Discoveries from Australia World Cinema

A highly stylized metaphorical tale about the brutalization of employees under corporate culture.

Director Grant Scicluna jumps into VR with an adaptation of one of the tales from Jack Heath’s short-story collection 300 Minutes of Danger. Here, in a potentially deadly case of mistaken identity, Nassim is poisoned and must engage in a heart-pumping game of cat and mouse to secure the antidote.

In a small Japanese town, Ko-Ko is appointed to the unenviable position of executioner. Knowing he must successfully perform before the appearance of the Mikado in a month's time, Ko-Ko finds a suitable victim in Nanki-Poo, who is distraught over his unrequited love for the maiden Yum-Yum. Nanki-Poo agrees to sacrifice his life if he is allowed to spend his remaining days with Yum-Yum, who is betrothed to Ko-Ko. Performed by Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House in 1987.

A strange creature races against time to make the most important and beautiful creation of his life.

Butter is a film about love, obsession, and finding purpose no matter the cost. At its heart, it is a twisted, yet tender love story, between a lonely woman and the greatest food of all: butter.

After a heart transplant a young woman finds herself connecting with a homeless man through classical music. Throughout a series of dramatic performances and emotional events the two worlds begin to merge as one.

Excessive speed is the number one killer on the roads: one-thrid of all road deaths are caused by it. By excessive speeding drivers risk their own lives and those of others.

The story of what happens to the environment when a foreign plant upsets the equilibrium of the native landscape. This drama animation uses a unique relief collage art form to illustrate the impact that introduced plants have on native flora and fauna. The textures and colours of the collage magnificently recreate the Australian landscape.

Drug addict Kait flees to a house in the woods to self-rehabilitate, where her sister Olivia joins to document the process, but the house's layout begins to change, trapping them inside an inescapable puzzle box of a house.

RiverBlue chronicles an unprecedented around-the-world river adventure, led by renowned paddler and conservationist, Mark Angelo, who ends up uncovering and documenting the dark side of the global fashion industry.

In this biting satire of the film industry, an undiscovered actor will do anything to become the next 'Asian leading man' - other than go to therapy.

Late in life, Cass is drawn to his long-forsaken childhood home of Bundaberg, where he finds himself on a spiritual search for redemption.

Caught between social-media backlash and supporting his ex-partner's latest exhibition, a once radical artist must face a reckoning for them both.

The enigmatic hero, a speechless child and a ragtag motley crew journey through a zombie filled apocalyptic landscape to seek shelter in a medieval fun park whilst being pursued by a deranged lunatic.

Traffic is delayed on the edge of a roadwork site, but what are the council workers doing? A privileged encounter with a secret somber ritual of working men. This is the second in Andrew Kavanagh’s trilogy (after the successful "At The Formal’) exploring tribalism and ritual in contemporary society.

Follows the lives and unbreakable love between Blake Robinson; a headstrong and respected military officer who falls for the the heartwarming humanitarian James Hunter. Their sense of duty pushes this connection to its very limits.

An autobiographical video record of the love life of the film editor Robert Gibson. While his girlfriend April is in England, Robert starts living with Gianna, and eventually asks Gianna to marry him.

A chance encounter with an online dating match turns awkward when an unexpected presence reveals their true colours. A comedy on moral masking.

A short observational account of one Saturday night in the mundane life of Stuart. He gets drunk, goes out to clubs,, searches for love and falls asleep unfulfilled on the floor of the club.

Filmed secretly in Sydney by Dutch documentarian Joris Ivens, this short records the solidarity of Indonesian seamen, Australian trade unionists, and local activists who refused to support Dutch efforts to restore colonial rule after World War II. More than a chronicle, it was an act of protest that aligned cinema with the Indonesian independence movement.

A ruminative film on the interplay between bovine lives and human consumption. Minimalist in camerawork and composition yet expansive in impact, With the Cattle poignantly brings viewers up close and personal to the tranquillity – and ephemerality – of life for farm cows.

Four brothers stay at their uncle's house in the country for the weekend, but when things seem strange and they investigate further, it becomes a terrorsome night of the fight for survival... Winner of the "Best Suspense" award at the 2023 Battle of the Films hosted by Grace Acting Studios.

Hassan and Mario are neighbors. They have raised their daughters, Dina and Isabella together, supporting each other through tough times. When Hassan, faces the challenges of modern life, both inside and outside the home, his reactions propel a series of events that threatens everything he holds dear. When his daughter Dina becomes more than good friends, a life partner, with her best friend Isabella, hard decisions have to be made.

Start Options Exit follows the exploits of twenty-somethings Neville Carlisle and Yolis Jenkem, street punks who have come to a freeing conclusion; If you forget stupid little things like reputation, the law, friendship and the suffering of others...well, life can be kinda fun. You can do whatever you want, getting women is easier, stupid people respect you, sometimes you can even make a little money.

A story of rival sheep stations and of the strong-willed squatter’s daughter who wants to unite them.

A short film about love. Boy meets Boy, on a balmy Brisbane night. But will they meet again?

When George's suspicions get him fired from the observatory, there is only one path he can seek to fulfil his retribution. The new order is upon us!

Taking place in the fifth reality to be discovered by humanity, Into The Alternate follows an inhabitant and foreign visitor as they struggle to survive within a collapsing ecosystem.

When her cold, lonely existence is changed forever by the arrival of a huge comet and a smouldering stranger, our heroine thinks her luck has changed. But when things sour she quickly finds out that knowing what's good for you doesn't always mean doing what's good for you.

In August 1944, 1104 Japanese prisoners of war at the Australian POW camp at Cowra stage a mass breakout. Four guards are killed in the escape, and 231 prisoners die by wounds sustained or suicide, while 334 prisoners are recaptured over the subsequent nine days.

Two young men - one sighted, one blind - see the world and their bodies in different ways. Unexpectedly, they find a connection beyond the visual in the collision of taste, touch and sound. The connection is sensual, and within it they each find something new.

Alison Berger has only recently moved from the country to take up a new job as a computer programmer and already her future looks promising, both professionally and personally. But, unbeknownst to Alison, one of them has become besotted with her. Against her better judgement, Alison agrees to a 'once only' date with Matthew Pitt and from that night on, her life becomes a nightmare.

The make or break story of a Somali-Australian refugee who went back to where he came from to do battle with ruthless pirates and Islamic militants - and transform his broken homeland into a modern African State.

Two crooked gallery officials swap a Picasso for a fake hoping to make a fortune. When thieves break into the gallery to steal the Picasso, an amusing chain reaction snowballs into a hilarious romp.

Kate McLelland's life is a normal one of a girl her age in the eastern suburbs, until her discovery that she is adopted. This is the story of her search for her natural mother and the resulting relationship.

A young deaf boy who calls himself "Captain Johnno" befriends Tony, an Italian fisherman in the small Australian fishing town they live in. Both feel outcast by the town and both share a great love of the sea. When Johnno's beloved sister leaves to go to boarding school, he is so upset he runs away to an island hiding place, causing much distress in the town. His friend Tony helps him understand how much he is loved and missed by the townsfolk and his family.

In a Pill Bottle tells the story of Oliver, a young man who is dealing with depression after the loss of his little brother. When his Partner, Mia leaves in a desperate attempt for him to get help, Oliver goes into a downward spiral that may be the end of his relationship and ultimately himself.

The iconic Finke Desert Race, the largest off-road motorsport event in the southern hemisphere and Australia's fastest, deadliest, toughest and certainly dustiest race. Filmed over three years, Finke explores the race from within – competitors, organisers, paramedics, and the drive to win against the desert at all costs. Finke is a visual adventure of inspiration and danger, excitement and spills.

Directed by Michelle Lehman, 2008 Tropfest Australia winning film, Marry Me, tells a little love story about “a little girl who likes a little boy and a little boy who likes his BMX bike”.

Two brothers who were once inseparable find themselves drifting apart, and in the slow unravelling of their bond, one of them is forced to confront just how much he took for granted.

A struggling Tongan immigrant is taken under the wing of a charismatic American salesman. What begins as a dream job quickly unravels into a nightmare as the protégé begins questioning his mentor’s methods.

A traveler finds Muaythai as a hobby in the land of smiles, thailand. Following a visit at fairtex gym, meeting the fighters at the gym, he finally realizes the life; Pattaya has to offer. Mastering Muaythai, with his statement ' Where Borne fighters appear, legends are made', he soon learned the arts of the fighting style and as a freelance legendary fighter his nickname evolve to "The Real Deal".

On Sunday December 4, 2005, 3 Cronulla lifesavers were coming off duty when they passed a group of 8 Lebanese young men. They stared at each other, a heated verbal exchange turned quickly into a violent brawl, resulting in 3 lifesavers being beaten up. This event was to spark 10 days of violent mob attacks and retaliations, the likes of which Australia had never witnessed. This is the story of the dramatic events covering the lead up to and the 10 days between 4th and 13th December 2005 known as the Cronulla Riots.

A documentary celebrating the culture, spirit and style of Australian music featuring interviews and live performances from You Am I, Spiderbait, Regurgitator, Custard, Grinspoon, Jebediah, Something for Kate, Frenzal Rhomb, Ammonia, Crow, and Bodyjar.

Unlike Synetech's 'Naked Yoga', this has less instructional information, and instead focuses on the visuals of mostly women, plus one man, doing nude yoga.

Fred Ward is imprisoned for horse stealing. He escapes from Cockatoo Island and under the name of Captain Thunderbolt becomes a bushranger, working with his friend and fellow escapee Alan Blake.

A blind woman and her neighbour discover a common bond after battling each other with sound.

Troubled artist Cassie suffers with reoccurring visions of murder, which she copes with by committing the violent acts to canvas. But when her visions begin to manifest in real life, her friends and family begin to turn up dead. Realizing her visions actually provide a direct link to the killer, Cassie must now confront her own past in order to stop the murders and save herself.

A rebellious teen battles her fracturing family and the isolation of outer suburbia.

Since her first major role in BMX Bandits, Nicole Kidman has come a long way.

Filmmaking partners Rupert Kathner and Alma Brooks are determined to get their films made by almost any means necessary. Set in the 1930s, this docudrama relates the moviemakers' struggles to jump-start Australia's film industry.

Follows Jean Blake as she takes on the mantle of her husband, police surgeon Lucien Blake, as a solver of mysteries following his disappearance 18 months after their marriage.

Ten boys and a dog are shipwrecked on an island in the Pacific. After a storm they discover another boat has been shipwrecked on the island. They make friends with two of the survivors, a nurse and ship's carpenter, but discover there are three other survivors who are ruthless mutineers.

An effervescent facilitator and mother figure, Multicultural Liaison Officer Rosemary is undoubtedly a force of nature. Isolation in Auburn’s migrant community is a huge obstacle, and cultural norms mean that women are often tied to the house or a limited locale. Rosemary, with her larger-than-life spirit and generosity, works tirelessly to draw the women out of their homes and into society. She hosts a lively African Women’s Dinner Dance and takes them on a trip to the Blue Mountains and the NSW South Coast – introducing them to an Australia they’ve never seen before.

Hewie Dowker, a New South Wales (Sydney) police officer who becomes aware that he has psychic abilities, which haunt him as he has recurrent visions of a young girl being murdered during a black mass.

Spirited out of Moscow during the Russian revolution in 1918, young Anastasia awakens with a severe case of amnesia in the care of a peasant family in Siberia. As her memory returns, it is revealed that she is really a Grand Duchess, the youngest daughter of Czar Nicholas II and the only member of the royal family to escape from the Bolshevik revolutionaries who have taken over Russia.

The Sword of Bushido tells the story of ex-Navy SEAL Zac Connors and his journey to learn the fate of his grandfather, who mysteriously disappeared days after the end of World War 2, with a legendary stolen Japanese sword in his possession. With the help of a stunningly sexy computer analyst (who he ends up sleeping with, the suave dog), he learns that his grandfathers' plane crashed somewhere on the outskirts of Thailand.

Shot over eight years, this hybrid documentary is set in a real-life funeral home on Leichhardt’s famous Norton St, and features an admirably game cast of actual morticians— Sparrow, a part-time worker whose fragile psyche begins to fracture in the lead-up to his first exhumation. On the brink of homelessness, Sparrow is offered shelter in the flat next door to the parlour, as the boundary between life and death – and work and self – dissolves into oblivion. Bleakly funny and formally playful.

When their simple 'in-and-out' drug bust goes south, Detective Dirk Mansnif must race against the clock to rescue his partner Raymond Deuce from his captives.

The whole team of Triangle (2009) movie talks about how they made the movie