Chrysaor Pty Ltd today announces the launch of the Australian Cultural Fund (ACF) community fundraising campaign for Unseen Victories, a 28.5-minute short documentary following Australia's blind football team, the Bilbies, and their thirteen-year volunteer-built journey toward national recognition ahead of Brisbane 2032.
The campaign opens on Monday, 9 March 2026, and runs for three weeks, closing on 31 March 2026. All donations are tax-deductible through the Australian Cultural Fund, operated by Creative Australia, and 100% of every dollar donated goes directly to the film. The campaign target is $25,000.
ABOUT THE FILM
Unseen Victories asks a question that cuts to the heart of inclusion in Australian sport: we celebrate disability sport, but do we actually sustain it? The film centres on Dave Connolly, a Melbourne engineer who spent thirteen years building Australia's first blind football team from scratch — driving players to training, becoming coach, counsellor, and found family for athletes who had never been given the chance to play. When his health collapsed after years of unpaid sacrifice, the film asks who supports the volunteers who support others.
The film features a cast of extraordinary athletes whose stories span three continents. Shahram Jazan, the Bilbies' mentor, came to Australia from Iran and is a social worker by profession and a leader by nature. Amir Abdi came to Australia as a Kurdish refugee, lost his vision, and found belonging and brotherhood through blind football. Brendan Spencer survived childhood adversity and found in the team the community that changed his life.
At the heart of the story is a structural breakthrough: after thirteen years of volunteer-driven sacrifice, Blind Sports Australia has formally backed the Bilbies through its high-performance program. That moment of institutional recognition — hard-won by the players themselves — is the unseen victory the film is named for.
PRODUCTION & CREATIVE TEAM
Unseen Victories is produced by Christopher Amos and directed and written by Carlos Benitez Viscaya (Red Parrot Media). Stephanie Dower (Dower Productions) serves as Producer and Access Coordinator, bringing lived experience of disability to the project and ensuring the film is built with the blind and low vision community, not simply about them. Lisa Rose is Impact Producer, and Nela Ramirez-Marsilli is Associate Producer.
The film features an original score by Latin Grammy Award-winning composer Kristhyan Benitez and is designed with integrated audio description and spatial sound design to be genuinely accessible to blind and low-vision audiences. The production is pursuing Inclusively Made certification with the guidance of inclusive practice consultant Paul Nunnari.
The film is produced with the support of a domestic broadcaster partner, with discussions ongoing. Post-production is currently underway.
WHY NOW
With the FIFA World Cup arriving in North America in June 2026 and Brisbane confirmed to host the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Unseen Victories arrives at a moment of global football conversation and domestic scrutiny of Australia's disability sport infrastructure. The film is being positioned for festival premieres timed to the World Cup window, with an international sales campaign targeting broadcasters across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and beyond.
DONATE & CAMPAIGN DETAILS
The Unseen Victories ACF campaign is live now at:
https://artists.australianculturalfund.org.au/s/project/a2EMn00000ce6dWMAQ/unseen-victories
All donations over $2 are fully tax-deductible for Australian taxpayers. The platform charges zero — 100% of every dollar donated goes directly to the project.