Discoveries from Australia World Cinema

When the war came to Ukraine in 2014, 18-year-old Yana Zinkevych watched as her countrymen returned to little or no care, so she set about creating a local chapter of an ancient order of medics. Three years into the conflict, her organisation had grown from a handful of dedicated followers to a battalion of veterans, but early one frosty winter morning, Yana’s life and work came to a crashing halt as she found herself lying in a ditch, with a car bearing down on top of her...

An alien kidnaps a man (Gabriel Willie) and turns him into his pet.

The quest of a transgender girl to become a teacher in India.

Wayne McMillan and Mark Gage are two Melbourne pavement artists who have a unique relationship and collaboration that allows them to flawlessly combine their ideas to create fantastic original art works.

An indigenous mine site worker is transported to the spirit world, where he meets the spirits and custodians of the land and learns about how they are connected to humankind, even as their sacred sites are under threat by the modern human world.

A film exploring the innovative world of Acoustic FingerStyle guitar featuring interviews with many leading players including Andy McKee, Kaki King, Newton Faulkner and Tommy Emmanuel. Acoustic Uprising looks at the rich history of FingerStyle and the fusion of musical ideas the style has become known for.

Frustrated by their lack of connection, Patrick resorts to desperate measures to spend more time with his six-year-old son, but in a moment of truth he must make a decision that will determine their future together.

What if you temporarily took leave from the safety of everyday life to battle through a challenge that scares you? What if your only worries were riding, finding food and water and a place to sneak a few hours of sleep? What if you forgot your self-imposed limits just to see what you were truly capable of for once? What if you were a racer at heart? Why wouldn't you want to take on the toughest races on the planet?

In Memory of Laura is a shocking blend of psychological horror and sexual obsession. When a man loses his one true love his depression soon turns to insanity. His fractured mind leads him on a relentless hunt through sordid lonely streets for a replacement for Laura, dead or alive. This unnerving, squalid short is truly unsettling to watch.

A documentary exploring Brenda Hean's fight to save Tasmania’s Lake Pedder and her mysterious disappearance in 1972

An exploration of what it is to be lost in today’s world and how to be okay with where you are.

The year is 1943. Russian Counter-Intelligence intercepts a radio transmission which indicates the Germans' intention to destroy the production line of a new type of weaponry in Ural region. Commander of the Special Unit, Captain Greenhoff, arrives in the Ural region, but he is not the person indicated by his ID. Not many people know the know the technical name of this weaponry, but it is known all around the world as the rocket launcher: KATUSHA.

A story of cultural identity and rock climbing exploration as we follow one of Australia’s top rock climbers on an adventure to a remote and rugged island in the South Pacific.

The official collection of a four-part series exploring the unorthodox relationships of Selwyn, Canon and Petria.

Taking the legacy of 17th century Dutch explorer Abel Tasman as its point of departure, Revival Roadshow takes its audience on a surreal journey through a variety of narratives that explore the complexities of colonial history, its present, and potential future legacies. Blending cinema, theatre and visual art, this absurd, humorous and speculative roadshow allows each viewer to experience their own unique journey.

The disappearance of a classmate leads Oscar to look more closely at the world around him

After being attacked in his home, Detective Kibbles and the Team must find the killers of Officer peterson with the help of some new friends.

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.

After the birth of her first child, a young woman struggles to find herself in the new role and connect to her new-born baby.

It is the year 2037. Women rule the world. Rittyay and the dudes hang out and go skateboarding. They are shaken to their knees with the arrival of Bum Fluff and her team of female skaters. DURAN DURAN is a skateboarding and snowboarding adventure film of Barbarella proportions.

A young woman in her 20's makes the decision to drop out of her law degree. With her mother's dissapointment weighing heavily on her, she seeks comfort in her collection of seashells she created with her father.

Legendary polar explorer, Will Steger, inspires a community by preserving the forgotten craft of ice harvesting.

All Barbara wants to do is watch the Simpsons, but her recently migrated mum has just been overcharged at the local shops, and it's up to Barbara to sort it out. As usual.

"The infamous Finks bikie gang caught off-guard as they shoot their latest 8mm movie epic: the story of a bikie and hillbilly showdown. " - Filmmakers Co-operatives Catalogue of Independent Film 1975/6

A short film produced by Tjanpi Desert Weavers. It combines the art forms of Tjanpi fibre sculpture, stop-motion animation and oral storytelling to depict the special relationship between Aṉangu and donkeys in the desert community of Pukatja, and the unique culture, landscape and humour of the APY Lands in northern South Australia.

Bae Marie and Lazy Susan, two sickening drag queens, plan to escape small town life for the metropolitan wonderland that is Melbourne. They just have a few things to do first. One: Pack the Van. Two: Win the local talent show, and Three: Hide the body.

A lone outlaw finds shelter in a seemingly empty saloon.

Hellfire rejected the conventional and developed a style that reflected the growing popularity of fetish culture, tattooing, body piercing and industrial and house music.

A blue dude and his struggles on a boat in the sea.

Just a short animation of a large azdarchid (perhaps Quetzalcoatlus) and a juvenile Triceratops. All sound design homemade, by me! Just for a bit of fun.

Five friends go on a hike. Some wear appropriate footwear

Two people are interviewed by police after the murder of a gambler. The two suspects give alibis to hide their activities.

A chaotic shift at the local cinema spirals into a hilarious, cringeworthy mess of customer service nightmares, popcorn sabotage, and workplace drama. Maddie’s day goes from bad to worse as she juggles clueless managers, demanding customers, and a sneaky romance between her coworkers.

An absurdist bogan odyssey that follows renowned shopping trolley thief Dayle, as he attempts to pluck the moon from the sky and deliver it to his Misso.

Two sisters desperately try to get out of their house before something else gets in.

The story of a woman in her 40s who is jumping back into the dating pool and looking for love. It's hard when you've passed that magical 'Life Begins at 40' mark and you've decided that it's time to find your person. Dating is hard enough for Millennials and Gen Zs, but for the more 'mature' among us - good luck! Add in the extra layer of being a lesbian, and the dating 'pool' shrinks to more of a puddle! Follow Lex's adventures as she stumbles, falls, picks herself up - and does it all again - in her quest to find her One.

Visit the waterfalls, forests, beaches, rivers, reptiles, mammals, birds and butterflies that are part of Australia's stunning kaleidoscope of images.

A compelling account of the return by a group of dispossessed Aboriginal people to their ancient tribal grounds in the Northern outreaches of this continent.

In April 2009, Chopper broke back into Pentridge Prison, and this time there was no screws, no curfews and no bars to hold him back. In a case of art imitating life intimidating art with a blow torch and bolt cutters, Heath Franklin briought his much loved comedy character ‘Chopper’ to the halls of D-Division to record a DVD of his sell out national tour - Make Deadshits History. Packed with f#ck-tons of deleted and extended scenes, behind the scenes stabbings and muggings, and more moustache than you can poke a stick at. So sharpen your toothbrush, grab your gang and sentence yourself to a night of laughter without parole, and be the fi rst to grab a copy of- Heath Franklin’s Chopper in Make Deadshits History: Live at Pentridge.

A black teenager falsifies a paternity test in hopes of convincing his white adoptive family he's their biological son.

For almost 50 years, activist artist George Gittoes has stood on the frontlines of the world's most brutal conflicts and borne witness to the best and the worst of humanity. Now living in Afghanistan's remote, Taliban-infested Jalalabad province, Gittoes turns his attention to the lives of the children and outcasts of this war-torn land. In Snow Monkey, Gittoes paints a portrait of a Jalalabad seething with humanity, adversity and hope – focusing on three gangs of children: the Ghostbusters, persecuted Kochi boys who hawk exorcisms of bad luck and demons; the Snow Monkeys, who sell ice cream to support their families; and the Gangsters, a razor gang led by a nine-year-old antihero called Steel, terrifying to the core but still capable of experiencing aspects of the childhood seemingly taken from him. With a deeply humane vision that won him the Sydney Peace Prize, Gittoes shows us the unseen nature of Afghanistan's politics, culture and society, up close and startlingly personal.

They're just kids. And their only parent in recent circumstances, contains anything but love. Can they escape the dark?

It's been a year since Killarna tried to take her own life, today is her 18th birthday, and things are slowly starting to feel ok again, but not all is as it seems.

Life ends, but images never do.

This coming-of-age story follows Rina, Freda, Juliana, and Jess on their journey from the remote Tiwi Islands to Melbourne and back again as they dare to dream, taking up opportunities, to play football at an elite level. Each girl has unique desires - to have fun, to be a leader, to be a teacher, to make a father proud.

Bella's insecurities arise when her partner leaves for a work weekend with his boss. As her suspicions of his infidelity increase, she is tormented by more than just jealousy.

Geoff Lawton's Urban Permaculture - Designing the Urban Garden

A comical, honest and unpretentious account of Carl and his father’s journey back to Longreach to rediscover the town where he was born and to perform for the first time.

Bindi and Terri Irwin host a memorable look back on the life of Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter. The show centers on Bindi's memories of her father. Archival footage starts with Bindi's birth, and goes on to show the interaction and lessons Bindi learned from her father and mother about animal handling and education.

A psychological drama short film about female rage, friendship and catharsis, AFL newcomer Alyssa gets roped into playing a secret AFL match with no rules where she discovers her inner desire for violence.

Two dorks with a fishing spear go head-to-head with the local Toughs on a remote coast where friendship is hard to find and it's hard to catch a break, unless you're one step ahead.

A young deaf woman is pursued by a mysterious man.

The 20th Anniversary documentary film about the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami as told by survivors.

A story based on the great Melbourne bookie robbery.

An actor shows up for the last audition of the day; the director's last chance to get the performance he wants.

An astral traveler and a detective risk everything to save a child from the clutches of a rogue demon.

In the history of Aussie Rules footy, the games Wild Men have become a legend through their on-field antics. From the greats of yesteryear to the champions of the modern era.

Wade is an active customer at his local Diner, but when he starts getting visions he realises his world isn’t what it seems.

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’?

The rent is due. Nate is contemplating taking drastic measures to get it. His girlfriend Nora isn't happy about this course of action. A shadow watches as they decide on what to do before time runs out...