Discoveries from Australia World Cinema

An aspiring actress chosen as a wild card for a reality TV dating show uses a secret elixir to win the heart of the star, but when her deception is revealed, she discovers a messy but real chance for love.

Sam is a gifted young dancer whose world spirals after an unexpected, life-changing event. ​Sam walks away from dancing and ballet, ​but the art form is in her blood, and she can’t resist the temptation to return. ​Life eventually leads Sam back to her old dance school – but not as a dancer. An​ old rival, a long-time crush, and her former dance teacher guide Sam back to​ what she loves most, but ultimately, it’s her own emotions and fears that she must confront to reignite her deep passion for dance.

As Dylan and Annie work together to save an animal rescue and get its dogs adopted, Annie discovers that finding love — and making a difference in the world — can happen right at home.

Lou is losing the cold war with her stubborn and enigmatic stepdaughter Grace when an unexpected challenge arises from the depths of a warm, dreamy afternoon at the local pool.

Watch drug-addled friends through the eyes of a kaleidoscope. See coloured shapes dance and flail around. Witness people clubbing, getting beaten up, dancing and being used as human guinea pigs – all these in segments held together by two French teenagers finding themselves waiting for Godot. Experiment Three is another trip into the disturbing and bizarre world of public service announcements, contorted into something confronting and colourful.

Early one morning, an aging man recalls a disturbing dream to his wife, disrupting their seemingly peaceful home.

Delivered home by police, 17 year-old Thomas has to front his domineering mother Marlene who isn’t interested in his side of the story. Forced outside as punishment, Thomas is left with hurt and frustrations, until neighbourly sounds enter his conscious world echoing a connection to the present and the past, Thomas is triggered to make a life changing decision.

Driven by the devastation of Cyclone Larry on Australia's banana supply, Omid, a young refugee, sets out alone and on foot, headed for the promise of a banana utopia, the Big Banana.

Emily is a recovering cancer survivor of three years. Faced with her fear of getting sick again, her best friend Nina plans a weekend away. Six friends venture out to a country holiday house to party over a weekend. Cut off from the rest of the world they soon learn the inhabitants are unsettling red neck individuals who terrorize and humiliate travelers. At the same time a para-normal monster seen as the faceless man haunts the house pushing the friends to their limits.

A wild ride through the last days of high school with our anti-hero Hal alongside his slacker/jock mates. Amongst the hilarious universal teenage stupidity and chaos of the penultimate end of school house party it becomes glaringly obvious Hal needs to stop cruising through life to face his fears and follow his heart.

To try to raise money for her choir's trip to China, Anna poses nude for an ageing artist and upon seeing the finished results goes on a journey of self discovery.

Reveals a revolutionary chapter in Australian history, the Women’s Liberation Movement (1965 -1975). Interweaves fresh archival footage, personal photographs, memorabilia, and personal accounts from activists all around Australia to show how a daring and diverse group of women joined forces to defy the status quo, demand equality, and create profound social change. These women defined one of the greatest social movements of the 20th century, sometimes at great personal cost.

An alcoholic homeless man is framed for a murder of an Internal Affairs detective committed by fellow detectives who she was investigating. With the help of the mother of a teenage runaway he helped, the homeless man tries to prove his innocence.

Everyone is celebrating their invitation to the Koala Brothers' homestead for Christmas when bad news arrives: Penny the penguin is stuck at the South Pole and won't be able to join them! Frank and Buster embark on their longest and most perilous journey ever to fetch Penny and to give her the best Christmas present ever!

An incompetent rogue dentist travels from Australia to the UK, where he wreaks havoc on English teeth until the law catches up with him.

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

A middle-aged alcoholic is sentenced to six weeks in jail for a minor offense. While there he undergoes psychiatric treatment for his alcoholism and is committed to a hospital for the criminally insane for the duration of his sentence. However, under Section 27A of the Queensland Mental Health Act, he can be detained indefinitely until the hospital authorities declare him eligible for release.

A young actor plays a rude, obnoxious, know-it-all in a film who, after losing her job, sets out to 'teach the world a lesson.'

Set three decades prior to 'Echo 8,' the prequel 'Five By Five' unveils the enigmatic Agent 5's grief-stricken existence and his gradual spiral into chaos white climbing Zodiac's hierarchy.

During a violent thunderstorm, a family is awoken by piercing shrieks which summon the dead to rise again. Their lives explode in a blood soaked fury as they battle malevolent spirits, whilst fighting to save their souls from eternal torment with... the Banshee.

During a violent thunderstorm, a family is awoken by piercing shrieks which summon the dead to rise again. Their lives explode in a blood soaked fury as they battle malevolent spirits, whilst fighting to save their souls from eternal torment with... the Banshee.

A young girl dies after a batch of deadly pills find their way into a dance club scene. Cody and Fiorelli attempt to stop others from taking the lethal cocktail as they uncover an established underground manufacturer.

A body is found floating in the Torres Strait and pearler Ted King is asked to investigate. He discovers the murder is connected to a people smuggling ring and involves one of his men, Yusep. He is helped by Peter Merriman, the playboy owner of King's company who romances King's daughter Rusty. Yusep kidnaps Rusty but Merriman and King rescue her.

A young man reconciles ancient tradition with the modern, urban world in this debut feature from Stephen Page, artistic director of Australia’s renowned Bangarra Dance Theatre.

With a sense of fun and playful naivety, My America challenges the anti-American rhetoric of the last decade to discover what America stands for in 2010 and what it means for billions around the world whose lives it impacts.

Anthea is 25, single, hates her job – and all her friends are leaving Brisbane. Should she follow the herd to Sydney or London? Is there anything worth staying for now that her best friend Michael finally has a girlfriend? This film tells a universal story about finding your place and yourself...

This film traces the career of Dr Edward Trenbow (Corin Redgrave), who becomes a well-respected Sydney psychiatrist. In the 1920s, he takes up residence at Callan Park Asylum. The film touches on issues of psychoanalysis and physical treatments, such as fever treatment.

A romantic plumber and his unblinking wife are the only survivors of a suicide space cult. Two decades after the others went Next Level, they're still wearing capes, still trying to recruit members, and still not having sex. When a cancer scare forces them to face involuntary mortality, they rediscover the transcendent things down here on The Human Level.

Nazi hunters Matt and Tahlia get much more than they bargained for when they stop in for a drink at a secret neo-Nazi watering hole.

The year is 1988. Paranormal investigators Mick Sutherland and Archie Charlesworth have built their careers on confronting the unexplained across Northern Europe. But when a desperate call draws them to the isolated home of Elizabeth Blair, they encounter a presence unlike anything they’ve faced before. Over seven days, this force begins to unravel their sanity, twisting their perception of reality and threatening to destroy their bond. This is no ordinary haunting. This is Case 13.

Set on Christmas Eve, eight days after the war ends, survivor Kate discovers a mysterious radio signal and befriends the voice. As she embarks on a journey to find its origins, Kate encounters the isolation and horror of a nuclear war and the failed hope of those who survived.

Bert Deling's surreal, button-pushing and hallucinogenic paean to the emerging possibilities of avant-garde and homemade filmmaking. Telling the tale of a violent ex-cop searching for the man who killed his partner, the film takes an unexpected turn when he encounters drug lord Plastic Man and a tribe of LSD enthusiasts. What follows is both literal and metaphorical mayhem as the boundaries of the film start collapsing and our idea of what's real is pushed to its very limits.

Enigmatically silent, and driven by love, the man known as Resnik was imprisoned for butchering another man and kidnapping the young girl at the heart of his obsession, Kelly. For the safety of his fellow inmates, Resnik was only ever allowed to wake, eat and exercise alone, after dark, he learned to like it. Now having escaped during a midnight transfer, Resnik is headed back to Moonlight Bay, and Detectives Raynor and Molloy have only 12 hours to stop him before the sun goes down, and the carnage begins, again.

Sydney, the early 1950's... a city in the grip of a deadly crime wave. In just over a year more than one hundred people were poisoned. Most of the killers were women. Recipe For Murder tells the true story of three notorious poisoners; Yvonne Fletcher, Caroline Grills and Veronica Monty. The 52 minute film combines gritty archive with stunning film noir re-enactments and interviews with witnesses. Narrated by Dan Wyllie in classic pulp crime style, the film dramatically reveals the unique ingredients that created a Recipe For Murder.

2006 was one of the deadliest Everest seasons on record. Experienced mountaineer Lincoln Hall was invited to join an expedition as a high altitude cameraman. It was his second attempt to summit the mountain, having turned back just short 22 years earlier. Shortly after reaching the summit, Hall began to behave irrationally, suffering from lack of oxygen. Aided by his loyal Sherpas for over 9 hours, he eventually collapsed and they declared him dead. His family were informed and the news hit headlines. But something happened that night that science cannot explain. The next morning Lincoln Hall was found alive by approaching climbers and his dramatic rescue began. Never before has a man been declared dead so high on Everest and survived. This is the remarkable true story of Lincoln Hall’s extraordinary journey back from beyond.

Progressive Amputation is introduced as a new form of punishment for particularly heinous crimes, in this pitch-black social satire by Matt Richards.

A woman navigates the memories of her childhood haunted by The Lurker, a malevolent force who preyed on her and her mother.

The world has been left in ruins following the outbreak of a terrifying disease. Deep in the Australian countryside, a group of survivors are locked in a constant struggle to stay alive.

Australian musician Warren Ellis guides us through his musical career and his wildlife sanctuary in Sumatra, where rescued trafficked animals are nursed back to health by conservationists.

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!

After saving a drowning boy's life, a fifteen-year-old orphan is taken aboard by the family as a deckhand.

Forced to present as male at a Christmas party among old high school friends, a trans girl tries to hide her true identity.

On the side of a rural highway, a bizarre encounter with a metalhead takes a profound turn.

All is not what it seems when Lucy and Dane conspire a breakout from their mythical island cells.

This breezy sex comedy follows ex-journalist turned rock promoter Richard Muir (Colin Friel), who is pulled in two different directions by the women in his life -- his vivacious wife, Catherine (Catherine McClements), who wants to have a baby -- and Carla (Helen Mutkins), his ambitious mistress, who wants to have Richard.

The untold story of the halcyon era of women's professional cycling. For six glorious years during the 1980s, the Tour de France held a women's race alongside the men's race. These women raced over the same cobblestones, conquered the same mountains, and were cheered by the same throng of adoring crowds as the men.

An essay film by filmmaker and archivist Sari Braithwaite, [Censored] offers an overview of film censorship in Australia, told through an ever-changing collage of images compiled from the footage that was cut from films released domestically between 1958 and 1971.

His rough tactics in his native Auckland get Maori detective Tito Ihaka sent to Sydney while the scandal blows over. There he's teamed with urbane police media officer Kirsty Finn to review the unsolved murder of a supermodel. Their investigation lands them in political hot water, and when Ihaka's inquiries lead to a murder and further complaints, he thinks he's solved the case. But all he's done is create a ruthless and powerful enemy.

A city of singing cats is preyed upon by a shadowy figure intent on performing a twisted feline symphony.

A broken man attempts to win back the love of his wife by recreating the events of their first wedding anniversary.

A young woman accepts a videography gig for what seems like a standard child's birthday party. The tension becomes unbearable as the absurd reason for the party becomes more clear.

A meat worker is accidentally nominated to run for Parliament and realises that to save the meat works he has to get elected. All that stands in his way is every other politician in the country and his own fear of public speaking.

A young woman employs the skills of a private investigator to find a bunny. Made for Take48 2025.

A gothic horror short about a woman on a remote estate who discovers a doppleganger with sinister intentions for her. A virtual studio production from Alex Proyas. A Vidiverse original.

When she took on this dog babysitting job, she didn’t expect her night to turn this adventurous.

People start dying after the arrival of a mysterious stranger in a small Australian town. Despite this, the local police officer is too preoccupied by his dream Mercedes to pay attention to the deaths surrounding him.

It's Martha's birthday and the day is not turning out so well. Martha decides to get out of town and seek some excitement on the coast.

Whether you’re a fan of Sydney's iconic genre film festival A Night of Horror, or just a fan of the best and bloodiest in new horror cinema, you can’t afford to miss this fright-filled anthology. Zombies, demonic entities, self-surgery, cannibalism and more await in the dark corners of this terrifying offering from some of the most talented filmmakers working in the genre today.

Ian Stahlhut's 1992 documentary of Judy Garland's 1964 Australian Tour.

"Whaledreamers" - the title alone evokes hypnotic visions of these most magnificent and ancient creatures. This visually stunning film offers an incredible glimpse into a rarely seen and scarcely understood tribal culture whose entire story of creation revolves around whales and has endured for centuries. The film passionately explores the connection between the subtle elegance of these “mothers of the sea” and ancient civilizations around the world whose culture and very existence is based on whales. Intertwining incredible underwater footage with ancient legend, whaledreamers examines the complex past and the possibly dire future of human civilization. Told with moving optimism and spiritual strength, it is a clarion call encouraging humanity’s reconnection to the profound beauty of the natural world and is an appeal to embrace all living beings thereby creating the unity and peace which the Earth itself can bring.