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The once-every-five-years Australian Census is upon us (Census night is August 9, 2011). Which means the vexed 'What is your religion?' question will raise its head. This, in turn means thousands of pranksters will write down Jedi, Matrixist or Metal Head. Over the years John Safran has heard claims that far from being a joke, young people were combining spirituality with popular culture. Safran wants to hunt down these spiritual innovators. "I thought I'd potter off around the world and try to find people who sincerely and unsarcastically synchronise spirituality with popular culture. Is it good, is it trivialising, is it even spiritually dangerous?"

Much of life on Earth is connected by a vast, hidden network that we are only just beginning to understand. Out of sight, between the world of plants and animals, another world exists—the kingdom of fungi.

The vexed question of how to live an artistic life is illustrated in DISAPPEAR HERE, the story of Australian 90's alternative group Glide and founding songwriter William Arthur - in an atmospheric, texturally rich exploration of thwarted ambition in the independent music scene of 1990's Sydney. This extraordinary artist and the shifting sands of the music industry are revisited by band members as well as Aussie music industry luminaries including Tim Rogers (You Am I), Jamie Hutchings (Bluebottle Kiss), Peter Fenton (Crow) and Jane Gazzo (ABC's Recovery and Triple J). DISAPPEAR HERE is a completely independent production which was directed, shot, edited and written by Ben deHoedt.

A poetic, experimental documentary which voices the experiences of various mental health advocates who have lived experience of mental illness and the Australian mental health system.

In a wild and windswept corner of Australia, acclaimed film-maker Simon Plowright spends a year living with the iconic but endangered marsupial, the Tasmanian Devil.

Marty and Moog are back in Japan to pick up another car that they've bought off the internet. This time, they'll be road tripping to Hokkaido to meet up with someone very special. With all new original soundtrack and stunning cinematography, this 90 minute feature film explores Japan in all its glory, and showcases what Mighty Car Mods does best!

Follows the real life events of Gudinski’s life spanning a 50-year period, from starting his own independent record company to becoming a major international player and household name in Australia – a rollercoaster ride of iconic artists, classic albums and mega tours.

From award-winning filmmaker Eddie Martin comes an up-to-the-minute snapshot of the life and creative processes of outspoken ‘visual freedom fighter’ Anthony Lister, Australia’s most renowned street artist.

A BAFTA award documentary about the threats of floods in Australia, the special water schemes devised and the forerunner of these projects, the Snowy Mountains scheme.

Shannon Harvey was working in her dream job as a radio news journalist when, at the age of 24 she was diagnosed with a devastating auto-immune disease. Determined to find a solution, she began researching cutting-edge mind-body medicine. Is it really possible, she wonders, that a simple practice that can be done anywhere, any time, by anyone, can ease suffering and promote physical and mental healing? Synthesizing the work of leading scientists with the ways of mystics, she undertakes a year-long experiment, with herself as the subject. Will meditation revolutionize her health and well-being, or is it just another over-hyped self-help fad? This compelling account of her journey provides fascinating insights about how to be well and happy in the modern world.

A documentary that examines the issue of forced live organ harvesting from Chinese prisoners of conscience, and the response - or lack of it - around the world. It's happened before: governments killing their own citizens for their political or spiritual beliefs. But it’s never happened like this. It’s happened so often that the world doesn’t always pay attention.

The true identity of Perth's enigmatic Walking Man is revealed through a compelling investigation in the lead up to the unknown artist's debut exhibition after his untimely death.

Cunnamulla, 800 kilometres west of Brisbane, is the end of the railway line. In the months leading up to a scorching Christmas in the bush, there's a lot more going on than the annual lizard race. Here, Aboriginal and white Australians live together but apart. Creativity struggles against indifference, eccentricity against conformity.

The Australian maverick director George Gittoes travels to Terror Central in Pakistan, where he decides to shoot a local Pashto telie film (high on kitsch and machine guns) right under the nose of the Taliban’s anti-entertainment forces. He throws himself into the clash of fundamentalism and entertainment – virtual and real – in this off-beat docu-drama mix. Gittoes takes us on a surprising, terrifying journey, into the forbidden zones of Pakistan’s explosive North West Frontier. Is it a documentary or is this ‘war art’?

“SEEN” is a groundbreaking feature-length documentary that not only explores the transformative power of personal healing for parents but also delves into the scientifically supported effects of such healing on parenting and its impact on child brain development. By focusing on the unexplored aspect of parents confronting their own childhood coping mechanisms, “SEEN” is poised to fill a significant gap in current narratives. It promises not just compelling storytelling but also the potential for profound societal impact, making it an appealing proposition for those looking to invest in content that drives change.

With an off beat sense of humour, the film looks at the politics and glamour of lipstick and the dilemmas of the modern woman in a marketed world.

Our African Roots is the first documentary to feature an African-Australian host actively interrogating Australia’s colonial history. Commissioned by Australian multicultural broadcaster SBS, the ground-breaking film challenges a nation that spent much of the 20th Century advocating for a racially exclusive White Australia to confront its multiracial past.

takayna / Tarkine in northwestern Tasmania is home to one of the last undisturbed tracts of Gondwanan rainforest in the world, and one of the highest concentrations of Aboriginal archaeology in the hemisphere. Yet this place, which remains largely as it was when dinosaurs roamed the planet, is currently at the mercy of destructive extraction industries, including logging and mining. Weaving together the conflicting narratives of activists, locals and Aboriginal communities, and told through the experiences of a trail running doctor and a relentless environmentalist, this documentary, presented by Patagonia Films, unpacks the complexities of modern conservation and challenges us to consider the importance of our last truly wild places.

The damning files which expose the evil of American billionaire and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Tara Brown investigates.

The Douglas Mawson Antarctic Expedition of 1912 is considered one of the most amazing feats of endurance of all time. Although his two companions perished, Douglas Mawson survived, but how? In a bold historical experiment, scientist and adventurer Tim Jarvis is retracing the gruelling experience, with the same meagre rations, primitive clothing and equipment to uncover what happened to Mawson physically — and mentally — as a man hanging on the precipice of life and death.

Tragic story of child prodigy pianist-composer Geoffrey Tozer, inspired by former Prime Minister Paul Keating’s searing eulogy for the artist.

Charmian Clift was one of the finest writers Australia has ever produced, with her popular touch which led hundreds of thousands of readers eagerly anticipating her weekly Sydney Morning Herald newspaper column. Her life imitated art with all the hallmarks of a compelling novel. She had movie star looks, a brilliant writing career and a passionate, creative and tumultuous marriage to fellow Australian writer, George Johnston. Yet the sacrifice of security for the bohemian romance of life on the Greek island of Hydra with its famous friends, including Leonard Cohen; and the parties, the drinking, the love affairs and poverty, led to her early death.

Profile on three young Adelaide women. Diana, Kerry and Josie are now 18 years old, and continue to have open and frank discussions about their lives.

Unfinished documentary about two of pop artist Martin Sharp's obsessions: performer Tiny Tim, and the Luna Amusement Park in Sydney, Australia.

The 1980's was the golden age for basketball and the Adelaide 36'ers. The Golden Era takes an in depth look back over that triumphant decade and tells the story exclusively from those who lived it. Watch the history unfold from over 400 hours of archival footage. From the merger that formed the Adelaide 36'ers, to the dominance of the record breaking 1986 Invincible team, to Darryl 'Iceman' Pearce's amazing 48 point annihilation of Newcastle, nestled among many comical moments of the charismatic Ken Cole and others.

A group of fathers confront the pain they have caused, and take hold of a chance to transform their most precious relationships.

Behind the scenes look at David Michôd's 2014 film 'The Rover'.

It takes you into the extreme sports world of cycling featuring the talents of Matt Schubring, Danial Reardon and Nate Adams and more.

Australia’s national game is under threat from all world sports. Now the AFL must find new ways to survive in this global market. AUSSIE RULES THE WORLD follows AFL superstar Brett Kirk on an international mission to save the game. Narrated by award winning actor David Wenham- this film uncovers people’s passion for footy in unexpected corners of the globe. Footy will never be the same!

This visually stunning nature documentary looks at two hundred bird species endemic to Australia, such as the Princess Parrot and Crested Pigeon.

Three days of skateboarding on Australia's Gold Coast, featuring the World's best skaters.

This year the Musica Viva Festival will feature content from the NFSA's Film Australia Collection to be screened in the Bang & Olufsen Salon throughout the festival in Sydney. This film Music Camp is one of those films. Directed by R. Maslyn Williams for the National Film Board in 1949. Each year the Melbourne Junior Symphony Concert Orchestra holds a summer camp organised by the National Fitness Council at Point Lonsdale Victoria, for three weeks it provides an opportunity for music students to continue their education over the holiday season.

Are eligible Indigenous bachelors an endangered demographic in the 21st century? That’s the question cheekily posed by Tracey Rigney’s debut documentary short, which invites First Nations individuals to confide what they desire, what holds them back, and their hopes and worries about whether they’ll ever find The One. Endangered first screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2005.

Half of Australia’s 56 species of Parrots are shown in outstanding photography, unique behavior, stunning colors, and close-ups. Fifty of the 56 species in the Country are endemic, housing nearly 20% of the total species on Earth.

Told through the eyes of First Peoples that have a strong connection to the area, Dreaming Mountain explores the cultural significance of one of the regions most well known natural landmarks 'Jellurgal' (Burleigh Headland).

Join the HPI gang as they attend an HKS street drag meeting, check out demo cars from Signal and C&Y sports along with more in-car drifting action, plus more!

Sir David Attenborough is larger than life, his distinctive voice as recognisable as his name. In this program, renowned Australian journalist Ray Martin turns the cameras away from the beloved wildlife Sir David has spent his life documenting and onto the man himself. The show is an edited interview culled from a series of sold-out events held in theatres across Australia in 2012 and 2013.

Steve Irwin's impact has far exceeded his hit series The Crocodile Hunter. Chronicling his childhood to his time as a global icon, those who knew him best reflect on the remarkable life of the man, father, husband and wildlife conservationist.

From the snow-capped Alps to the waves of Western Australia and Tahiti, Human X showcases athletes pushing the limits of fear and danger, navigating nature’s challenges and a changing climate, celebrating self-transcendence, transmission, and harmony with nature. All these athletes embody the drive to surpass limits — we call them Human X. HUMAN X – SAGA is an extended cut of the latest LA NUIT DE LA GLISSE feature film HUMAN X II, tailored specifically for Australian audiences, and includes the brand new 2024 feature in its entirety starring 2024 Female Surfer of the Year and local Sydney legend Laura Enever; and also features a bonus prologue with highlights from 2023’s HUMAN X film including Australian big wave chargers Kerby and Cortney Brown.

The 2010 AFL season was a landmark year for the Collingwood Football Club, achieving the holy grail of AFL football, the Premiership Cup. In a dramatic climax to the season, one Grand Final could not separate Collingwood and St Kilda, and we were behind the scenes for what were a nervous, dramatic and ultimately joyful two weeks for the Black & White army. In an exclusive feature, our cameras captured the tension and glory with never before seen footage from inside the changing rooms.

Marjorie grew up in Winchelsea in country Victoria, Australia, dreaming of becoming an opera star like Dame Nellie Melba. In 1928 she went to Paris to study opera without knowing a word of French and having never heard of Richard Wagner. In 1941, at the height her success, she was tragically cut down by polio and became completely paralysed. With the help of Australian nurse, Sister Kenny, Marjorie regained movement in her upper body and resumed her career in a wheelchair. In 1955, MGM made a movie of her life, "Interrupted Melody", starring Eleanor Parker and Glenn Ford, which won an Academy Award.

The tantric tradition of sensual spirituality was an esoteric and mystical religious tradition which flourished in Ancient India and China. The tantric rites of sexuality are now finding a new wave of adherents among the “new agers” of the post-industrial West. This video explores the sexual research and experimentation taking place in cities such as Berlin, New York, Aspen and San Francisco by western people attempting the difficult reconciliation of erotic desires and spiritual fulfilment when they have been raised in a Christian culture which fundamentally opposes the spirit and the body. From a “Sluts and Goddess” workshop hosted by famous dominatrix Annie Sprinkler, to a “Rebirthing and Sexuality” conference in Hawaii, “Sacred Sex” explores the new forms of pagan and Eastern philosophies being popularised in the West.

Swamps, marshes, billabongs, lakes, salt marshes, mudflats, mangroves, coral reefs, all are wetlands, with thousands of species depending on them for their survival, a natural network for life.

Steeped in the isolation of suburban Tasmania, Imogen and Audrey reflect on their lives, families and dreams between puffs on bongs, vapes and cigs. Dark clouds approach in the conversation and landscape as local wildlife looks on indifferently. Beyond the drugs and arcades, what possible routes of escape remain?

'I want to make a film about women' is a speculative documentary love letter to Russian constructivist women. The new Soviet Union of the 1920s championed equality for women and great innovation in the creative arts. Until it didn't. Looking back at that time, history remembers the men who were celebrated and then shut down. But women were there, too, and they were influential, powerful and brilliant. 'I want to make a film about women' gazes in to a creative communal kitchen and watches these women transform it into a workshop, then a stage set, then a film, all the while juggling noisy men and the wolves of history. It imagines what the revolutionary women artists of the 1920s said, what they did, and what they might have created had it not been for Stalin's suppression.

Relive the most thrilling moments of Australia’s beloved tennis tournament in this chronicle of its ascent to top-seed status on the global stage.

During the time of the Stolen Generations, thousands upon thousands of Aboriginal girls were taken from their families and pressed into domestic servitude by the Australian Government. They were supposedly employed as servants, but with total control over their movements, wages and living conditions, their lives all too frequently became an inescapable cycle of abuse, rape and enslavement, with consequences that echo powerfully to this day. Recounting the stories of five of these women – Rita, Violet and the three Wenberg sisters – Servant or Slave is a commanding piece of first-person testimony to a dark and unacknowledged corner of Australian history. Shot with admirable craft and humanity by documentarian Steven McGregor (Croker Island Exodus, MIFF 2012), Servant or Slave is a work of great sadness and urgency, bringing to forceful life the human tragedy of Australia's Indigenous history in the unadorned words of those who lived it.

Brock: Over the Top is a feature length documentary that not only chronicles the extraordinary life of Australia’s greatest racing car driver, Peter Brock, but peels away the surface to reveal the profoundly human story behind the legend. This film is a cinematic, thrilling yet intimately personal portrait of a life lived on the racing track and in the public eye. Using a treasure trove of rare archival material coupled with candid interviews with the key characters in Peter Brock’s life including his family, his partners, and closest colleagues, this film tells the epic story of Brock's early obsession with cars, his hard won ascension to the top, his incredible record-breaking victories at Bathurst, his various professional and personal controversies, and his ultimate, tragic death on the race track.

This remarkable documentary tells the story of Professor Jenny Hocking, the historian who took on the Australian Government and HM Queen Elizabeth II in a landmark legal battle - and won.

At 17:00 every day, Andrew, a middle-aged man, drives home from work through Melbourne’s outer suburbs in peak-hour traffic. Occasionally, he offers a lift home to a younger colleague, David. Over a year, their tentative small talk gives way to a warm friendship and open conversation within the confines of the vehicle, incrementally revealing their lives.

A young lad takes up muaythai but finds an obstacle with Thai coaches that requires deep respect in their teachings. Luckily, it was a smooth transition that an experienced athlete with power, agility, and skill can only overcome in the fighter's training session.

After five years in the making, Carlo Ferraro presents this documentary on neotropical birds, with insights on flying, reproduction, and much more.

A group of young, passionate theatre makers have just been presented with an opportunity that could change their lives forever. A huge company in the UK have invited them to pitch a large-scale work that would see them go from making theatre for audiences of 100 people, to making a show that plays to more than 1,000 people a night. This group of aspirational artists have always been driven by hopes and dreams, but their dreams have never been this big.

The film looks at the men, their living conditions, the food they eat and their bamboo shower. It shows the men building a radio out of spare parts to re-establish contact with the mainland (contact had been lost after the Japanese victory), the use of florins to pay native helpers, and a raid on a hostile native village which sees huts set on fire.

This short documentary showcases three Australian music acts—Wendy Saddington and Teardrop, the Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band, and the Indelible Murtceps—each performing live as examples of distinct directions in the country’s early 1970s pop scene.

A short documentary where director Dave Jackson digs into his catboy past and life after Cat Sick Blues.

At an exclusive Catholic boys school in Melbourne 1976, Tim Conigrave and John Caleo fell madly in love. Their passionate, tempestuous, operatic romance lasted for 16 years, facing disapproval, temptation, separation, and the looming shadow of the Grim Reaper. Their relationship has been immortalised in Conigrave's posthumous autobiography Holding the Man (now a major Australian film directed by Neil Armfield). This is the true story of how Romeo met Romeo and how first love can not only last but endure.

An hour-long documentary on the life and career of actor David Gulpilil.