Imagine

A phone-obsessed teen is pulled into a vortex in this genre-bending fable that asks: what might we discover if we finally look up?

Like many teens, 15-year-old Kim is overwhelmed by digital noise, constantly called back to bouts of scrolling by the pings of their phone – until a claw rips through their bedroom and drags them off to a kaleidoscopic otherworld. There, a sardonic alien dog called Jeff sets Kim on a cryptic quest for freedom: to travel to five islands over the course of 24 hours. Guided by Aboriginal Elders and crossing surreal, symbolic realms – a sentient library, a battlefield of ideologies and an ocean of memories – Kim confronts their fears and addictions. From rune-wielding Viking chefs to fascist pirates and a cyborg shaman, each encounter unveils deeper truths about nature, time and spirit.

This multidimensional animated odyssey comes from two First Nations filmmakers: Bundjalung man Jack Manning Bancroft, children’s author and founder of the award-winning Indigenous mentoring program AIME; and scholar Tyson Yunkaporta, who belongs to the Apalech clan in Far North Queensland. Their script was developed during the pandemic through a global collaborative project involving over 150 young people, with supporting details drawn from conversations on Yunkaporta’s podcast The Other Others. Offering sage lessons for a generation seeking clarity in the chaos, Imagine features an impressive voice cast including Yael Stone, Wayne Blair and guest performers Ian Thorpe and Taika Waititi.

Trailer...