Back to Bilo

Priya and Nades left war-torn Sri Lanka and found each other in regional Queensland. They married, had two daughters, worked hard and settled into a simple but happy country life. The community welcomed them with open arms—but four years later, there came a knock at the door, and they were ripped away in a dawn raid. Their story could have ended there, but their community fought back. Fighting alongside the young refugee family, a brave band of Biloela women launched a grassroots, people-powered campaign that galvanised hundreds of thousands of ordinary Australians to demand the family be brought back to Bilo. Nominated for five Matilda Awards in 2025, BACK TO BILO is the remarkable true story of one family's fight to come home—and the ordinary Australians who stood beside them. A moving testament to love, persistence and the extraordinary power of community.