FRESH from the success of her survival epic The Canary, Perth filmmaker Emilie Lowe is back in the Western Australian bush – this time cultivating hope in the ashes of grief.

Lowe’s new 35-minute drama Where Dead Things Grow was filmed in Darlington and sees the rising talent step into the roles of director, cinematographer and co-writer.

Her previous feature, The Canary, was shot in WA and earned attention on the festival circuit for its stripped-back storytelling and survival themes, establishing Lowe as a filmmaker unafraid of harsh landscapes or harder emotions.

Now she has turned her lens inward with a moody film.

“Where Dead Things Grow was shot with a very small team, and filming outdoors in the unpredictable Australian elements was a real challenge,” Lowe says. 

“This film is an intimate deep dive into personal loss, loneliness, and loss of purpose. 

“Struggles which I believe audiences will be able to relate to.”

• Director Emily Lowe in action with actor Zach Clifford.

Created by Salt and Honey Productions, the film was made largely outdoors in WA’s unforgiving environment with a predominantly all-female crew – a deliberate choice reflecting Lowe’s commitment to elevating women behind the camera.

At the centre of the story is Matthew, played by co-writer Zach Clifford, a man shattered by loss who tends a barren garden once imagined as a shared dream with his late wife. 

As he works the soil, he wrestles with whether anything – hope, purpose, even self – can grow again from desolation.

“This was a project born from a desire to showcase the ability to grow even during times of difficulty,” Lowe says. 

“My ambition was to create an intimate glimpse into the protagonist’s struggle, so I utilised close, shallow depth-of-field shots that bring the audience into his loneliness and isolation. 

“I wanted the audience to feel his struggle and hope as he goes through his emotional journey.”

For Clifford, the role was confronting.

“To embody the character, I had to strip myself back to a place of complete isolation, to live in his loneliness, his despair, and then find those fleeting moments of hope that sometimes feel so far away from us,” he says. 

“It was confronting but profoundly rewarding.”

The film builds on the spare, elemental style Lowe established in The Canary.

Where Dead Things Grow is now heading to the festival circuit, with public screenings slated for mid-2026.