assistance of Screenwest and Lotterywest, MIFF Premiere Fund, VicScreen, Mind the Gap, Shark Island Foundation and Documentary Australia. Distribution by Halo Films for Australia.
PRODUCTION CREDIT: Jebediah: Are We OK? is a No Thing Productions film, financed with the support of Screenwest and Lotterywest, MIFF Premiere Fund, VicScreen, Mind the Gap, Nude Run, Madman Entertainment, Siamese, The Corner Hotel, Maton Guitars, Heaps Normal and Documentary Australia, in partnership with Support Act. Madman Entertainment will handle theatrical distribution across Australia and New Zealand.
