In 1987, Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen had led the Sunshine State for a tumultuous 19 years. Now, his story is getting the Stan Original treatment in Revealed – Joh: Last King of Queensland.
Like the other entries in the Revealed series, Joh: Last King of Queensland is a feature-length documentary about its subject, with talking heads, narration and archival footage lending to the story. But the biggest drawcard for this particular adaptation has to be the staged re-enactments starring Richard Roxburgh as the controversial man himself.
Watch the trailer for Joh: Last King of Queensland below:
Joh was hugely popular when he presided over enormous growth in Queensland – but corruption raged under his tenure, as did electoral manipulation and often violent suppression of dissent.
He ran Australia’s fastest growing state with an iron fist, until a seminal work of investigative journalism prompted a Royal Commission and unravelled a vast web of corruption.
No matter where you stand on your opinion of Bjelke-Petersen (divisive leader, or conservative icon?), this film is sure to be a timely examination of progress, power, corruption, and Joh’s complex legacy.
‘I grew up in Queensland, under the shadow of Joh and vividly remember the spell he cast, as well as the passionate dissent he inspired,’ Director Kriv Stenders said. ‘In making this film I came to realise that although Joh is a man of the past, his ghost still very much haunts and resounds in our present.’
The film has its premiere at the 2025 Sydney Film Festival this month, and is currently a finalist for the Documentary Australia Award.
ScreenHub: Stan: best new shows & films streaming this week
Other titles alongside Joh: Last King of Queensland in the Stan’s Revealed series:
- Amongst Us – Neo Nazi Australia
- No Mercy, No Remorse
- Death Cap
- Craig Bellamy: Inside the Storm
- Into the Night
- Zyzz & Chestbrah: The Poster Boys
