Joh: Last King of Queensland

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Joh: Last King of Queensland (2025)

Directed by Kriv Stenders

“A captivating and cautionary portrait of one of Australia’s most controversial politicians, Joh Bjelke-Petersen, whose career can be seen as a playbook for the Trump era.”

Documentary · 1h 39m

Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen reigned over Queensland for 19 tumultuous years (1968–1987). Hugely popular, he presided over enormous growth, but corruption raged under his tenure, as did electoral manipulation and often violent suppression of dissent. This film tells Joh’s story through rare archival footage and revelatory interviews, exploring a life shaped by a hard yakka, god-fearing upbringing on his family’s farm. Trump’s spectre is evoked in Joh’s famously mangled and meandering way of speaking – brilliantly dramatised by Richard Roxburgh – alongside his unyielding execution of power and the desperate denial of his final days in office.

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Cast

J
Joh Bjelke-Petersen Self (archival)
M
Matthew Condon Self Bob Katter Self Richard Roxburgh Joh Bjelke-Petersen
L
Lindy Morrison Self
E
Ed Kuepper Self John Howard Self David Littleproud Self

Crew

Director
Kriv Stenders
Writer
Kriv Stenders, Matthew Condon
Editor
Karryn de Cinque
Producer
Veronica Fury, Alan Erson

Details

Release date
2025-06-07
Runtime
1h 39m
Genres
Documentary
Original language
EN
Spoken languages
English
Countries
Australia
Production
WildBear Entertainment