We Bury the Dead

1h 34m
- Horror
- Thriller

Release Date: Jan 2, 2026 | Wide

After a devastating biological disaster wipes out much of the population, Ava is sent into the ruins to help identify and bury the dead. As she moves through abandoned towns and silent landscapes, her task becomes deeply personal. Searching for traces of her missing husband, Ava is forced to confront grief, survival, and what it means to let go in a world that no longer feels alive.

Releases

Original Release | Jan 2, 2026

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Director & Top Cast

Zak Hilditch
Director

Daisy Ridley
Ava

Brenton Thwaites
Clay

Mark Coles Smith
Riley

Matt Whelan
Mitch

Chloe Hurst
Katie

Kym Jackson

Lieutenant Wilkie

Dan Paris

Captain Vance

Deanna Cooney

Ava's First Partner

Nicola Bartlett

Woman on Plane

Kim Fleming

Briefing Colonel

Kingsley Judd

Camper Van Dad

Salme Geransar

Private Clarkson

Elijah Williams

Bus Zombie

Luke Jai

Tarmac Cadet

Megan Hollier

Farm Girl

Steve McCall

Bogan

David Genat

Desperate Man

Other Details

Country of Origin: Australia,United States

Language: English

Summaries

Plot Summary

We Bury the Dead is a post-apocalyptic horror drama directed by Zak Hilditch and written by Stephen Irwin. The film stars Daisy Ridley as Ava, a woman navigating the aftermath of a catastrophic biological event that has left Australia largely uninhabited. Assigned to a body retrieval unit, Ava travels through desolate regions identifying victims while quietly searching for her husband, who disappeared during the early days of the collapse. Set largely in Tasmania, the film blends survival horror with an intimate emotional journey, focusing less on spectacle and more on grief, isolation, and endurance. Themes of loss, memory, and emotional closure sit at the centre of the story, giving the genre a restrained, human scale. The film is an Australian production and premiered at SXSW, where it drew attention for its somber tone and grounded approach to apocalypse storytelling. With its slow-burning pacing and character-driven focus, We Bury the Dead is best suited for viewers who prefer thoughtful, atmospheric genre films over traditional action-heavy zombie stories.

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Fun Facts

The props department sourced real NATO-issue body bags, forensic trowels and Tasmanian-sand-caked boots from a de-commissioned military mortuary; Daisy Ridley’s gloves still carry actual Albany clay embedded during the shoot—no studio dirt required.