Harvey Zielinski’s debut feature took Australia’s richest film prize at the festival’s Busselton celebration, while ‘Better Man’ and ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ actor Damon Herriman was honoured for his contribution to Australian screen.

Harvey Zielinski’s Sweet Milk Lake has won the 2026 CinefestOZ Film Prize, taking home the $100,000 award billed as the richest film prize in Australia for an Australian production.

The Western Australian filmmaker’s debut feature was named the winner at the CinefestOZ Film Prize Celebration in Busselton on Saturday night, prevailing over fellow finalists The Fox, Wilderness and Yesterday Island.

Zielinski, who wrote, directed, produced and stars in the film, accepted the award alongside actor Ngaire Pigram and producer Philippa Campey.

The night also saw Australian actor Damon Herriman named the 2026 CinefestOZ Screen Legend, recognising a career that has stretched from Australian television and film to major international productions including Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Mindhunter, The Bikeriders and Better Man.

For Sweet Milk Lake, the $100,000 prize marks another significant moment in a festival run that has also seen the film selected for MIFF and Zielinski’s screenplay nominated for an AWGIE.

The drama centres on Jake, a soft-spoken, introverted trans man who returns to the small community of Sweet Milk after learning that his estranged father, Lee, is dying.

On arriving home, Jake discovers that his father has mistaken him for his hyper-masculine twin brother Sam and is unaware of Jake’s transition. Rather than immediately correcting him, Jake finds himself experiencing something he has long sought from his father: approval.

That case of mistaken identity opens up a more complicated examination of family, masculinity, belonging and acceptance as Jake becomes increasingly drawn to the privileges afforded to him by his father and the community. As he investigates his father’s secrets and begins a new romance, Lee’s death leaves Jake confronting the consequences of the identity he has assumed.

Zielinski stars alongside Hunter Page-Lochard, Kieran Darcy-Smith and Pigram, with the film produced by Zielinski, Campey and Molly O’Connor.

Film Prize jury chair Greer Simpkin said the four finalists prompted considerable debate among the judging panel, which also included Rachel House, filmmaker Gregor Jordan, cinematographer Katie Milwright and actor Mark Coles Smith.

“As a jury we were asked to assess each film against the broad criteria ‘excellence in Australian filmmaking’,” Simpkin said. “There are many ways we could look at this, and in the end we came to the conclusion that we wanted to choose a film that had the strongest point of view, that clearly had something to say and share, and that possessed an emotional resonance that could bridge understanding between audiences and our communities as a whole.”

Simpkin described Sweet Milk Lake as “assured, technically impressive” and praised the film for bringing “a unique and transformative perspective to Australian cinema.”

“A film bolstered by its courage and nuance, and in the end, offers a true sense of hope,” she added.

Accepting the prize, Zielinski described the win as “such an incredible, overwhelming honour.”

“We’re very, very grateful,” he said. “Thank you to CinefestOZ, the jury, our incredible cast and crew, and everyone who brought Sweet Milk Lake to life and believed in it from the beginning.

“This film is such a labour of love from so many people, and we’re so thankful it’s resonating. This means more to us than we can really put into words.”

The win adds Zielinski to a Film Prize honour roll that includes some of the most prominent Australian films of the past decade. Previous recipients include Songs Inside, The Moogai, Shayda, Of an Age, Nitram, H Is for Happiness, Jirga, Ali’s Wedding, Girl Asleep, Putuparri and the Rainmakers and Paper Planes.

Zielinski is already developing his second feature, Thugs, with support from Screen Australia. As an actor, he is a two-time Heath Ledger Scholarship finalist and CGA Rising Star Award winner, with credits including Deadloch, White Fever, Love Me and Don’t Look Deeper. His stage work includes Sydney Theatre Company’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Damon Herriman Honoured as CinefestOZ Screen Legend

The Film Prize Celebration also turned the spotlight on Herriman, who was named CinefestOZ’s 2026 Screen Legend for his contribution to Australian filmmaking.

Herriman arrives at the honour following a particularly strong period in his career. He won the 2025 AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the Robbie Williams biopic Better Man, having previously won Best Lead Actor for Judy & Punch in 2020.

His international career has included the unusual distinction of playing Charles Manson in two separate high-profile productions: Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and David Fincher’s Netflix series Mindhunter.

His other international credits include J. Edgar, The Bikeriders, Breaking Bad, The Underground Railroad, Quarry and Justified.

In Australia, Herriman’s extensive body of work includes Mr Inbetween, The Tourist, The Artful Dodger, Riot, INXS: Never Tear Us Apart and Love My Way, alongside films including How to Make Gravy, Nude Tuesday, The Little Death, The Nightingale, 100 Bloody Acres and The Big Steal.

Herriman has also had a significant presence at CinefestOZ this year. He stars in Film Prize finalist The Fox, the debut feature from Danger 5 creator Dario Russo, alongside Jai Courtney, Emily Browning, Miranda Otto, Olivia Colman and Sam Neill.

Herriman also wrote and stars in Nash Edgerton’s short film Candy Bar, alongside Andrea Demetriades and Zumi Edgerton. The project earned Herriman the Best Screenplay award at the festival’s 2026 Short Film Awards.

The CinefestOZ Screen Legend Award recognises Australian actors and filmmakers of international standing who have made a significant contribution to the screen industry. Previous recipients include Rachel Griffiths, Richard Roxburgh, Isla Fisher, Sigrid Thornton, Hugo Weaving, Joel Edgerton, Gillian Armstrong, Bruce Beresford, Jack Thompson, Bryan Brown, Fred Schepisi, David Wenham and Steve Bisley.

Four Films Compete for the Prize

This year’s Film Prize field brought together four markedly different Australian features.

Alongside Sweet Milk Lake, Russo’s The Fox is a dark, fantastical comedy starring Courtney, Browning, Otto, Colman, Neill and Herriman.

Martin McKenna’s Wilderness, starring Yael Stone and Mirrah Foulkes, was also in contention, as was Sam Voutas’ time-loop comedy Yesterday Island, starring Ivan Aristeguieta, Florence Noble and Francis Greenslade.

CinefestOZ chair Margaret Buswell said the four finalists reflected the strength of contemporary Australian filmmaking.

“On behalf of CinefestOZ, I would like to congratulate all our exceptional finalists — The Fox, Wilderness, Yesterday Island and our 2026 winner Sweet Milk Lake,” Buswell said. “Each film represents the extraordinary talent, creativity and storytelling that continues to define Australian cinema.”

CinefestOZ takes place across Busselton, Bunbury and Margaret River in Western Australia’s South West, combining Australian film premieres with industry events and screenings staged across cinemas, wineries, bars and galleries.

The $100,000 Film Prize has become the festival’s centrepiece since Paper Planes became its inaugural recipient in 2014.

For Zielinski, however, Saturday night represented something more immediate: a $100,000 endorsement of a deeply personal debut feature and its distinctive perspective on identity, family and belonging.

“This film is such a labour of love from so many people,” he said. “We’re so thankful it’s resonating.”