Netflix has secured the global rights to 2.6 Seconds: Death in the Outback, the four-part Australian documentary series set to make its world premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
Directed by Darren Dale, the documentary explores the death of 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker and the wider questions of race, policing and justice that followed the fatal shooting in the remote Australian community of Yuendumu. The series will be available globally on Netflix in early 2027.
The deal arrives just as 2.6 Seconds: Death in the Outback heads to TIFF, where it is the only documentary selected for the festival’s Primetime program. The strand brings together episodic projects with a strong cinematic and auteur-driven approach, placing Dale’s series alongside some of the most anticipated television titles at this year’s festival.
A Case That Sparked a National Debate
At the centre of 2.6 Seconds: Death in the Outback is the 2019 shooting of Kumanjayi Walker, a Warlpiri-Luritja teenager, by Northern Territory police officer Zachary Rolfe.
Rather than focusing solely on the moments surrounding Walker’s death, the documentary examines the chain of events and the repercussions that followed, including the legal proceedings and the questions raised about Australia’s justice and policing systems.
The case became a major national point of discussion, particularly around the experiences of Indigenous Australians and the relationship between First Nations communities and law enforcement. SBS describes the series as an examination of the events surrounding Walker’s death and the impact the case had on his family, his community and the wider national conversation.
That broader perspective is also reflected in the documentary’s positioning at TIFF. The series has been described as a reconstruction of one of Australia’s defining contemporary events, with its story extending beyond the shooting itself to explore the enduring effects of race, justice and colonial policing.
Darren Dale Leads the Four-Part Documentary
2.6 Seconds: Death in the Outback comes from Australian production company Blackfella Films and was commissioned by SBS and NITV. The project was produced in association with PAW Media, with support from Screen Australia and Screen NSW, and was produced in association with All3Media International.
Dale serves as director and producer, while Andrew Boe is credited as writer and executive producer alongside Jacob Hickey. Dale is known for his work on projects including The Australian Wars and Total Control, bringing a documentary background to a story that has already generated considerable attention in Australia.
The production also incorporates first-hand testimony, police body-camera material and court recordings, according to All3Media International, allowing the series to examine the case through multiple perspectives rather than treating the shooting as an isolated incident.
For Netflix, the acquisition adds another internationally focused documentary to its growing global slate. For 2.6 Seconds: Death in the Outback, the move transforms a story born out of an Australian national reckoning into a documentary with an audience that extends far beyond the country’s borders.
