Harvey Zielinski’s Sweet Milk Lake, a film about a trans man mistaken for his cisgender brother, has recieved the top award at CinefestOZ 2026 for outstanding and transformative Australian film projects.
Zielinski’s debut feature explores brotherhood, belonging, and trans identity in a hyper-masculine rural town.
The Western Australian creative wrote, directed, and starred in the film as a character who is mistaken for his twin brother by his estranged, dying dad.
The soft-spoken trans man relishes being one of the boys, until the weight of the lie becomes heavier than his need for the truth.
The CinefestOZ Film Prize Award was created to celebrate excellence in Australian filmmaking.
Sweet Milk Lake was announced as the 2026 CinefestOZ Film Prize winner, receiving a $100,000 Film Prize.
Accepting the award on behalf of the film, Zielinski said, “This is such an incredible, overwhelming honour.”
“We’re very, very grateful. 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. Thank you, CinefestOZ!”
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‘A unique and transformative perspective to Australian cinema’
“When soft-spoken, introverted trans man Jake discovers his estranged father Lee is dying, he returns to Sweet Milk, spurred by a desire to reconnect with his dad and a need to escape the identity politics and familial dynamics suffocating him in the city,” the synopsis reads.
“When Jake arrives, Lee mistakes him for his hyper-masculine twin brother Sam, not knowing of Jake’s transition. Finally, Jake has his dad’s approval and community acceptance as one of the boys.”
“This privilege proves intoxicating. Emboldened by new confidence, Jake excavates his father’s secrets and explores a new romance. But when Lee suddenly dies before Jake can come clean, Jake is left to face the fallout.”
Speaking on behalf of the CinefestOZ Jury, Greer Simpkin said, Sweet Milk Lake is a film that is assured, technically impressive, and delivers 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.”
“As a jury, we were asked to assess each film against the broad criteria ‘excellence in Australian filmmaking’”, Simpkin added.
“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.”
Other finalists included The Fox, Wilderness and Yesterday Island.
Sweet Milk Lake closes Queer Screen Film Fest
Today (Tuesday, September 8) is the final day of the 13th Queer Screen Film Fest in Sydney. Sweet Milk Lake is closing the festival for its NSW premiere.
Zielinski will be at the event in a special Q&A. If you can believe it, there are still tickets available. But they are selling fast.
What an amazing opportunity to see the film and hear from its creative force a day after such a big win.
For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, and community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
