Discoveries from Australia World Cinema

The story of an astonishing real-life adventure, when a scientific expedition went wrong. Mountaineers, adventurers and scientists set out in Cheynes 2, a former whaling vessel, on a voyage from Hobart to Heard Island, south-west of Perth, near Antarctica. Bad weather forced them to dock at Albany and they made another stop at the French island of Kerguelen for fuel and water. By the time Captain Laurie McEwan sailed the final two days to Heard Island, a six-week voyage had taken 12 weeks. The ship was declared a wreck and the extended time at sea had left them with just two days worth of fuel.

Various shots of inner-city Melbourne, with an eclectic soundtrack.

A masked hero watches the broken streets from the shadows, tracking a criminal organisation who are kidnapping children.

The Carnival captures the intimate moments of the sixth-generation carnival family, the Bells, as they haul their convoy of trucks, rides and workers from Batemans Bay to Darwin and back. Filmed over seven years, their journey includes pandemic shutdowns, bushfires, persistent rain and rising fuel costs – with a dwindling economy thrown in. The close-knit family battles not only to keep Australia’s oldest show on the road, but ultimately to keep their carnival legacy alive.

Raffaella's first period comes at the same time as her first crush, on Shaun, a cook's assistant and the brother of her friend Sharon. Raffaella's Italian aunt insists that they make "love biscuits" for Shaun, a recipe from the old country using three drops of menstrual blood. Raffaella sends the cookies to Shaun via Sharon, who announces her own crush on Raffaella. Is it the cookies? What's a girl to do? With the help of her aunt and some ideas of her own, Raffaella finds a solution and learns something about friendship and romance.

As the dust settles on her goodbye party, Nora must face her best friend Maude and come to terms with what it means to leave her other half behind.

When a self reliant business woman breaks down on a dark and isolated country road, she discovers that help can come from the strangest of strangers.

A successful businessman, with a wife and daughter, has his happy home life destroyed, when three junkies hold his family hostage and use his personal information against him.

The Australian goldfields period drama Rush (1974) was given The Late Show treatment with a slick re-editing and re-voicing which produced absurd plotlines, strange characters and 'Stupid Hat Day' on the goldfields. 'The Olden Days' originally appeared as 20 three-minute stand-alone short segments in _"Late Show, The" (1992)_, and were later strung together and released on video.

'25' are two unknown, indie songwriters in a bare bones studio on a train in the industrial West of Melbourne - Australia’s music capital. They plan to write, record then release a fresh song every two weeks of the year. Cath loves pop; Nick loves garage rock. She wants jazz flute; he wants a dirty guitar. Is this ever going to work or are they totally deluded? Is it an impossible goal?

26 year-old school-teacher and Calisthenics lover Brianna Lee pursues her lifelong dream to finally win Calisthenics' most prestigious title, the 'Most Graceful Girl' competition. After placing second three years in a row, and being controversially stripped of the State Title, she knows this year is her last chance to win. With the help of uncompromising, legendary coach Diane Synnott, the grande Dame of the re birthed 'Regent Calisthenics Club' she struggles to perfect her routine, lay all her ghosts to rest and produce the best performance of her life.

Six girls coming of age, ready to become something extraordinary.

Dude goes bananas, crazy shit.

Follow the sweaty, teary and ultimately triumphant journey of the country's best ballkids as they progress through local and national trials.

The most famous of Indonesian ghosts, the Kuntil Anak, tells the story of Raesita, the batik artist, whose heavy grief after the death of her husband draws the ghost to her. They seduce each other into a deadly dream world. Raesita's own desire for oblivion moulds perfectly to the Kuntil Anak's desire to save her from the pain of life. But it is Raesita's unborn child, and its desire to live, that the Kuntil Anak has not counted upon.

Disillusioned sisters Darcie (18) and Roma (30) navigate their relationship and growing pains while struggling to transition from a parent-child dynamic to sisters again.

In the Northern Territory of Australia, an extended Aboriginal family attempts to track down a missing family member so as not to lose their government housing.

When two highly-uneducated-yet-enthusiastic sisters set out to start a podcast, their big dreams take a turn when they accidentally kill the first guest.

Where is the respect? The sympathy? The love for your neighbour? Kids today harass, brawl, belt, smash and grab. It’s time for an old man to teach these yobbos a lesson. Welcome to Respect 101, the only academy where you learn or you die.

One man is tested to breaking point as the repercussions of a single fearsome choice lead him down a path of unbearable darkness, from which there can be no coming back. Some things taken can never be returned. Some things broken, never mended.

The power of the Close-up Shot is fully displayed, dozens of species filmed in the Australian Bush, usually only available to the few keen observers in Nature, are presented to the general public, to dive into the magnificent Natural World.

the journey of a young footballer forced to endure an injury that separates him from the sport he loves most.

In the heart of the Australian outback lives Father John Thomas. During one of his “seemingly” innocent confessions he is caught out by God who pushes him to reveal his true self. Along with the filthy fantasies of fellow sinner Miss Beaver Eater, he finally gets the balls to confess. Being true to yourself is stronger then any dogma.

This film examines the implications of the Australian colonial era for the Gogodala people of the Fly River Delta, Western Papua New Guinea. Excessive missionary zeal, tolerated and encouraged by the government, contributed to the almost total destruction of Gogodala art and culture. More recently, an indirect grant from the Australian government has enabled the people to reconstruct a traditional longhouse, along with a new meaning and function: as a cultural center.

Only Different draws on the life of Thomas Wilson-White, and his two mums Amanda and Polly. Through interviews and simulated archival footage, Thomas explores and reimagines the many possible versions of the family unit.

In a city full of corrupt cops and mysterious kingpins such as Shadow, a young man Victor Kaapor fights to save his mother and the woman he loves. Which forces him to go undercover, 'off-the-books' mission to help the police take down an well-known unstoppable crew of Rich kids known as "Cop's Enemy". His only option is to betray the woman he loves, but as he gets closer to his goal he begins to realise that everything is not as it seems.

In 1985 a picturesque Argentinian holiday town was completely flooded, not to re-emerge until 2009. Now only Pablo remains in this modern day Atlantis.

Gramps longs to escape his mundane life in his nursing home and reunite with his departed wife. When his granddaughter brings a VR headset, Gramps dives into some truly ‘Unreal’ adventures! Given the body of his younger self, Gramps has a score to settle, chasing the Grim Reaper through a multitude of worlds and virtual environments.

After a boy brings home a doll he found at the park, hell breaks loose.

When Oscar realises he might have missed his final chance to say goodbye to his best friend Ashley, he decides to hijack the dusty old country school bus and go after her.

A TV-hour length documentary film depicting the relationship between language, culture, place, music, tradition, and magic on an active volcano, in the Pacific nation of Vanuatu, on the island of Ambrym.

To escape the rising sun, three Killer Bikini Vampire Girls hide out in a television station... but all is not what it seems.

On Diwali eve, a son returns to his childhood home to reconnect with his estranged mother but the nightmares of his past return to haunt him.

In her small apartment, a woman receives an unusual visit from the man she claims to miss.

World renowned guitarist Bob Brozman travelled to Papua New Guinea - one of the last places on the planet to have guitars arrive from afar - to capture a sound largely untainted by outside influences a raw, unique sound developed in isolation. The energetic and distinctive blend of voice and instrument performed by the Rabaul community's local stringbands reflects their unfailing optimism in the face of adversity, be it war or the volcanic eruptions that have destroyed the town twice in one century.

A beautiful, happy, young couple suffer the consequences when Roe 'v' Wade is overturned and must carry an unwanted pregnancy to term. The result is a total breakdown of their perfect lives.

The story of a blind man encountering a beggar on the street with the slapstick fight that ensues uncovers each of the men to look back at themselves & reflect.

Shipment is a dark crime drama about Frankie Romeo, a young man thrust into a high-stakes, high-pressure, underground operation involving a series of mysterious packages, family betrayals, and deadly secrets. With increasing anxiety, and the clock running out, Frankie must navigate dangerous threats, fractured family dynamics, and secret truths.

Take in Sydney from the rooftops in this gently surreal, wordless short. With a cheeky animated interlude and sweeping harbour views, this is 1970s city life with a twist.

Nick White's TEENAGE DREAM is his first comedy special. Filmed at The Comedy Store in Sydney, Nick looks back at things that have shaped him and his creativity from his youth to now, and his journey to try and fit in as a strange, young gay boy.

An experimental collage-essay composed entirely of iPhone footage, this film captures the emotional textures of memory over the past few years—a move from Sydney to Paris, following love and the pull of what felt right in the moment. Fragments of everyday life, layered with original music, create a flowing meditation on the past and present. The film avoids a linear narrative, instead mirroring the way memories rise and fall like waves: fleeting, emotional, and deeply personal. It’s an attempt to translate lived experience into film, celebrating the beauty of letting life wash over you, while holding onto the love and connections that shape who we are.

When Eleanor wakes in pain in the middle of the night, she struggles to comprehend until her mother finds her body, still in bed.

Return of the New Zealand Sea Lion. This is one of New Zealand's greatest wildlife comeback stories, as the locally extinct New Zealand Sea Lion reclaims the beaches along the South Island coastline for the first time in over 150 years. Join wildlife filmmaker JJ Emerson as he dives deep into the history of this iconic marine mammal, spending time amongst the Sea Lions in their newly reclaimed habitat, on the outskirts of Dunedin.

A brief overview of the Australian private school system.

A 1997 film about a young man who gets involved with eco-terrorists, a wild bunch of hipped-out student radicals who fight for anything from ecological Armageddon to the ozone layer and animal liberation.

Comedian Luke Heggie live at the Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne.

In the heart of Newtown, Sydney, the summer brings all sorts of people out. As night falls, everyone comes together to relish in the revival of social drinking after the lasting impacts of Covid-19.

After a family dispute Livi opts for a night out with his estranged older brother Sio & his boys – much to the protests of his Mother. However, it’s not the night Livi imagined – instead taken on a rollercoaster of mischief and mayhem, ending with the boys at the cross-roads of a decision they never imagined they’d have to make when they ventured into Sydney city that night. And a decision which forces them to think about what’s most important.

Joel Creasey likes to speak his mind. Nothing is sacred. In The Acid Tongue Prince Joel recounts his stories of run-ins with celebrities, politicians, football teams, regional towns and of course his parents - creating controversy wherever he goes. Armed with his razor sharp wit and skin-tight jeans, nobody is safe. With award nominations, sell out shows and TV and radio appearances there is no doubt that Joel Creasey is one of Australia's hottest rising stars of comedy.

Chinese international student Yao Yao heads to Little Bay Beach to complete her film school assignment. She runs into Sun Joo, a Korean student in the same predicament – but he has his own agenda.

Cremation rites are the most elaborate rites of passage performed by Balinese householders. Poor families may wait years before accumulating enough resources to cremate their dead, who are buried in the meantime. In 1978 many more cremations than usual were carried out because of the great purification cermony, Eka Dasa Rudra, held at Bali's main temple, Besakih, in 1979. Religious officials recommended that all Balinese cleanse the island by cremating their dead, as part of the preparations for the great Besakih ceremony. Villagers of limited means pooled their resources to perform group cremations which greatly reduced the cost for each family. This film is about a group of villagers in Central Bali who cooperated to carry out a group cremation.

After their car shows signs of trouble in the middle of nowhere, four men must use their skill in 'bush repair' to make it back to town.

A documentary about the weird world of indie wrestling in Australia. This is not just for wrestling fans but for anyone interested in showmanship, finding your people, and having a dream you're willing to bruise for.

A look into beekeeping.

“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)

Dede Chackelis (Uncle Chatzkel) portrays the patient triumph of one man's dignity and intellect over genocide, oppression and personal adversity.

A portrait of Warlpiri Elder and Lawman, Francis Jupurrurla Kelly – a pioneer of Indigenous filmmaking in central Australia.

The biggest names in Australian music join forces this Anzac Day performing from their own homes in a televised concert dedicated to the frontline workers against the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the request of a dying Tiwi man and his family on Melville Island, this film was made of the pukumani (bereavement) ceremony to follow his death. The film observes the family through the long period of preparation for the ceremony, following age-old traditions. Dancing and face-painting are rehearsed, to the family’s satisfaction, and because “things should be right for this film”. For the two days of ceremony, the community moves to Carslake Beach where a smoking ritual is held to protect the participants from spirits. The cemetery poles are erected, traditional dances are performed along with personal dances by family members. Facial and body decoration is elaborate and spectacular. After saying a final farewell to the old man, the community and the family leave the Beach and return to the village where routine life resumes.

An animated film using simplified and abstract forms, symbolising nuclear warfare.