We Bury the Dead key art drops today ahead of 2026 cinematic release – Official key art for gripping survival thriller We Bury the Dead, starring acclaimed actress Daisy Ridley, has dropped today ahead of the film’s theatrical release in Australia and New Zealand on February 5, 2026.
Written and directed by Perth born Zak Hilditch (1922, These Final Hours), We Bury the Dead is set in the aftermath of a devastating military experiment and follows Ava (Daisy Ridley) a desperate woman who volunteers for a body retrieval unit in a decimated Tasmania, hoping to find her missing husband. But as the unit begins its grim task, the corpses show signs of movement – and Ava’s search spirals into a terrifying battle for survival.
The film also stars Brenton Thwaites (Titans) and Mark Coles Smith (Mystery Road: Origin) alongside Ridley (Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens) in what has been described as Hilditch’s most ambitious feature film to date.
The film made its world premiere at the iconic South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) in Austin, Texas earlier this year, and was a finalist for the CinefestOZ Film Festival $100,000 film prize.We Bury the Dead was filmed in Albany and Western Australia’s Great Southern region last year.
Writer-Director Zak Hilditch said:
“We Bury the Dead was a true labour of love from everyone involved and I can’t wait to finally unleash the film on audiences in all its glory. The people of Albany were a huge part of making this a reality and we couldn’t have done it without the entire town opening their arms to us.”
Screenwest Chief Executive Officer Rikki Lea Bestall said:
“It’s fantastic to see Western Australian Writer-Director Zak Hilditch’s strong, intense storytelling, coupled with having Daisy Ridley in the State for production of We Bury the Dead. Not only will audiences from all over the world see Western Australia on the big screen, but the local film industry has seen incredible benefits from the economic spin-off of this production.”
Screenwest also supported Hilditch’s debut feature These Final Hours through West Coast Visions more than a decade ago, helping to launch his film career. West Coast Visions is designed to uncover, inspire and develop talented first-time feature film directors in Western Australia with support for a debut feature film for theatrical release.
Production credit: Produced by Kelvin Munro and Grant Sputore for WA production company, The Penguin Empire, alongside Ross Dinerstein (Campfire Studios), and Joshua Harris and Mark Fasano (Gramercy Park), Executive producers are Nathan Klingher and Ford Corbett (Gramercy Park), Nicholas Erickson, Sean Fannan and D.J. Jiang (Giant Leap Media) and Ari Harrison and Jeff Harrison (Umbrella).
We Bury the Dead received major production investment from Screen Australia in association with Screenwest, Lotterywest and the Western Australian Regional Screen Fund. The film was financed with support from Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund.
Media Release – Screenwest
Link to Screenwest HERE
TV Central Screen Australia content HERE
We Bury the Dead key art drops today ahead of 2026 cinematic release
