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ParentTV Founder Sam Jockel launches new documentary project
Freya Lucas
Feb 7, 2025
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ParentTV Founder Sam Jockel has joined award-winning Australian filmmaker Hailey Bartholomew in creating a new documentary - Seen - which reveals the hidden mental health hurdles to better parenting.
The documentary launches on 2 March, offering Australian parents “a heartfelt and at times confronting” exploration of trauma, attachment and self-discovery.The feature length documentary will premiere worldwide in Sydney, and will be syndicated across Australia on the same day, before setting off on a nationwide tour from Sunday 9 March, bringing world-renowned parenting experts, and the parents featured in the film, to audiences across the country.
Weaving together candid interviews, raw vulnerability and research-backed insights to uncover how deeply, despite their best intentions, adults’ difficult experiences as kids themselves can all too often undermine their own approach to parenting, the documentary includes expert insights from experts in psychology, neuroscience, and attachment theory.
“Seen is more than a fascinating, eye-opening film; it’s an invitation to spark the healing journey, embark on self-discovery, and cultivate growth, reflection, and connection for parents everywhere,” Ms Jockel said.
“The result is a poignant and hopeful call to action, offering parents the tools to create healthier, more connected relationships – not just with their children, but also with themselves.”
NRL star, father-of-five, and Wiradjuri/Wolgalu First Nations Aboriginal man Joe Williams is among the families featured in the film who discuss their personal journeys and parenting discoveries on their way to addressing their own emotional scars.
Joe played for South Sydney Rabbitohs, Penrith Panthers, and Canterbury Bulldogs before switching to professional boxing in 2009, but battled the majority of his life with suicidal ideation and bipolar disorder.
In Seen, he admits while he’s held the name of “father” for 18 years, he’s only been a ‘Dad’ for the past two, explaining, “I left the older kids when they were just two and four. It haunts me, because there's many years that I can't get back.”
The documentary is a must-watch for parents ready to transform generational patterns and nurture healthier family relationships.
As featured expert Maggie Dent explains, “Your children have come to trigger you to heal.”
Selena Bartlett, Group Leader of Translational Neuroscience at the Translational Research Institute and a Professor in the School of Clinical Sciences at QUT’s Faculty of Health, who also features in the film, says, “We always talk about leaving your house as a legacy.
“I've scrapped all of that. I say you're leaving yourself in them as a legacy, and that is the most beautiful gift that keeps on giving forever.”
For details of the nationwide tour schedule, including ticket information, visit www.seenthefilm.com
Individuals or organisations interested in staging their own public or private screening of Seen, can access the film here.
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