Walking Fish Productions

Drum roll... Walking Fish Productions are proud 2024 recipients of Screen Australia's Enterprise Business funding! This unlocks a year of targeted expansion, with game-changing support and mentorship from some of the best in the business. We can't tell you how much this means to a small company like ours!

We are so grateful to Screen Australia for backing our vision of becoming a global-facing company in the 'premium' documentary space, and supporting our expansion into series production.

Congrats to all Enterprise recipients - we can't wait for the year of learning and growth ahead! And thank you Screen Australia for supporting entrepreneurship and sustainability in our screen industry.

Screen Australia announces over $5.2 million in Enterprise Funding – Screen News – Screen Australia Screen Australia is pleased to announce over $5.2 million in funding for 18 Enterprise People opportunities and 18 Enterprise Business proposals.

WE WON AN AWARD! We're a little late to celebrate, but Clean (aka The Cleaning Company) has taken out Best Documentary Programme (One Off) at the Asian Academy Creative Awards. The award was announced on December 7, and came after winning Australia's selection for the category in October. Special shout out to Lachie's in-laws for picking up the trophy, and modelling it so brilliantly for us!

Congrats as well to our co-producers Good Thing Productions and SBS Australia. We'd also like to thank our supporters, including Screen Australia, VicScreen, Madman Films and all the talented people who helped bring our film to life. And of course, we wouldn't be here without the amazing team at STC Services, and Sandra's remarkable and inspiring story.

US friends! We're excited to announce that Clean is now available to pre-order on , and will be available on-demand on a variety of platforms from June 23rd, thanks to our partners . Spread the word 📣🇺🇸

We're excited to announce that our short doc Who I Am (directed by Naomi Ball) is touring Australia next month in celebration of Pride Month! Find a screening near you and get tickets:

https://whoiamfilm.com/screenings

Who I Am follows Aether (he/him/it), a transgender and Autistic teen, and his family, as they navigate the first steps of his social transition. Viewers young and old can find themselves in Aether and his family, as he does the impossible - being defiantly, authentically, exactly who he is.

Research shows that Autistic people are more likely to come out as trans or gender diverse, but little is known about why. Who I Am provides a voice to these trans and neurodivergent youth and shows the importance of telling their stories.

Each screening will be sensory-friendly and will feature a panel discussion with Aether and other special guests. We look forward to seeing you there!

Exciting news! Clean (in the company of some excellent films) has been nominated for Best Documentary at the Australian Film Critics Association Awards. A huge thanks to the Australian film publishing community for this special recognition, and congrats to all the fantastic projects in contention. The winner will be announced at the AFCA Awards on Friday March 10.

Our short doc Who I Am is finally available for Australian audiences to see on 10 play! Cue your watch parties and tell your family and friends 👀

Huge congrats to everyone that worked on it, not least our talented director Naomi Ball who was nominated for an Australian Directors' Guild award for her work on the project.

We would like to thank Aether and family for sharing this important story with us, and our partners and donors for their generous support.

Who I Am Stream LGBTQIA+ documentary about transgender and autistic teen Who I Am on 10 Play on demand for free

Huge congrats to long-time Walking Fish collaborator Naomi Ball for her Australian Directors' Guild nomination! 🎉🍾🥂

Naomi is nominated for Best Direction in a Documentary Short Subject for her incredible work on Who I Am.

Image credit: Cadance Bell

This Saturday at 3:30pm Naomi Ball's Who I Am makes its long awaited hometown premiere as part of the wonderful Melbourne Q***r Film Festival! 🌈

Our film is screening alongside Maya Newell's The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone and Tracey Spring's The Accidental Archivist as part of the sensory-friendly Trans Australiana Shorts Package. Tickets selling fast - don't miss this very special event!

More info and bookings: https://tix.mqff.com.au/Films/Trans-Australiana-Shorts-Package

We are so stoked with this ★★★★★ review of Clean in The Sydney Morning Herald!

Catch the TV debut of Clean (aka The Cleaning Company) tomorrow night at 8:30pm on SBS Australia, as the third instalment of 'Australia Uncovered'.

A huge thanks to our production partners Screen Australia, VicScreen, SBS Australia and Madman Films, and our amazing collaborators over at GoodThing Productions.

TV portrait of a crime scene cleaner is stunning in its compassion Two new documentaries in the SBS Untold Australia series shine light on the world of trauma cleaning and teen parenting.

Friends and colleagues, round 2 AACTA voting is upon us! We're extremely honoured that Clean is one of six projects Australia-wide in consideration for Best Documentary at the 2022 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards. AACTA members, we'd love your support.

Voting is open until November 7, so get in quick!

Vote here: https://www.research.net/r/2022-Round-2

Huge congrats to WF dynamic duo Lachlan Scott McLeod and Louis Dai for their editing nomination at the 2022 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards!

Congrats to Clean editors Lachlan McLeod and Louis Dai who have just been nominated for Best Editing in a Documentary at the 2022 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) awards! 🎉🥂🍾

More info here: https://www.aacta.org/our-news/media-room/aacta-announces-nominees-for-2022-technical-craft-award-categories/

Pictured: Lachlan McLeod and Louis Dai during a Clean shoot in August 2021. Photo credit: Narelle Portanier

Who I Am's Australian festival run continues! The film will show Brisbane International Film Festival on Saturday November 5th, as part of the documentary shorts session. Stay tuned for some Melbourne news very shortly! 🎉🌈🎉

Tickets and more info: https://biff.com.au/film/shorts-documentaries/

A huge thanks to our partners and supporters:

Screen Australia Doc Edge Rei Foundation Limited VicScreen Jessbyte Foundation Pride Foundation Australia Documentary Australia Mable Amaze

Director Lachlan McLeod recently caught up with Screen Australia's Caris Bizzaca to reveal some behind-the-scenes insights about the making of Clean. Check out the link below to watch the full clip.

A huge thanks to Screen Australia for having us!

Screen News – Screen Australia Free screen industry news, interviews and advice.

We are excited to announce that our documentary short Who I Am will have its Australian premiere at Antenna International Documentary Film Festival in Sydney on Sunday 16 October. Directed by Naomi Ball, this intimate observational film follows a transgender and autistic teen over three years as he searches for belonging and support. The story is brought to life through animations drawn by the film's hero.

A huge thanks to the film's participants, Aether and his family, our incredible crew and our amazing partners Screen Australia, Doc Edge / Rei Foundation Limited and VicScreen.

Tickets can be purchased here:
https://tix.antennafestival.org/Events/BEST-AUS-SHORTS-SESSION-2

Exciting news! Clean has made the shortlist of 6 nominated films competing for Best Documentary at the 2022 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards! 🎉🥂🍾

A huge and warm thank you to our industry peers who supported Clean's nomination. And a big congrats to the other amazing projects in the mix - what an honour to be considered alongside these fantastic films!

A big thanks to our co-producers GoodThing Productions and our amazing partners Screen Australia VicScreen SBS Australia and Madman Films.

"Clean is a tapestry that helps bring a character’s story to the public eye in a way that is as unsensational as it is intuitive. Here, Mcleod is both interlocutor and witness."

The Guardian gives it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Clean review – an unsensational documentary about an extraordinary life Director Lachlan Mcleod follows Australian Sandra Pankhurst and her team of ‘trauma cleaners’: those who scrub crime scenes, su***de sites and clear out hoarders’ homes

What a special night that was! It was incredible to share our film with Melbourne audiences for the first time and honour Sandra in style. And what a show put on for us!

Hearing an audience laugh and cry for Sandra was so humbling. It was also an amazing feeling to watch the film with STC team and Sandra’s friends and family, many of whom shared memories and anecdotes with us. It is a huge honour that our film can be a catalyst to celebrate Sandra’s remarkable life and legacy.

Our only regret is that Sandra herself couldn’t be there. May her memory live on and may she continue to inspire us and give us strength, as we know she will.

Thank you all for giving us a night we’ll always remember.
documentary

The night has finally arrived! MIFF Closing Night Gala - Clean will be very special! We can't wait to celebrate Sandra and share our film with friends, family and all the amazing people who helped us make it.

Tonight's the night! We can't wait to see you at MIFF Closing Night Gala - Clean for Clean's Australian Premiere!

On a personal level, it is a dream to have our film at MIFF, let alone as the Closing Night film. But Melbourne is also Sandra's city. Having this premiere in front of many of those who knew her dearly is powerful and fitting.

We can't thank Melbourne International Film Festival enough for this precious opportunity to celebrate Sandra, her amazing life, and her continuing legacy in the company of those who knew and loved her.

A huge thanks to all those who helped us make this film including the wonderful team at STC Services, our ever-supporting partners, our hard working crew, and Sandra herself, for giving us the enormous privilege of sharing her story.

A handful of tickets are still available to the screenings and gala tonight. If you're coming along, we look forward to raising our glasses to Sandra with you 🥂

MIFF tickets - https://miff.com.au/program/film/clean

Our feature doc 'Guardians of the River' has been selected for the 2022 Doc Society and AIDC - Australian International Documentary Conference Art & Impact Fellowship - a year-long creative mentorship and impact program!

We are so grateful for this incredible opportunity and feel humbled to be in the company of so many amazing projects and film teams.

'Guardians of the River' is co-directed by Lachlan McLeod and Veialu Aila-Unsworth, and is a co-production with Aotearoa's Brown Sugar Apple Grunt.

Doc Society and AIDC select seven projects for Art & Impact fellowship - IF Magazine Seven documentary projects have been selected for the second Art & Impact Fellowship Australia, run by Doc Society in partnership with the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC). The creatives behind the selected projects, which span mixed media and feature documentary, will join the...

Calling all Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA)member friends! Clean is in the running to be nominated for Best Documentary at the 2022 AACTA awards, and we'd love your vote. Voting is now open and will close on August 25. Voting is quick and easy, and will go a long way to helping Clean make the Best Documentary shortlist. Thank you in advance for your support.

In the running:

Lachlan McLeod - Direction | Editing
David Elliot-Jones - Producer
Charlotte Wheaton - Producer
Louis Dai - Cinematography | Editing
Patrick Grigg- Original Score

Watch and vote here: https://tv.aacta.org/film/clean/

More exciting festival news! Clean will be having its WA premiere at the 15th this coming August 23-28. We can't wait to bring our film to this six day festival set in the beautiful Busselton and Margaret River wine region.

"Clean is Lachlan McLeod’s affecting documentary portrait of pioneering entrepreneur and trans icon Sandra Pankhurst and her trauma cleaning team."

🗞🗞🗞

We are thrilled and honoured to announce that our European Premiere of Clean will be at Edinburgh International Film Festival next month, as the Headline Film in the festival's 'The Conversation' strand.

Edinburgh International Film Festival reveals 2022 programme Full programme announced of 87 new features, 12 short film programmes, and two large scale retrospectives that celebrate the 2022 Theme of the 50th Anniversary of the Women’s Film Festival in new Creative Director Kristy Matheson’s inaugural edition.

Tickets now on sale 👀

Closing Night Gala - Clean The genuinely inspirational story of how ‘trauma cleaner’ Sandra Pankhurst responded to an unseen world with radical kindness.