Discover Movies

The story of Jean-Pierre and the rise of Western Sydney’s street football community.

Richmond = rich world, rich woods. 1990 to 1995. The sites which resonate with meaning and feeling for the film-maker, now leaving Richmond, heading north by northwest.

A young boy is peer pressured into taking a new drug known as 'Red Eye' while out with friends. He suffers the consequences of the drug as his friend Nigel attempts to comfort him.

A single-parent family of refugees from Kashmir, a long-thought-extinct Tasmanian tiger and a colorful bunch of bush characters collide. The family’s youngest boy, Usman, is grieving over the loss of his mother, but bonds with the very rare Tasmanian tiger pup.

After an extreme night out, Cassy(Fallon Linuson) discovers that they can't continue with their current lifestyle as they converse with one of their plants.

The life and times of artist Richard Ellis

A short documentary about Ahmed Hagi, a gay Somali artist who fled his war torn country to Sydney, Australia where he now spends his days painting idealized visions of Mogadishu before it fell under the control of gangs and warlords.

What really happens when Summer Bay’s favourite family is torn apart? The Sutherlands were a happy family until a shocking secret from Rhys’ past comes back to haunt him, and Rhys leaves Summer Bay and heads for the city.

On piloting ships into Sydney harbour.

This is the story of a bushman's confusion when together with his old dog he visits the big city. He tells the story of the cattle country which he knows and loves best. With him we see where some of the finest beef cattle in Australia are raised - on stations like Edinglassie at Muswellbrook, New South Wales. The film moves to the cattle land around the Gulf of Carpentaria where stock men and drovers handle mobs of cattle with skilled ease. This is the real life of the bushman from the cattle country.

“This was my first film using the matte-box. Using images of my own backyard, I found that I could create a kind of mysterious story, an almost supernatural effect. The mystery is never revealed, but there is something there. By photographing tiny vertical slivers through different mattes and lenses, carefully rewinding the film in the camera, then exposing bit by bit, I achieved this ‘corrugated’ effect. All of a sudden you get motion in something where there is no motion.” (Paul Winkler)

“By this time we had a Filmmakers' Cinema here in Sydney. I made the film on the spur of the moment...to go over a band. Red and green leader was very cheap—you got it for a cent a foot or something. Scratching and 'injuring' the flat colour of the leader . . . I interspliced it with old 16mm footage, breaking up and creating tension between the shots...you know, a native in Papua New Guinea was shooting an arrow, and just as the arrow leaves, the film cuts back into red and green 'travelling' lines (the scratching on the leader). For quite some time this line is running, then the next minute it stops and you see the arrow actually hitting a target. So it gives the impression the arrow is travelling for a long time, on red leader toward the target. The film was shown with different bands, and each time the film looked different.” (Paul Winkler)

Untitled is a collage film that combines the image and sound of Takashi Makino, the music of Lawrence English and the automatic writing text of Esperanza Collado, produced between March and June 2020, when the first attack of the coronavirus shook the world.

24 hr fake news of visceral simulation. Everything now exists in a heightened state of simulation, from TV news broadcasts to internal human bodies, nothing is real, everything is constructed.

The film outlines the history of the redevelopment of the Sydney suburb of Waterloo. Residents are interviewed and archival footage is used to outline the history of change in the area. The documentary emphasises the need for consultation and shows the results of more recent residents’ action groups.

Nadezhda Ivanova, a very famous Bulgarian folksinger writes to a woman, a stranger, in Sydney Australia. She wants sponsorship to bring her raw and ancient singing to the West. Maria (the stranger) does not want a 'singing slav' in her inner-city life. She has perfected the art of self interest. East meets West with some anxiety.

Migrating by sea from Holland as an eight-year-old, Dirk de Bruyn went on to be a doyen of Australian experimental cinema. But as this intimate film reveals, his work is suffused with the trauma of migration, and the struggle to recognise himself as a ‘new Australian'. In conversation with documentarian Steven McIntyre, Dirk guides us through more than 40 years of his filmmaking: the early years exploring technique and technology, a subsequent phase of unflinching self-examination brought on by upheaval and overseas travel, and more recent projects where he attempts a fusion of personal, cultural, and historical identity. What emerges is an inspiring, rugged, and at times poignant portrait of an artist committed to self-expression and self-discovery through the medium of film.

A local theatre troupe sets out to make their own movie version of Dracula, but their charismatic leader may be more than just an inspiring director—he could be a real blood-sucking vampire. As rehearsals turn sinister, the lines between performance and reality blur, leading to a delightfully dark and unpredictable finale.

Andy and Jen have mind-blowing sex, and in good ‘ol lesbian fashion, their connection is much deeper than they thought it would be. Pun intended.

A comedy about a prisoner, Mohamed, relating to three fellow inmates the tale of how he landed in jail. He tells the story of his misadventures with Apolonia, a drag queen he meets at the door of a night club; realising that Apolonia is not what he'd like her to be.

After unknowingly cheating death, a teenager meets the grim reaper, who gives him 52 hours to live.

In 1966, Gurindji stockmen & their families walked off the largest cattle station in the NT. Frank Hardy follows the story of the strike as told by the Gurindji people.

A brilliant robotics engineer goes to extreme lengths to protect her sons.

Two brothers embark on a surfing trip together, attempting to bury past grievances in the process. As their surfing adventure unravels, so do the delicate and fragile bonds of brotherhood.

Australian coins provide a set of instructions that question how to live in a capitalist colonial society in the time of climate uncertainty. Head or Tails was shot on a hand wound Bolex following self-imposed instructions over a single roll of film. Setting the focus to close range, I let the flip of a coin decide which direction the camera “walked”. The camera, fixed to a mono-pod, strides through the landscape till the film wind or path runs out.

A journey through the dark, chilling and frequently unbelievable tales of power-broking and deceit from inside the nation's capital. Australian political journalist and commentator Annabel Crabb goes in search of Canberra's secrets over the past century, exploring the passionate interplay of sex, secrets and subterfuge that has long been carried out in the shadows of the national stage. How have our secrets changed over the past century and what does this reveal about us as a society? This is the history that Canberra has tried to hide.

Signatures of Earth is an experiment in repositioning documentary narrative hierarchies in the space age. The film aggregates fragmentary encounters from varying points of view, encountering cuttlefish and quasars, and much else in between, happened upon during a transcontinental journey to film the shadow of the moon. Challenging, in the tradition of Brechtian distanciation, the film is also poetic, ethereal, roving, contemplative, richly cinematic and empathetically engaged. Signatures of Earth presents a fractured vision of the cognitive and sensory muddle that is an antipodean road trip through the Anthropocene. It all makes sense as long as you don’t want it too.

An in-depth TISM "docunetary", featuring interviews and TISM on location.

As Michael attempts suicide with gas, he looks back at his unremarkable life with despair and resentment. His suicide is put on hold for the day with the sudden arrival of Garry, who drags Michael against his will on a mountain bike adventure. On their journey, Michael must face the perils of the trail ahead while also dealing with the constant goading and derision from his reckless and competitive friend to keep riding harder and faster.

Akmal presents a sample of some of the best acts to appear this year’s comedy festivals around the country. This is your chance to sit back and sample some fine acts to help you make your decision before parting with your hard earned. The show features Arj Barker, Kitty Flanagan, Lawrence Mooney, Jimeoin, James Smith, Bev Killick, Simon Taylor, Cameron James, The Stevenson Experience and of course, Akmal himself.

A one-of-a-kind documentary exploring the lives of lesbians in Lebanon. Who are they, where do they hang out, what do they wear, and most importantly, how do they negotiate their desires within a troubled nation like Lebanon? This documentary will open a window to a hidden world, and introduce you to women who are savvy, sexy and confident about themselves. It will delight and surprise you! ​

The world of things and movements traces itself backwards and forwards in an ecstatic vertigo of metaphysical allusion, whilst we sublimely subordinate the will to desire. "Look out", Marguerite Duras says, "you see the end of the world".

In A Nod and a Wink, John Pilger demonstrates how the charge of conspiracy is being used as a means of political suppression in Britain, comparing this with statutes in police states such as Brazil and the Soviet Union, which use “a vague law” to silence and imprison people for their political or religious views.

A totally killer party is properly executed by the man of the hour; Dean, a 19-year-old law student with a secret. When a masked murderer arrives and begins a brutal killing spree, he quickly realises he must take down the killer to save his friends and reputation. Eventually the gatecrasher forces the guests to spill their guts.

An old folk singer returns to a small seaside village, visits past people, plays to moments, and holds a small untidy concert.

Formidable grandmother Isla Roberts is adamant. She insists that although she’s not a lesbian, her girlfriend Susan is. In this tender, richly humorous portrait of an 87-year-old horse carriage driving champion, we learn what makes an ordinary life extraordinary. Straight-shooting Isla’s lived experience of rural Australia, raising a family in severe economic hardship, and finally coming out later in life, all make for a poignant documentary of a woman who’s well ahead of her time and refuses to be put in a box. Director Marion Pilowsky tracks Isla for an eventful, cathartic year with empathy and incisiveness.

Ride with the Motorbikin Team as they tackle the first unsupported crossing of the Madigan Line in history Also words of wisdom from Safari Legend Vince Strang on how to build a hot DR 650. And as an added bonus, ride with Markymark and his funky bunch on a rain soaked tour of South Oz where you'll learn how to make a set of bumless chaps out of a garbage bag!

A woman returns home to Melbourne after 20 years of living in Europe.

Pickle Richard is a psychological, character study, period piece, thriller experimental film which follows a damaged and despondent individual, seemingly obsessed with a jar of pickles.

In this fifth and final film in the Doon School quintet, MacDougall focuses on the life of one student whom he discovers at the school. The film was made in parallel with 'The New Boys' and intersects with it at several points. However, instead of looking at the group, it explores the thoughts and feelings of Abhishek, a 12-year-old from Nepal, during his first days and weeks as a Doon student. This is at once the story of the encounter between a filmmaker and his subject and a glimpse of the mind of a child at “the age of reason”. This is the most intimate and interactive film of the series.

“I wanted to make a sequel to Chants…the gold against black, but I wasn’t quite sure how. One day I went to St Mary’s Cathedral here in Sydney. After looking at the stained glass windows for some time, on the way out I noticed that they were selling slides of the interior…and whoever photographed the stained glass had used a red filter. This was the image I was after…red against black. By simply photographing and rephotographing the slide (up to 200 times, in some cases)…and varying the exposure by changing the distance between the light source and the slide, I was able to give the feeling of looking up…which is what you do in a church…from the knave up to the stained glass up to the ceiling…up to heaven in this red light. The upward motion was layered without visible edits by superimposing strips of the varyingly exposed film, in the lab.” (Paul Winkler)

This moving documentary is a record of a few hours in the life of a small 7 year old boy, Ricco, from Hidden Valley, one of the many town camps on the outskirts of Alice Springs. He has lived in the camp for most of his life, and is looked after by his three older sisters and his foster mother, Nanna Maudie.

Derek, divorces his violent wife Grace and remarries Lena. However, after remarrying Lena, Derek discovers that some secrets were never meant to be revealed.

As dusk approaches and workers stream out of the city, thousands of individuals are about the begins their day’s work. They shuffle through subterranean car parks, sprawling shopping centers and soaring office towers, leaving behind a trail of gleaming floors and emptied waste paper baskets. They are the cleaners – an invisible and underpaid army whose necessary work goes unnoticed.In Lessons From The Night we spend a night with Maia, who reflects on life, work and toilet bowls as we follow her nightly cleaning round through silent empty spaces. As she works, she reveals some of the secrets of the city – the traces of human presence that we leave behind each day – and of her former life in Bulgaria. Lessons From The Night is both a homage to the menial worker and an existential film about cleaning.

Opportunities come and go, and with it comes along choices. A young woman while travelling abroad receives some bad news about her Father. Arriving back to her hometown, she starts to slip into the town's apathy and can't seem to get back out to follow her dreams. This movie explores the relationship between a photograph, apathy and the illusion of life.

In this experimental fashion film, a young woman enjoys a peaceful, secluded picnic before venturing into the bustling city.

Documentary about innocent people confined to prison on remand. John Pilger reports that more than half of the 500,000 people remanded in custody by magistrates each year are eventually found not guilty, fined or, as in the case of “Helen”, given a conditional discharge. Helen, charged with stealing a pair of slippers but with no previous convictions, recalls her day in Holloway Prison, London, which started at 7am when she joined 96 other prisoners in a rush to use four toilets whose conditions were “disgusting”. Between then and lunchtime, all prisoners were locked up, with just half-an-hour’s walk round a large yard for exercise. Lunch was eaten in cells, with tea at 3.30pm, before they were locked up until the following morning.

This feature length documentary is a personal account of the siege of Sarajevo from the point of view of a Bosnian Australian, Tahir Cambis, who spent the last six months of the war filming the conflict and its effects on the civilian population. The two main subjects in the film are a Sarajevo family whose young daughter is killed a day after she is filmed in a dance competition; and an 8 year old girl, Amira, whose eye witness account of murder and rape becomes a diary of catharsis.

Two motorcycle racers, Adam Riemann and Mark Portbury endure a 7000km mission across Europe, in hope of reaching the Pyramids of Egypt. Avoiding Syria, the find a way across the Mediterranean and venture into the aftermath of the recent Cairo massacre. Despite military confrontation, they defy the odds and make it inside the ancient compound of the Pyramids, but triumph turns to treachery as they must continue into one of the Middle East's most lawless regions... the Sinai Peninsula. Putting their lives further at risk, the boys wander into the Sinai only to stumble upon one of religion's most sacred landmarks. Motonomad isn't just a motorcycle adventure - it's a story of discovery, friendship and the undeniable power of chance.

The subject of Death of Place is 16mm film's direct on film techniques, migrated into the digital realm. Its story catches half articulated childhood memories of reading and writing, the visceral material traces and gestures of a lost practice and life.

Using sounds from the past, over pictures of the present, the film glimpses a man’s life in pioneering days. Set in the historic town of Richmond, Tasmania, the film shows some of the classic colonial Georgian houses and churches.

A view of Sydney Harbour. Australia's feathered icon laughs the bridge into animation. The bridge dances to a rhythm created by the hype which sails beneath it. A parody of a view which people pay millions to be near.

A drug artist designs a new piece that is triggered by exposure to audio visual static.

A trade test film. In the wide open spaces of North-West Australia cattle are transported in giant 48-ton diesel trucks - operated by WH Brown and Son, a BP Agent - from Anna Plains to the railhead at Meekatharra, a 760 mile journey through some of the roughest and toughest country in Australia. 'The Cattle Carters' tells the story of two unlikely friends - an uptight Englishman and a laid back Australian - who set out on this journey together.

The Midnight Sower is a modern adaption of The Sower Parable found in the Bible, explored through the life of India, a young woman, who after making what seems a small choice, finds herself out on the street and in subsequent dialogue with God as to His presence in her suffering. Throughout the night, she reaches out to people in her life, who each in their own way inhabit a part of this parable.

A 1910 bushranger film about Captain Moonlite, played by John Gavin, who also directed. It was also known as Captain Moonlite.

Semi-documentary about the adventures of Ernest Idiens.

An average teenage comic-book lover dresses up in a spandex suit to fulfill his lifelong desire of being a superhero, helping those around him, and standing up to his bullies.

He's turned the unthinkable into the thinkable. The unbelievable into the believable. Fiction into fact.