A vivid ode to the land and an intimate portrait of an Indigenous Elder’s final year as he strives to preserve his culture and heal his homeland, scarred by the largest contaminated site in the Southern Hemisphere.   The late Banjima Elder, Maitland Parker, called his Yurlu (land) “Poison Country” – a haunting, toxic truth etched into his body.   Set against the breathtaking yet contaminated landscapes of Western Australia’s Pilbara region, YURLU | COUNTRY lays bare the devastating impact of the Wittenoom asbestos mines, where millions of tonnes of waste laced with deadly asbestos fibres have poisoned both land and people.   As Maitland battles mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer caused by asbestos exposure, his resolve to fight for his homeland and future generations only strengthens.   Through striking cinematography and deeply personal storytelling, the film stands as a testament to the resilience of Banjima and their unbreakable bond with Country.   Maitland and his family’s fight for justice, cultural survival, and environmental restoration will inspire, enrage, and catalyse.

Cleanup of Australia’s largely unknown Chernobyl-like disaster—Wittenoom, the largest contaminated site in the Southern Hemisphere. Over 3 million tonnes of toxic mining waste poison Banjima homelands, in Western Australia, violating Indigenous land rights and contravening Article 29 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Aboriginals in Western Australia have the highest rates of mesothelioma in the world because of the asbestos mining that took place at Wittenoom. Elder Maitland Parker spent his life fighting for a cleanup. This film lays bare the ongoing disaster and makes a compelling and emotive case linking ecological restoration to our own health. 2026 marks 60 years of inaction. Make this decade count by cleaning up Wittenoom.