Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the name of a person who has died.
Netflix has acquired global rights to 2.6 Seconds: Death in the Outback, a four-part Australian documentary about the death of Kumanjayi Walker and the events that followed. The series is expected to reach Netflix in early 2027, after its first public screenings at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Walker was a 19-year-old Warlpiri-Luritja man who was shot in Yuendumu, Northern Territory, in November 2019 by police officer Zachary Rolfe. A jury acquitted Rolfe of all criminal charges in 2022.
What is 2.6 Seconds about?
The documentary follows the two lives that met in Yuendumu, the shooting, the criminal trial, and the effect the case had on Walker’s family, the community, and Australia’s wider debate about policing and race.
Public descriptions say the series uses archival footage, court material, and interviews with both families. It was made by First Nations-owned production company Blackfella Films for SBS and NITV, with support from Screen Australia and Screen NSW.
What does the Netflix deal change?
The acquisition gives the Australian series a worldwide audience. SBS and NITV still plan to carry it in Australia in 2027, while Netflix will release it internationally. Neither broadcaster has announced an exact streaming date.
Netflix picked up the documentary before its TIFF screenings. It is the only documentary among the ten shows selected for the festival’s Primetime program this year.
What legal background should viewers know?
Rolfe was charged with murder and two alternative offenses after the shooting. In March 2022, a Northern Territory Supreme Court jury found him not guilty on all three charges.
A separate coronial inquest began later in 2022 and delivered its findings in July 2025. The criminal trial and the inquest had different jobs: the jury decided the charges against Rolfe, while the coroner examined Walker’s death and broader issues surrounding policing. The acquittal was not overturned.
When will the documentary premiere?
TIFF lists screenings on September 14 and September 15, 2026. Netflix and SBS are both planning releases in 2027, but no day or month has been announced.
The new Netflix deal means the series will not remain limited to Australian television. Viewers outside the country will be able to see the case through a production built with direct access to the people and community affected by it.
