A limited theatrical release date has been set for “IMAGINE,” the groundbreaking animated film by Jack Banning Mycroft and Tyson Yunkaporta, made by Indigenous Australians for Indigenous Australians. The film, which follows 15-year-old Kim, who escapes the noise of the attention economy and explores five surreal islands with the help of an alien dog to face life’s biggest questions — like what kind of ancestors we want to be.
“‘IMAGINE’ can sit with policymakers, can sit with their children, and can bring Indigenous communities together with people that might’ve voted differently in a referendum,” says Jack Manning Bancroft. “It is a very interesting tool, and I’m really interested to see how it moves through the world.”
Created during the COVID-19 pandemic on a Google Doc, where via IMAGI-NATION TV, 150 young people, 18 partner schools, and more than 200 guests from across 17 countries contributed to its script via a live audience. Among the most notable contributors were former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Nelson Mandela’s granddaughter Ndileka Mandela, artists Cloudy Rhodes, Wesley Enoch, Bec Bignall, Ned Benson, Wayne Blair, Simon Taylor, Ritza Bloom, Randy Feltface, Yael Stone, Emma Watts, Meyne Wyatt, Benjamin Law, Michelle Law, and Rob Carlton.
“This film is a love letter to human kind,” says Jack Manning Bancroft. “It’s a plea to reach for our potential to design systems where nature is included, to find a vision for this nation that includes all nations, all living creatures, the 8 billion+ on this rock. It’s a chance for us to take this obstacle of where we are stuck, and with our collective cooperation to imagine what’s possible and make it real.”
“IMAGINE” stars Taika Waititi, Yolande Brown, Radical Son, Yael Stone, Taylor Schilling, Wayne Blair, Ian Thorpe, Kate Mulgrew and more in the voice cast. The film premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2025, and was met with acclaim at global film festivals, including the Native Spirit Film Festival, the Garifuna International Indigenous Film Festival and the Digiart Fest.
“IMAGINE” will release in Australian theatres for one day only on Monday, January 26, and on Friday, January 30 at Cine Wonders for Perth Arts Festival in WA. Watch the trailer below.
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