
Accelerating action through powerful stories for the planet
Join the Environmental Accelerator
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are respectfully advised that this page contains images and names of deceased people.
Documentary Australia is committed to increasing engagement with environmental issues and empowering action to protect the planet, using documentary storytelling as a tool to create change.
We know the far-reaching and lasting change that one film can create, and have seen how our strategic impact campaign support transforms into measurable environmental outcomes.
Launched in November 2022, the Environmental Accelerator amplifies the impact of up to 10 documentary projects over three years to increase awareness and action on a range of pressing environmental issues – with support from Intrepid Travel and others.
Now in its third year, the Environmental Accelerator Impact Program has to date supported six environmental documentaries, including Greenhouse By Joost, which follows internationally renowned zero-waste crusader Joost Bakker’s mission to create a self-sustaining home; The Giants, a cinematic portrait of environmentalist Bob Brown; Delikado, in which three environmental defenders confront murder and betrayal to save an island paradise in the Philippines; Rachel’s Farm, which follows director and actress Rachel Ward’s journey from ecological despair to joining a farming revolution; Climate Changers, which follows scientist and leading writer on climate change Tim Flannery’s global search for leadership on climate change; and Stay Tuned To Our Planet, a TikTok and YouTube climate action series tackling climate anxiety in young people.
New documentaries to be supported in 2025 include Yurlu | Country, which follows late Banjima Elder Maitland Parker’s fight for the rehabilitation of his homelands from asbestos contamination; White Rock, where Damon Gameau uncovers the explosion of long-spined sea urchins devastating Australia’s kelp forests; and Sukundimi Walks Before Me, which follows Manu Peni and children of Papua New Guinea’s Sepik River campaigning to stop a large-scale gold and copper mine, which risks extracting, eroding and polluting the river.
About the program

Documentary impact support

Screenings & events

Strategic partnerships

Accelerate action journey
Program overview
The Environmental Accelerator supports environmental documentaries to reach new audiences and create lasting social impact.
On a core slate of 8-10 films, we provide strategic guidance and pro-bono impact campaign support, working collaboratively with film teams to maximise documentary releases, outreach and impact.
This can include:
- Designing impact strategies, in collaboration with filmmakers and key partners
- Supporting the creation of key assets
- Providing guidance to support campaign implementation
- Designing evaluation frameworks and analysing impact metrics
- Amplifying film releases and identifying partnership opportunities
Offers to join the program are made by direct invitation, with all Documentary Australia-supported environmental projects in consideration.
Accelerator Snapshot





18 documentaries amplified
6 impact campaigns supported
35+ strategic partnerships
18 screenings & events
6900+ in attendance
1500+ people engaged to take action
A campaign for change
The Environmental Accelerator is not just a film program, but also a campaign for change – connecting documentaries to a network of impact partners in the environmental space, bringing films to new and engaged audiences, and amplifying key calls to action.
Throughout the year, we offer audiences access to a series of screenings and events, sparking conversations about critical environmental issues and engaging audiences to get involved
We also take our audiences on a 5-week action journey, sharing resources and practical pathways to take action across our five key pillars – Connect, Protect, Transition, Support and Speak Up.
Join us to gain access to our screenings and events, and to accelerate action as part of a collective movement.
Completed films
Rachel's Farm
The Giants
Climate Changers
Greenhouse by Joost
Delikado
Three environmental crusaders confront murder and betrayal as they battle to save an island paradise in the Philippines. Delikado follows Bobby, Tata and Nieves as they confront the biggest challenges of their lives trying to stop politicians and businessmen from plundering the Philippines’ “last ecological frontier”. The impact goals are to increase the visibility of Palawan’s land defenders; drive support for land defender movements around the world; and challenge corruption impacting forests worldwide.
STTOP
Stay Tuned To Our Planet (STTOP) is a 25+ episodic, fast paced, climate call-to-action doco series and school-kit for teens rolling out on YouTube and TikTok. Presented by YouTuber Mat McKenna, each 3-5 minute episode showcases a diverse group of eco warriors to inspire and empower teens with simple every-day actions that will help reduce their eco-anxiety.
Coming soon
Yurlu | Country
A vivid ode to Country and an intimate portrait of an Aboriginal 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 (lands) “Poison Country” – a haunting truth he carried in his body, as he too fell to its toxic legacy.
Banjima Country lies within the remote red gorges of Western Australia’s Pilbara, scarred by the Wittenoom asbestos mines which dumped millions of tons of lethal asbestos tailings. In a journey imbued with legacy, Maitland’s fight to clean up his lands will inspire and catalyse.
White Rock
Award-winning filmmaker Damon Gameau (Future Council, 2040, That Sugar Film) embarks on a journey to expose a hidden consequence of the climate crisis – the explosion of longspined sea urchins that are devastating Australia’s kelp forests. Weaving together insights from Traditional Owners, firsthand accounts from fishers, and lessons learned from emerging industries, Damon discovers that a solution to this crisis not only exists, but exemplifies how ecological restoration can go hand in hand with economic opportunity – a true-blue, nature positive approach.
Sukundimi Walks Before Me
The Sepik River is the mother line for Papua New Guinea communities. She winds through mountains and rainforests, the crucial vertebrae connecting and supporting the rare biodiversity and spiritual consciousness of the region. But her livelihood and her communities are threatened by the proposal of a copper-gold mine being built at her headwaters, which risks extracting, eroding and polluting an environment that has been sustained by her for millennia. The children of this river, led by Manu Peni, create a grassroots campaign to stop the mine from being built, resisting the forces of colonial bureaucracy and Western narratives of ‘development’ by invoking Indigenous and ancestral knowledge. Sukundimi Walks Before Me explores this existential fight through an impressionistic and lyrical exploration of existence, resistance and life along the mother river.
Other films you might be interested in:
Our partners
We work closely with a network of impact partners to bring environmental documentaries to new audiences, and to amplify strategic calls to action.
The Environmental Accelerator is made possible thanks to our major partners, including Intrepid Travel, Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, Mutual Trust, Planet Ark, WWF-Australia and Earth Hour, Madman Entertainment and other supporters.
Interested to partner?
We use stories to incite action and create impact on vital social issues
Annual Impact Report 2022-2023
In FY22-23, Documentary Australia continued its commitment to empowering filmmakers to create and share compelling narratives to drive meaningful social impact.
The financial year saw a growth in the demand for documentary and the presence of Documentary Australia-supported films across various release options. Our commitment also extends beyond the lens, encompassing partner and industry engagement that elevates the collective impact of our endeavours.
Our dedicated community of donors play a pivotal role in our success. Your generous support enables us to bring powerful stories to life and to create real impact on the issues that matter most.