Cowra’s Joe Williams In “Seen” Documentary This Weekend

IMAGE: Cowra local and former NRL star Joe Williams with his family.He is featured in “Seen” - a documentary about parenting that is showing at the Cowra Civic Centre on Sunday.

Transformative new documentary, SEEN, from award-winning Australian filmmakers Hailey Bartholomew and ParentTV founder Sam Jockel, is challenging the way we understand parenting, trauma, and generational cycles.

Backed by cutting-edge research and leading experts, SEEN reveals the urgent need for parents to be truly present—showing that even 20 minutes of genuine connection daily can rewire the brain and foster emotional resilience in children.

SEEN exposes how unexamined childhood experiences shape adult parenting styles, featuring raw and deeply personal case studies, including:

Joe Williams (41) – Indigenous former NRL player (South Sydney Rabbitohs, Roosters, Canterbury Bulldogs) who battled mental illness and addiction. After a suicide attempt, he transformed his approach to fatherhood and now helps others break the cycle.

Anne Unwin (39) – Once nicknamed “the brick” for her emotional restraint, Anne – who now has a female partner – now teaches practical strategies for helping kids navigate emotional outbursts.
Zidia Valdebenito (49) – Overcame a traumatic childhood and alcoholism to become a counsellor and a present, connected parent.

With a spike in mental health crises, SEEN spotlights healing for families everywhere, with new data showing how healing the past creates a better future – and how it’s never too late to start, offering hope and tools for transformation, and how to bust negative generational patterns.

World-renowned QUT neuroscientist Professor Selena Bartlett, Group Leader of Translational Neuroscience at the Translational Research Institute, presents new neuroscience in the doco, saying, “We’ve seen a big spike in the mental health crises – and no surprises, due to our lack of connection.

“About 50% of the brain is built for social cognition, meaning our ability to see each other’s faces and talk to each other. The brain needs attention and if they don’t get healthy attention from a healthy adult – and it could be just one person – then these networks actually can’t form properly.”

Featuring scientific experts in psychology, neuroscience, and attachment theory including Maggie Dent and Dr Billy Garvey, SEEN’s award-winning producer, mother-of-three, ParentTV founder Sam Jockel, says, SEEN is “more than a fascinating, eyeopening film.

“It’s an invitation to spark the healing journey, embark on self discovery, and cultivate growth, reflection, and connection for parents everywhere.”

Parenting expert Maggie Dent describes the documentary as essential viewing, stating, “Your children have come to trigger you to heal.”