Discoveries from Australia World Cinema

The last man on Earth undertakes a long, perilous journey in search of redemption while trying to stay one step ahead of a malevolent alien invasion.

Bob's got a problem. He spent most of his childhood indoors. His Aunt Eileen didn't see the sense in him hangin' around with other kids, bringin' home their germs and filthy ideas.

Progress in South Australia manifests itself around the Flinders Range country in the industries of Whyalla, Port Pirie, Port Augusta, Leigh Creek and Aroona Dam. Wildflowers cover the countryside.

Sir Alfred Terminus reigns supreme in the tiny outback town of Yarralumla. The Terminus family simply love a bit of new blood which is why they are delighted to learn that Lucy, Bronco and Nick have stumbled into town. The townsfolk couldn't be happier... their numbers are beginning to dwindle and Sir Alfred is squawking for some fresh flesh. And he's not the only one ... his wife, Agatha, is famished; his son, George, is ravenous; and his daughter, Samantha, is insatiable. When the strangers are invited for dinner it doesn't take long before they realize the fact they're on the dinner menu...

Sam’s period arrives just moments before an important visitor knocks at her door. Her frantic attempt to get ready derails into a blood-soaked nightmare.

Powerful and poignant, Her Name is Nanny Nellie offers us the rare privilege of bearing witness to a family reclaiming their history. In 1925, the Australian Museum commissioned three statues of ‘full blood ’Aboriginal people: a child, a man and a woman, exhibited as nameless objects to be studied as examples of a ‘dying race.’ The woman was Nellie Walker, Irene Walker’s great grandmother and director Daniel King’s great, great grandmother. Now Irene is on a journey to retrace Nellie’s life and to reconnect the other families to their ancestors’ statues and re-display them, this time with their names, identities and dignity. This is far more than a symbolic quest, but an opportunity to change how we remember and represent, and to give the nameless names.

The distinction between faith and religion is explored amid an assortment of frayed relationships when a devout Christian man contracts a life-altering illness, forms a drug dependency and becomes the key suspect in a murder investigation.

In a post divorce suburban Australian family, the hormonal teenage daughter feels undercurrents of sexuality, confusion and loss. When she loses her temper, her stepfather enacts a strange symbolic punishment - he removes her bedroom door...

A mysterious dark figure walks through a world of endless moonlight. Wielding an object of ancient power, the traveller is driven by the call of a cosmic voice, guiding them through a twisted land inhabited by miscreants and wretches.

What will it take to become a hero?

A romance set in the world of the sport of kings. The Curzons are a racehorse breeding family, who need to strengthen their blood stock to re-establish a fading reputation.

Eva, a young virologist, is researching a contagious cancer that has wiped out nearly 90% of the Tasmanian Devil population. But when her husband is bitten by a stray dog, she suspects the virus has mutated to cross species and is causing violent outbursts in the hosts. Infection soon spreads through the locals and Eva must choose between saving the man she loves or the rest of humanity.

This short documentary showcases three Australian music acts—Wendy Saddington and Teardrop, the Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band, and the Indelible Murtceps—each performing live as examples of distinct directions in the country’s early 1970s pop scene.

One year after a disastrous graduation party, Oscar is invited to estranged friend Chris's home to catch up. But as soon as he arrives with girlfriend Emma, things seem off. Can the two mend their long-festering wounds? Or is their friendship dead... forever?

A small group of neighbours discover a mysterious car, seemingly abandoned in their suburban cul-de-sac.

Documentary by John Pilger looks at the awful truth behind white Australia's dysfunctional relationship with Indigenous Australians

In Sydney, Australia, Jason King, a security guard and a part-time ghost hunter, has spent decades searching for his absent father. When this personal endeavor crosses paths with a police investigation, an unspeakable family secret comes to light.

The story of Ned Kelly and his gang. A policeman comes to arrest Dan Kelly, which results in him being shot and Ned Kelly going on the run with his gang. They rob several banks but are captured and killed at the Glenrowan Hotel.

A picture of life in the West Australian capital of Perth in the mid 1960s. The social, business, sporting and other activities of an average Australian family in Perth are told through the eyes of the local newspapers.

A story of the unending love of parents for their children, the grief of separation, and the chance moments that shape our lives.

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.

In a small, isolated town, the disappearance of the murderer of a young boy challenges the friendship between the two officers whose task is to find him.

Faced with unemployment, a young paperboy must choose between his trade and his friends.

A man with a bounty on his head joins a game of high stakes poker against three strangers who bet with more than just money and have plenty of time to kill.

A young struggling actor gets a lucky break after delivering flowers on set and falls for the leading actress and becomes a target for jealousy, all thanks to fame.

The story of a nation coming together around Indigenous athlete Cathy Freeman who delivered when it mattered on the greatest stage on earth. 20 years on, Freeman sheds light on one of Australia's proudest moments. In 49.11 seconds, Cathy Freeman's win at the 2000 Sydney Olympics brought Australia together as a nation.

In a desperate bid for attention, 11-year-old Keira compulsively steals from pregnant women at her local aquatic centre. But her actions put her at risk of losing the only family she has.

Dot and her Dolphin friends are playing along the shore one day. Soon they come across a very sad Whale named Tonga, who has washed up onto the beach. Tonga is in danger of being harmed by evil Whale-hunters and a cruel fish shop owner! Seeing that her new friend is in trouble, Dot just might have a few clever ideas to go about helping.

Mark has second thoughts about proposing to his girlfriend of six years, after a crisis strikes during an important dinner.

A cinematically immersive journey into the heart of Crowded House, exploring Neil Finn's unique song-writing genius while unravelling the psychological complexities and challenges the band faced in the wake of their success.

Bobby goes on a final drinking bout with his only friend Steve before he flies home to Canada. The last lonely teardrop of a friendship.

Australia's favourite music quiz returns for a one hour Reunion. Join Adam Hills, Myf Warhurst, and Alan Brough for some favourite games, surprises, and lots of laughs.

Decades after his career as a tobacco advertising icon, Bryan Burns’ life is in ruins. After his mother dies of lung cancer, he is tormented by a talking cigarette on an anti-smoking billboard. He snaps and transforms into the Ribspreader, a killer stalking the city, extinguishing smokers and cutting out their lungs to make his macabre smoking jacket.

Follows the journey of two country boys who find themselves out of place in the big city.

The thrilling, debauched and frequently hilarious adventures of the legendary Melbourne post-punk band, in their own words.

On a binge night out with his best friend, Eddie meets a mysterious young woman called Eve. After a brief one night stand, the two begin seeing one another. However, unbeknown to them, a dangerous figure from Eve's past threatens to come between the two lovers, forcing Eddie to fight for his girl...and his life.

THE DEPARTMENT is a feature documentary which takes us inside the never-before-seen child protection system at work in NSW. Filmed in an observational style, it follows caseworkers across the state as they navigate the complexities of keeping children safe in families experiencing domestic violence, addiction, poverty, mental health issues and intergenerational trauma.

Zibeon Fielding, Aboriginal TSI man and long distance runner is preparing to run a crazy 62 kilometres. Driven by passion to help those he loves, Zibeon will run further than he ever has before in the heart of Australian desert.

A short doco following the mundane flow of Melburnians as they go about their day, recounting their most recent dream.

WILD THINGS follows a new generation of environmental activists that are mobilising against forces more powerful than themselves and saying, enough. Armed only with mobiles phones, this growing army of eco warriors will do whatever it takes to save their futures from the ravages of climate change. From chaining themselves to coal trains, sitting high in the canopy of threatened rainforest or locking onto bulldozers, their non-violent tactics are designed to generate mass action with one finger tap. Against a backdrop of drought, fire and floods; we witness how today’s environmentalists are making a difference and explore connections with the past through the untold stories of previous campaigns. Surprisingly the methods of old still have currency when a groundswell of school students inspired by the actions of 16-year old Greta Thunberg say, ‘change is coming’ and call a national strike demanding action against global warming.

Why is everyone out to sabotage him? Cliff Rowan has been hired to recover a stolen payroll hidden in the rugged Australian hills and mountains near his boyhood town. But instead of a warm welcome and helping hand, his former sweatheart, his old school friends, and in fact, practically the whole town...want him out! When his friend, Riley, is needlessly killed, Cliff realizes the buried strongbox holds more than cold cash. The mystery unfolds.

Mona relates her dream. Crawling through an apparently endless wooden crate, she encounters diverse characters while the crate itself is moving towards a fiery destruction.

Confronted by the stark reality that his father is in an intimate relationship with another woman, seven-year-old Caleb grapples with his sense of belonging and begins to inhabit a realm of frightening magical possibility. The cracks in his parents relationship, coupled with their drug use and inability to communicate, drive Caleb further into his imagination. It is not until he meets Eddie, a blind man with a sense of mischief and a subtle inner knowing, that Caleb begins to open up and explore his own innate potential for magic, which leads ultimately, to a fulfillment of the impossible.

An exploration of the hopes and expectations of three working class women from Adelaide, and the differences and similarities they share with their daughters.

Deals with the challenges of ethnic hatred while growing up on the streets of Western Australia. Italo-Australians Cam and Pepe organise street fights for money, we follow their further criminal bumblings.

A woman rushing home to meet a date is blindsided by an unexpected intervention from friends and family, only to discover her bewildered Hinge match has also been roped into it too.

On the day his stepfather's illness reaches a crisis, 18-year-old Jesse wrestles with grief and the urgency to confess a truth he's never told.

A New York novelist who, while attending a family funeral in Vienna, discovers a German relative’s illicit queer love affair with a Jewish man during WW2 – sending him on a journey through the past that changes his future.

Earth in a post-human age. Our creations left to wander in desolation.

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.

Imagine a world in which having a disability was the norm, and the select few that don't, duds, experience the same condescending and patronizing attitudes as people with disabilities experience in our society.

Drawing on original footage from National Geographic, Etched in Bone explores the impact of one notorious bone theft by a member of the 1948 American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land. Hundred of bones were stolen and deposited in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, until it became known to Arnhem elders in the late 1990s. The return of the sacred artefacts was called for, resulting in a tense standoff between indigenous tribespeople and the Department of Anthropology at the Smithsonian.

The story of an intense encounter in a pawnshop.

This short animation follows a cartoonist named Gus, who above all else in his life, desperately wants to work with a big-name studio owned by the Wolf. Packed with bright funny visuals and life-like dialogue, this picture takes the audience on a journey of self-discovery and pain. It’s a story that brings light to the true power of art, as it explores where meaning in life can be derived from. Or really… it’s a silly cartoon.

Inspired by Dante Alighieri's "La Vita Nuova", albeit not an adaptation, "The New Life" shows us how a man's ideal world crumbles as he discovers his life is nothing but a fantasy dreamed by the darkest of beings.

The adventures of a teen-aged boy and his friend, a runaway slave, as they float down the Mississippi River on a raft.

Case bound book containing 3 CDs and a two hour DVD featuring live performances, rare footage and interviews with a 36 page book.

A big hearted community celebrates life by fronting up to death. Set against the stunning backdrop of the industrial seaside town of Port Kembla, a feisty and resilient community group have determined to take back the responsibility that most of us leave to someone else — to care for their own dead. Scattered throughout are stories that cut to the core revealing why this small band have decided to take on a practice that for most is taboo. As their plans for community-based funerals gather momentum one of their own is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Tender is at once a heartbreakingly beautiful and beautifully funny glimpse of an extraordinary community taking on one of the most essential challenges of human life … its end.

From 1957 to 1978, scientists secretly removed bone samples from over 21,000 dead Australians as they searched for evidence of the deadly poison, Strontium 90 - a by-product of nuclear testing. Silent Storm reveals the story behind this astonishing case of officially sanctioned "body-snatching". Set against a backdrop of the Cold War, the saga follows celebrated scientist, Hedley Marston, as he attempts to blow the whistle on radioactive contamination and challenge official claims that British atomic tests posed no threat to the Australian people. Marston's findings are not only disputed, he is targeted as "a scientist of counter-espionage interest". Now, questions are being raised about the health repercussions for generations of Australians.

The Magic Riddle is a 1991 Australian animated feature film directed and written by Yoram Gross. The film's plot features elements of famous fairytales including Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Little Red Riding Hood and Pinocchio. Robyn Moore provides the voice of Cindy and various other characters.