Discoveries from Australia World Cinema

An alienated and angry police officer, desperate for money receives a lead on an out of town heroin dealer. He then takes it upon himself to get what he wants.

The Brooklyn Arts Hotel was in downtown Fitzroy, Melbourne, and while rather a well-kept secret, it hosted over 25,000 guests during its 15 years of operation.This heart-warming and inspiring documentary is an intimate portrait of Maggie Fooke, the creator of the hotel, as she navigates the final days of this dearly-loved institution, before its closure due to financial constraints. TO THANK THE ROOM is about living life to the fullest and facing major life-transition. Maggie leads a merry dance as she both embraces and resists the process of letting go, with a fierce determination to relish and share her beloved ‘Brooklyn’ to the very last drop.A film by Belinda Lloyd (her directorial debut) in collaboration with Maggie Fooke and Larry Lawson, and recently awarded Best Melbourne Documentary 2024 at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival.

'Boy' likes snakes. Everybody hates 'Boy' for liking snakes.

Who am I? Just another point of view.

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.

Could Australia ever have been French? The English certainly thought so. Through revolution, empire and restoration, late 18th and early 19th century France maintained an unwavering commitment to research and discovery in the Pacific region and in Australia. More interested in science than in new colonies, these early French voyages, led by commanders like Bougainville, Lapérouse, D’Entrecasteaux, Baudin, Freycinet, Duperrey and Dumont d’Urville, were the first to name, describe and beautifully illustrate many Australian species. England may have colonised Australia, but for many years it was France that understood it best. This richly illustrated short documentary film brings to life our fascinating and colourful French history and reminds us of a time when scientific research involved intrepid voyages in tall ships on the high seas, battling scurvy and storms, insects and rats, and hostilities both on board and on shore.

While driving home from a friend's house on a deserted backwater road, Kyle encounters a mysterious hitchhiker in the dead of night and soon discovers that she is not what she seems

Whilst eating only beige snacks like chips, bread, and chicken nuggets may just be the picky diet of a spoilt child, it may instead be the symptom of a deeply entrenched psychological disorder. The Truth About Fussy Eaters explores the cutting edge of eating disorder research with the help of expert therapists and psychologists, to shed light on a newly identified, potentially deadly and widely misunderstood condition which affects millions of people worldwide. Whilst disorders such as Bulimia and Anorexia relate to body image, sufferers of Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder instead display a deep psychological aversion to certain foods, and are often left terrifyingly malnourished, unable to function, and on the precipice of a dangerous medical crisis.

Hot Dub Time Machine: BOOGIE 1977-2023, live at the sold-out Hordern Pavilion Sydney, Sat July 8 2023.

In this silent tableau, an eclectic bunch of dusty cowboys take care of domestic duties, putting a spin on traditional Western iconography.

An eccentric investigator analyses the popularisation of beige in modern design trends and ultimately challenges her inherent biases.

Meredith Campbell's haunting animated short Ouzo was created when she was still a student at the Victorian College of the Arts.

Paul McGinnes explores his life as he goes up against the national bin racing championship.

Five women from different parts of Africa talk about embracing the Australian lifestyle while also maintaining a deep bond with their cultural heritage.

two cowboys duel with bannana

The Blue Mountains Community Land Trust

Nate is a guy who just wants to hang out with his friend Steve. Steve, however, is a flesh eating zombie who just wants to attack everyone close to Nate. Nate receives a parking ticket and he relies on Steve to resolve the situation.

In Pine Falls, a secluded and usually peaceful town, multiple acts of dismemberment and cannibalism have been reported. Nate, an unemployed teenager, is too caught up in his own world to notice or even care. For Nate, a terrible tragedy is when he can't find the time to hang out with his best friend Steve. Steve is a wise cracking, quick thinking, loyal friend- at least that's how Nate sees it. The reality is that Steve is a Zombie; a living corpse, contaminated by an infection that raises the dead, giving them an unquenchable desire to feed on human flesh. Despite his gruesome appearance and lack of social skills, the people of Pine Falls consider Steve to be nothing more than Nate's handsome friend, until it's too late.

Love Over Money tells the incredible true story of John Robbins, heir apparent to the Baskin-Robbins ice cream empire, who turns down a billion-dollar inheritance from his father to follow his own truth.

Tony has struck gold at the club tonight. He's hit it off with a girl out of his league, and she's invited him over to hers. Things look too good to be true, but Tony's always up for a wonderful adventure.

Nina Mitchell has spent her entire life living in the shadow of her parents' constant criticism and expectations. A few months after turning 18, she makes a bold and life-altering decision; she will leave her home and country in order to pursue her dreams and find the happiness she's always yearned for even when her parents will say anything in their power to stop her from doing so.

Deena Lynch said of this film "The victim impact statement EP + film was written as a gift to myself. To return my voice and own my body - this is my protest. To give myself permission to feel and grieve, rage and cry. To remind myself why I came into art and music in the first place. To repair; move forward. To take back my potential and take up the space I deserve in this world. To rely on myself for justice."

The beginnings of Johnny Galagher's story. A retired personal investigator in 1920's New York City is roped into a case that will lead him down a dark path.

For the first time ever, Australia’s most secretive soldiers have invited a TV crew to document them in Afghanistan. This exclusive documentary, over three years in the making, follows investigative journalist and four time Walkley winner Chris Masters as he goes deep into the field with the Special Air Services Regiment, the SAS. The most comprehensive account of these elite forces in action, cameras accompany the Special Forces on several missions inside enemy lines, including night raids on Taliban hotspots, to a high risk undercover operation to destroy a multi-million dollar Taliban drug lab. Australian Special Forces soldiers, some of whom have been wounded in action, talk candidly of their experiences, about the dangers of working with allies who can turn on them, and on their views of progress in Afghanistan, as the transition phase evolves towards local control.

A werewolf hunts down a dentist for his vampire boyfriend.

a camera documents the death of a ruler

What is behind Israel's war on Gaza? Why do so many Palestinians support armed struggle? Why are Israel and Hezbollah on the brink of full-scale war? In this hard-hitting debut documentary, Lebanese-Australian lawyer Nicholas Hanna explores these questions and crucial context largely ignored by mainstream media. Filmed in Lebanon and Occupied Palestine, The Last Sky is a must see documentary for anyone interested in understanding the current Gaza war and the escalating conflict in the region.

One of Sydney's last film projectionists, Alan Butterfield, reminisces about the past and contemplates the present. Alan has been an SFF projectionist since 1987.

A Kurdish man disenchanted by Australia decides to go back to Türkiye – but first he needs money.

Meet Clarissa, Oskar and Sidney - three punk rockers inside the virtual space of Chatworld. When two tycoons threaten to rebrand their digital home, they must band together to save their community, making an unlikely friend along the way.

Alasdair Tremblay-Birchall and Andy Matthews's 2022 Melbourne Comedy Festival Show

A young army reservist gets lost in the woods. A stranger offers her a lift home.

images, memories, lights, structures, colours, and/or dreams. shot in melbourne and london.

Examines the story of the murder of Tara Brown, a horrific case of domestic violence that shocked Australia.

Both Sides Of The Pole tells the story of ambitious individuals earning their place in competitive dance and the bonds that form the community that drives it

Three “songs of revolution” from Crisis-hit Greece, illustrated in both documentary and narrative ways. These songs, from 1947, 1968 and 1997 show their relevance to 2015.

Impressions of the city of Volos, Greece.

A flash through Bill Mousoulis' first 25 years of filmmaking, glimpses of all his films.

A low-key naturalistic drama set in contemporary Melbourne. It charts the story of a man, Robert, who returns home and tries to resume a relationship with a woman, Angela, after a period of 18 months apart from each other.

Man confronts his doppelganger in a chilling underground chase.

In an attempt to solve the mystery, Stephen Knight concluded that five women-Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly-were murdered in 1888 to cover up a secret marriage between Prince Albert Victor, and Annie Elizabeth Crook, a working class Irish Catholic girl. Knight's main source, Joseph Gorman (Annie Crook's grandson, Walter Sickert's self-proclaimed son with Annie's daughter Alice Margaret Crook), later retracted the story and admitted to the press that it was a hoax.

A Marxist/feminist critique of capitalism and consumerism.

A short fiction in the mode of a 'diary', a film-maker's thoughts and feelings regarding his failure to obtain funding for his films.

An essay film about the cinema.

Two hybrid characters become fixated by an idea. As they talk to each other they become more and more obsessed with the idea, but the more they talk the less capable they are of translating their ideas into action. Witty, wicked and kinky in concept innovative in use of animation. Prequel to the short film Crust.

Seeking to overcome the loss of her mother some twenty years previous, Chloe and her three friends return to the location of her mothers death. Seeking to stay the night and deal with her trauma face to face, Chloe and her friends receive more than they anticipated as the past returns to haunt them.

When her Naivety takes over, Dove runs away from home and is challenged by the people she meets on her journey.

Single mother Evelyn makes a fairy garden for their tomboy daughter to encourage them to reconnect with their childhood however, through the garden Rose meets a non-binary fairy who helps them to find what kind of fairy they truly are

A bunch of true blue Aussie tradies struggle to accept the new female plumber on the job, yet as sparks begin to fly between her and an electrician, they discover a spark that might be too huge to handle...

A remote desert town, with a population of two people, is kept in pristine condition waiting for visitors that never seem to arrive.

A mad scientist, a techno-nerd and a deadly computer virus form an ultra vivid hyper-reali­ty in this computer generated comic strip.

Mike and Derick are on the run, but when they find a house that they can't resist anything can go wrong.

Experience a visually exhilarating documentary that follows the journey of Demon Derriere, a passionate fat activist and fellow members of the fat community as they join forces with Dr. Naomi Koh Belic, a groundbreaking scientist. Together, they embark on a mission to challenge societal norms surrounding body image by dismantling stereotypes and debunking conventional notions of a "healthy" body. This euphoric exploration transcends visual boundaries, offering a powerful narrative that celebrates diversity, champions self-love, and works towards destigmatizing bodies deemed "fat" by fostering understanding and acceptance.

After purchasing magical wax, a local window cleaner becomes a surfing legend with his teleporting surf wax. Music by Gang-GaJang

A teenager is enjoying his one day off, until a trip to the letter box costs him his day off as he uninvites the weird Neighbour kid to his house, loosing his one day to himself.

The four-minute short, set to Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, is situated in the realm of dreams, showing a young woman (Josephine Heysen) alternately lying in bed and traipsing through a moonlit forest. Year of release: 1964 Director: Ludwik Dutkiewicz Producer: Ian Davidson Starring: Josephine Heysen

An audiovisual experimental video piece juxtaposing footage from a family holiday with stock music, providing a subtle but incisive commentary on travel capitalism, national landmarks and symbols, and a longstanding history of English Commonwealth colonisation.

Border Farce, by Safdar Ahmed, Kazem Kazemi, Alia Ardon was made collaboratively between Safdar Ahmed, Kurdish-Iranian heavy metal guitarist Kazem Kazemi and filmmaker Alia Ardon. The video alternates between documentary storytelling, conveying Kazem’s experiences of refugee detention, and footage of musical collaboration between him and the band Hazeen (featuring Safdar Ahmed on guitar, Can Yalcinkaya on drums and Kian Dayani on bass), in convulsions of sound, performance and feeling. The film mounts a powerful critique of Australia’s border policies whilst playfully exploring an affective theory of witnessing, which is too often discarded in accounts of trauma and human rights abuses.

In the secretive town of Kismet Palms, August and Vesper's love hides a haunting truth. As mysteries unravel, August discovers Vesper's chilling secret, plunging them into a world of enigma, danger, and the delicate balance between forbidden love and hidden malevolence.