After the shocking backlash against his 2014 truth-telling book, Dark Emu, the reclusive writer Bruce Pascoe retreats to the tranquil peace of his beloved farm, Yumburra. Inviting documentarian Grace McKenzie into his calm place, we all benefit from his immense generosity as this soul-replenishing portrait unfurls.
2026
Yumburra
2026
Yumburra
Director
Grace McKenzie
Runtime
86 Minutes
Country
Australia
Classification
All Ages
The maelstrom that followed the 2014 publication of best-selling book Dark Emu placed an immense amount of strain on author and academic Bruce Pascoe, with the stress enough to cause a rupture in his relationship with adoring and adored partner, editor, publisher and artist Lyn Harwood. As everything unravels, Pascoe retreats to his magnificently beautiful farm, Yumburra, the home of First Nations-run organic producer company, Black Duck Foods. Near the Victorian-New South Wales border, their practices prove that the traditional owners of these lands were, contrary to the insidious erasure of colonial mythmaking, proficient in agricultural knowledge. But the realities of running a farm and corralling the employees in tough times, including rolling lockdowns, heap yet more pressure on a weary Pascoe. Thank goodness for us, he was amenable to inviting filmmaker Grace McKenzie into his calm, with her lyrical, Documentary Australia Award-nominated film a vital reminder that this always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.
“A slow-cinema treasure, it’s full of nature’s gifts.”
ABC
“A quiet look into the personal life of Bruce Pascoe … it felt like I was at his kitchen table as he chats about footy and ecology in equal measure.”
Letterboxd
“A gorgeous film about caring for Country.”
Letterboxd
“Director Grace McKenzie's approach is intimate, understated and effective, capturing the stoicism, vulnerability and subtle idiosyncrasies of her subject against a stunning, quintessentially Australian landscape.”
Letterboxd
Sydney
Melbourne
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Film Credits
Director
Grace McKenzie
Year
2026
Country
Australia
Language
English
Type
Feature Documentary
Program Strand
World Documentary
Producer
Tom Zubrycki, Brian McKenzie & Grace McKenzie
Writer
Grace McKenzie & Bruce Pascoe
Cinematographer
Brian McKenzie & Grace McKenzie
Editor
Patrick McCabe
Music
Leon Rodgers
Film Source
Madman Entertainment
Genre
Activism, Documentary, Environmental & First Nations
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