After successfully premiering in Canberra in June, The Long Walk has now been released on Stan and 9Now. Photo: Screen Canberra.
Screen Canberra has been on a huge streak so far in 2026, producing content across several media, including film, TV and even gaming.
So far this year, its produced content has included an ABC mini-series called Judgement, which details some of Australia’s most important court cases; A New Anzac, which covers the $500 million redevelopment of the War Memorial; and Under the Bamboo Sky, which was recently released on Netflix.
However, its biggest feature of the year has just been released on Stan and is already proving to be a big winner.
The Long Run is a feature-length documentary which follows First Nations sporting legends Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin and Johnathan Thurston as they train with 12 other First Nations people to prepare for the prestigious New York Marathon.
The documentary was produced by Canberra production company Good Shout and backed by Screen Canberra.
Good Shout founder Brett Frawley said working with Lance Franklin, Johnathan Thurston and the 12 members of the Indigenous Marathon Foundation (IMF) was the most educational and inspirational experience of the team’s lives.
“It was a bit of a marathon within a marathon to make The Long Run, but it was by far the most rewarding and special story we’ve told in our history,” Mr Frawley said.
“The way that we were accepted and ultimately trusted by the squad (IMF), by JT and Buddy, will be something that we’ll be forever thankful for.
“To have it finally out and for people to see it and give such a positive reaction to it, it’s been really special and really gratifying.”
The documentary covered a six-month period, which included the 14 runners’ training and preparation before ultimately completing the NYC Marathon.
Mr Frawley said it was a new experience for the team to cover such a long period of time while also being so intimate with the crew,
“A lot of the work we do at Good Shout is producing content for elite sport, mainly in Olympic and Paralympic sports, but seeing JT and Buddy go through their own journey was something very new for us,” he said.
“They were both elite athletes, but they’ve both been retired for a while, and long-distance running, especially for JT and NRL, was never ever part of their training regime.
“The longest run that JT had done before doing the project was 10 k, and I think Buddy may be a little bit longer, but neither of them had gone anywhere near running the length of a marathon.
“To see Buddy break down at the end of the 42 kilometres in New York the way that he did, I think, speaks to just how hard it was for them as well. JT had a similar moment in Alice Springs during the 30 km run.
“It really was a new and difficult experience for everyone, but it made it all that much more special when all of them crossed that finish line in New York.”
With The Long Run now streaming on Stan, Mr Frawley thanked Screen Canberra for backing the project.
“We are so thankful for Screen Canberra and the ACT Government’s support and backing. There is no way that the project could have, would have happened without their support,” he said.
“We have six documentaries under our belt now; this one was by far the biggest, and we needed that help from a screen agency.
“We’re extremely proud Canberrans, and I know everyone at Screen Canberra is too. For us to stand up with a national documentary of this size created by a predominantly Canberra crew, with the help of Screen Canberra, is very pleasing for us to know what can be achieved in the nation’s capital.”
The Long Run is now streaming on 9Now and Stan.