The best free TV and movies you can watch now

No subscriptions? No problems! Here are the best movies and TV series you can watch free Tue 7 Jul 2026 at 4:30am Welcome to NAIDOC Week 2026! This year's national theme is Fifty Years of Deadly, honouring 50 years of the NAIDOC journey. Part of this year's event is to honour the artists that channelled their resistance into expression, and what better way to dive into the theme than through film and television. All of these projects highlight the creativity, talent and tenacity of First Nations people in front of and behind the camera. We know you might be struggling under the weight of your monthly streaming service bills but never fear, there's a whole treasure trove of entertainment out there that's completely FREE. So, we've done the hard yards, sifting through three free Australian streaming services — ABC iview, SBS On Demand and Brollie — to bring you the First Nations projects that will make you laugh, cry and learn. All you need to do is think of what genre you feel like and click the box for all the details. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of people who have died. Landmark cinema Walkabout Casting a 2026 eye over Nicolas Roeg's 1971 bush adventure Walkabout can reveal some very dated tropes but the film's blistering cinematography and the first performance from revered Yolngu artist David Gulpilil make it an unmissable watch. Adapted from the novel of the same name, Walkabout follows a teenage girl and her brother who must survive in the outback after being abandoned there by their suicidal father. The tone shifts significantly for the pair when they meet an Aboriginal boy (Gulpilil) who shows them how to find water, food and appreciation in the harsh beauty of the Australian bush. Walkabout is a time capsule, not just for how the dangers of the Australian landscape were perceived by foreigners more than half a century ago, but for the magnetic, natural debut performance of Gulpilil which would beget dozens more. Where to watch: Brollie and SBS On Demand Bedevil Watching Bedevil, Tracey Moffatt's debut feature and the first movie to be directed by an Indigenous Australian woman, is akin to dreaming you're in quicksand; the more you try to grasp on to any kind of reality, the deeper you sink into Moffatt's bewitching, discordant nightmare. Bedevil is sliced into three chilling ghost tales: Mr Chuck about a Bribie Island bog which homes the cursed spirit of a drowned American GI; Choo Choo Choo Choo follows Ruby (Moffat herself) as she confronts a haunted railroad from her youth; and Lovin' The Spin I'm In, where two lovers are trapped in northern Queensland after an unfortunate accident. Moffat rejects western convention by presenting her anthology non-linearly in a move which emphasises the nebulous nature of time and the endurance of the spirit. The director's dream-like visuals are heightened by the composition of Carl Vine, whose mysterious panpipes and dark strings punctuate nearly every scene. Screened as a part of the official Cannes Film Festival in 1993, Bedevil is not just a movie; it's an experience. Where to watch: SBS On Demand Radiance Beloved actor Deborah Mailman (Order of Australia, don't you forget it) is well and truly a stalwart of the industry, delivering exceptional performances in everything from Rabbit Proof Fence to The Sapphires. Which is why it's all the more thrilling to see Mailman as a plucky 21-year-old, freshly pulled from Brisbane stages for her debut feature role in Rachel Perkins's 1998 movie Radiance. Based on the play of the same name, Mailman plays Nona, the spunky youngest sibling to middle child Cressy (Rachael Maza) and eldest May (Trisha Morton-Thomas). The sisters are reunited for the funeral of their mum, but the reception is less than welcoming. Cressy has been in the city becoming a famous opera singer, while May has been at home taking care of their ailing mother. Nona, for her part, is just happy to be with her sisters again. As the sisters re-acclimatise, buried issues like their paternity (they all have different fathers) and their upbringings (May and Cressy were taken into homes, while Nona was allowed to stay with her mother) rear their heads, resulting in tense and sometimes beautiful interactions. Not only was Radiance Mailman's first movie, it was also Perkins's first feature in the director's chair and the future Mabo director wrings the muted beauty out of rural Queensland with the help of then first-time cinematographer Warwick Thornton. Where to watch: SBS On Demand Film and TV of the 2020s Goolagong If there was ever a time to jump on the Goolagong train it's now, judging by this year's Logie nominations. Both Lila McGuire and 10-year-old Eloise Hart are nominated for best new talent for portraying tennis great Evonne Goolagong Cawley. The three-part drama series opens with Goolagong-Cawley making history as the first Indigenous woman to qualify for the prestigious Wimbledon tournament (which she would eventually go on to conquer thrice). The audience is then thrown back to Goolagong Cawley's childhood and teenagedom to unravel what made the sports star so incredible. The scenes of Goolagong Cawley soaring onto the world stage are juxtaposed with the harassment and financial abuse she suffered at the hands of tennis coach and legal guardian Vic Edwards, the man who plucked her from outback Barellan to push her to a professional career. Equal parts heartening and heartbreaking, Goolagong is a solid tribute to one of the best sportspeople this country has ever seen. Where to watch: ABC iview Heart of the Man Don't forget to bring the tissues when you watch David Cook's Heart of the Man because something in the emotional semi-autobiographical sports drama is sure to bring on the waterworks. Cook takes on quadruple duties as director, writer and producer all while setting a commanding tone as Sammy Wundurra, a once-champion boxer who deals with his encroaching irrelevance by pushing his son Chris (Parker Little — delicate, delightful) to follow in his sporting footsteps. But Chris doesn't have the interest or drive his father had, despite the older man's insistence that it's his job to make his son a "warrior". The schism between father and son widens when Chris develops a crush on Jamie (Tyrel Dulvarie), an actor who leads him into an LGBTQIA+-positive theatre and ignites passion in Chris that far exceeds his father's expectations. Tightly written and with incredible cinematography, Cook's debut feature film goes straight for the heart. Where to watch: SBS On Demand The Moogai This one comes with a warning: if you're scared of spirits proceed with caution. Sarah (Shari Sebbens) and Fergus (Meyne Wyatt) are new parents trying to bask in the birth of their second child. But their newborn glow is cut short when Sarah realises she's being stalked by a child-snatching demon called the Moogai, a word for 'bogyman' which director and writer Jon Bell borrowed from Bundjalung language. However, the thieving beast is not the only hiding monster. As the opening titles tell us, an estimated one in three Aboriginal children were taken from their parents during the 20th century. The gnarled hands of the Moogai might be the ones reaching for Sarah's child but the fear in her mind stems from her own government-sanctioned abduction as a child. The horror in The Moogai is more than jump scares or gory kills; it roots its scares in the sociopolitical where the threat of an otherworldly creature is just as dangerous as 'concerned' humans acting in a way they believe is righteous. Where to watch: SBS On Demand Comedy Always Was Tonight The worst thing about Always Was Tonight, the satirical news show that landed like a lighting strike on Australian Day this year, is that there's only one episode of it. Presented by former ABC Breakfast personality Tony Armstrong and written by a team of crack Indigenous writers including Rudi Bremer and Black Comedy's Yaraman Thorne, Always Was Tonight takes on the challenge to pack as many jokes into a scant 25 minutes as possible. Eyes sparkling with every barb he lands, Armstrong glides through everything from his opening monologue to BBQ cooking segments (mind the smallpox!). There are multiple hilarious guests who drop by to chat, with Megan Wilding as Rainbow Snake affected by cost of living, the highlight of an extremely bright bunch. Honestly, you could just watch the ticker tape one-liners and have an excellent half-hour. Send Always Was Tonight for a full series! Where to watch: ABC iview Cooked Back in January 2019, then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a $6.7 million plan to send a replica of Captain James Cooks's Endeavour around the country to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the coloniser's first arrival in Australia. Morrison's plan was quickly trashed for being historically inaccurate and politically divisive. Although the 2020 plan eventually fell through (thanks to COVID), the situation did inspire the creation of Cooked, a side-splitting adult animation series from Studio Gilay. Created by studio co-founders James Hackett and Jake Duczynski, Cooked exists in an alternate timeline where the terrible curse of cruel colonialist Wyatt Gildt (pronounced like white guilt) see Australians acting like racists and rejecting Indigenous history (encouraged by a very "I don't hold a hose, mate"-looking PM). The ghost of Captain Cook (Ross Noble), bound to his ship for all eternity, must sail around the country, with the help of wisecracking goat/trapped spirit Daringa (Steph Tisdell), trying to figure out how we got in this mess. In both its story and its eclectic combination 2D/3D art style, Cooked pulls no punches, always reaching for the most audacious scene possible. Comedians Tisdell and Noble bounce off each other wonderfully as the most unexpected of teammates. A genuine hidden gem; the only problem with Cooked is that it'll leave you wanting more. Where to watch: ABC iview All My Friends Are Racist Absolutely nothing in irreverent web comedy All My Friends Are Racist should be taken seriously, and that's exactly what makes it such a deliciously fun ride. Wannabe influencer Casey (Davey Thompson) and law student Belle (Tuuli Narkle) are best friends living their best lives in Brisbane. They both have strong senses of "social justice", adorning their bedroom walls with a red string composite of every time their friends and family have been racist. One night at a party, someone sneaks a snap of Belle and Casey's wall and sends it viral, landing the friends firmly in cancelled corner. Their attempt to dig themselves out of a hole doesn't get their friends back but does give Casey an influencer booth, however the internet virality soon threatens their friendship. From Casey's insistence they're the victims (despite their privileged upbringing with a mum who is a judge and a dad who coaches rugby) to Belle's white artist mum trying to glom onto Indigenous heritage via her child, no character is safe from creator Enoch Mailangi's sly barbs. Hilarious and boundary-pushing, All My Friends Are Racist is so tongue in cheek it threatens to poke right through. Where to watch: ABC iview Family fare Bluey in Yolŋu Matha What could make Bluey, the universally beloved children's show about a family of blue heelers, even more beautiful? How about hearing it in Indigenous language? Bluey has been translated into dozens of different languages worldwide and for the first time, viewers can watch five episodes — The Creek, The Beach, Sleepytime, Grandad and Rug Island dubbed by north-east Arnhem Land residents into Yolŋu Matha. Dimathaya Burarrwanga, a founding member of Yolŋu surf rock band King Stingray, does a wonderful job being dad Bandit, while translator and voice actor Rosie Mununggurr takes over for mum Chilli. The children selected to voice sisters Bluey and Bingo are also Arnhem Land locals and, as with the original series, their identities are kept under wraps. The episodes incorporate Yolŋu Matha phrases where a direct translation from English wasn't possible, so even if you don't speak the language it's a wonderful opportunity for those who can recite Bluey episodes in their sleep to appreciate Indigenous languages (and maybe even pick up a word or two!) Where to watch: ABC iview Thalu If you mixed a child-appropriate Mad Max, with the wonders of the Pilbara and that one ABC Kids mystery show that used to scare you just a little bit, you'd get Thalu. Set in a post-Apocalyptic Australia, the six kids at the centre of the story are trying to outrun a giant, looming dust cloud which threatens to consume everything in its path. The group must band together to collect eight stones from a variety of colourful characters to save what's left of their world. Led by an absolutely adorable group of young actors, who were all cast from the Ieramugadu region of the Pilbara, Thalu is a riveting story for older kids who are ready to leap into a more intricate narrative. Where to watch: ABC iview That Blackfella Show You want a little razzle dazzle in your week? You go to That Blackfella Show, Australia's first-ever First Nations variety show. Debuting in 2025, the annual extravaganza is full of sketches, special guests and musical performances. If you missed last year's edition, don't stress, you can catch up on all the action including a gorgeous performance from Miss Kaninna and the debut of BlakMAFS (here's hoping for another season!). Once you're caught up you'll be ready for 2026's That Blackfella Show, hosted by singer and actor Jessica Mauboy and featuring Arnhem Land rapper Baker Boy and the acting debut of musician and spoken word artist BARKAA. Where to watch: ABC iview Tue 7 Jul 2026 at 4:30am - Share options - Copy link - X (formerly Twitter)