Discoveries from Australia World Cinema

Take one innocent Japanese girl and an Australian lesbian, sprinkle liberally with sushi to taste.

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

Documentary portrait of Joy McKean, Australia’s Queen of country music. Follows her performance and songwriting career, decades of touring around Australia, and her marriage of more than 50 years to fellow musician Slim Dusty.

Businessman Gerald Barker is invited to join a mysterious super corporation known as The Firm. His work in the organisation turns out to be of a unique and somewhat disturbing nature. But Gerald finds no comfort with his wife Melissa and friend Barry - his relationships with both collapse. In a surreal and strange fashion, Gerald eventually comes to understand what The Firm is about. Made on a tiny budget of $15,000 the film is a mix of naturalism and stylisation which the filmmaker hoped would work on 'a simple, surrealistic level'.

In the depths of despair, a young man travels to an empty beach in the hopes of reuniting with his lover, Maria, who inexplicably disappeared the year earlier.

A genre breaking psychological fantasy film, following one of 12 archetypes, The Hero, attempting to complete his quest of self discovery. In this world devoid of life apart from these 12 archetypes, Hero finds he is left with only one final person to interview. The proud, excentric and boastful Jester, or as he prefers to be called, "Alakazam". With the clash Hero's need for control and order clashing with Alakzam's careless free nature, the two character's are forced to questions their own personas and nature.

A multi-layered narrative drama about ordinary people and their struggles and joys with life. Blue Notes is composed of five tales about people who are "blue": a married man struggles by with depression; his son spends his days drifting; a young woman reacts to being abused by her partner; a heroin addict attempts to start a career in music; and a lonely man, bereft of family, looks for a way to connect with others.

"Octopus Heart" is a poignant documentary examining the link between emotional trauma and Takotsubo Syndrome. Following Anastazija Zivanovic's life of profound loss and adversity, it reveals how our emotional struggles shape our physical health, inspiring awareness, and resilience.

Pitted against the harsh terrain of Australia's Snowy Mountains, two colonial women haul a coffin to its final resting place, only to be confronted with a deadly surprise upon reaching their destination.

In 2001, unemployed actor, Garth Petridis, was imprisoned for one of the most unusual crimes in Australian history. Desperate for success he kidnapped members of the public and forced them to perform.

Filmed at various concerts throughout Powderfinger's final Australian tour.

A Japanese tent theatre company tours from Tokyo to Melbourne and performs a play about the ghost of Kamikaze Pilots. Cambis has created a portal from this to the cinema screen that shows first hand the actor's art in the context of war.

An insurance investigator comes to a small town to investigate the death of a man insured by his company. The local residents believe his death was caused by his being run over by a ghost train. However, the investigator is sure there is a more rational explanation...

A lifetime of innocent fun together can’t stop the darkness from creeping in. Every summer break, Jess, her older brother Trav, and their friend Kelsey spend all their time together. When the others sneak off for a party one night, Jess slowly realises that the trio will never be the same.

Heidi Jones, Human Resources. Putting the conflict in conflict resolution.

Renowned Canadian cave-diver Jill Heinerth, fueled by an insatiable curiosity about Earth's hidden depths, embarks on legendary expeditions - from Mexico's extensive caves to Antarctica's iceberg realms. Amidst hair-raising dive footage, intimate interviews, and animated flashbacks Jill's motivations are unveiled. Despite over 100 personal losses in the deep, each odyssey brings her closer to the woman she aspired to be as a child. This film is a captivating narrative of exploration and self-discovery.

Summer has arrived in Shantelle’s hometown of Young, NSW. Between stacking the shelves with cherries and scrolling through women on her feed, there doesn’t appear to be much going on in Shantelle’s life to keep her there. But when she discovers her wayward teenage half-sister, Tamara, posting raunchy pics online, Shantelle must hunt her down and, with the help of a callow workmate, stop Tamara crossing a dangerous line.

A convict, wrongfully accused and sent a harsh prison colony, attempts to escape.

Australian newsreel, telling of the besieged Australian forces in Tobruk. Coverage shows dawn patrols, wrecks in Tobruk Harbour, tank patrols, anti-aircraft action against German planes, gun barrages, etc. also seen is the grave of first Australian VC (Victoria Cross) Corporal Edmondson and his mother at home holding the award.

Everything's unfair, especially at the fun fair.

In early-colonial Australia, a timber feller, kept awake by his infant child’s cries of hunger, encounters something perturbing in the woods.

Australian documentary follows eight female survivors of childhood sexual abuse who participate in a 2-year experimental recovery program that combines the physicality of boxing with the emotional power of expressive writing.

Part 1 of the History of Australian Cinema series. Australian cinema from the very beginning, from the newsreels, ethnographic and actuality films, to the controversy of "The Story of the Kelly Gang" and the success of "The Sentimental Bloke".

Kate's love for her brother's wife and the ensuing feelings of guilt lead her to an obsession with the supernatural.

A documentary crew detail the struggle of Unbelievable Productions' visionary leader, Madeleine LaRoy, to stage a revolutionary reboot of Shakespeare's MACBETH (in space), with the help of her faithful best friend/choreographer/costume & set designer/tea lady/everything else, Deirdre Snowflake Fleckman. Madeleine enlists young drama school graduate Scott Johnson and alcoholic veteran of the stage Desmond Darke to help her mount her astounding vision.

On the brink of an alien invasion childhood sweet hearts Traye and Sally are thrust into an inescapable turn of events. Now Traye has to face his biggest fears while protecting the girl he loves as she fights for her life.

The Run is a feature length documentary film which follows Australian Pat Farmer’s test of human spirit and behind the scenes drama as he runs the length of India – 80 kilometres a day for 64 days with the backdrop of colourful, enchanting, challenging, organized chaos of India, which will saturate your senses.

Filmed live at the Sydney Comedy Store, Pointless is Dave Hughes 2014 Comedy Show. Often referred to as “a typical Aussie bloke”, Dave Hughes is actually an unusual success story. From working class roots, the university drop-out and former abattoir worker has risen to become one of Australia’s most popular and successful stand-up comedians. His honesty and laconic humour have led to several long-term hosting roles on television and radio, most recently on The Project and Nova 100. However in 2014, Hughesy has returned to his first love – stand-up comedy – and is the hottest comedy act touring nationally and internationally.

The once celebrated graphic designer Paul Andrews has fallen from grace. Battling against the demands of vacuous clients, deprived of his voice, he descends into an obsessive and distorted search for creative expression.

In 1900's rural Australia a First Nations man, ‘Deadly’, raised by a colonising Police Captain and exploited by the government as a tracker, discovers the secrets of his past and seeks redemption by helping an innocent Elder escape execution.

In the sprawling outer suburbs of Brisbane, a revolution is brewing. A sassy group of women from all walks of life has a dream: to resurrect the lost sport of full-contact roller derby in Australia.

Dysfunctional truth rap and suspended youth - the final skate between two best friends.

A small city in the tropical north of Queensland, Cairns boasts a life that is leisurely and comfortable. The tempo quickens, however, at cane-cutting time when the sugar is harvested, and in winter when tourists come north to escape the cold. The Life In Australia series portrays Australian cities and rural centres as happy, lively places where good homes, abundant jobs, schools, hospitals and amenities provide the foundation for a relaxed lifestyle where sport, shopping, religion and even art combine to create a homogenous and prosperous society.

What starts as a desire to experience nature more intimately develops into a relatable conversation on alternative pathways through life. Two friends go on a two-year road trip through Latin America. Presenting an insight into long term travel and how engaging in new cultures and environments can help widen our perspective and deepen our understanding of the world we live in. Pacifico forms a discussion around the pros and cons of living in the moment; Showing how slowing down and observing the world mindfully can aid in gaining perspective and broaden an understanding of what is important in life.

A group of university dorm students tackle the ethical dilemma of whether or not to evict one of their own over a morally ambiguous offence. Does the punishment fit the crime?

Australia’s favourite double act Colin Lane and Frank Woodley have reunited to create the comeback masterpiece FLY. No more stupid silly nonsense, it’s time to make THEATRE! An epic show about the history of aviation, no less. There is no reason whatsoever to think this will go as planned.

Antigone arrives in Sydney from Greece to have an arranged marriage with Telis, but is rejected by him as he expected a younger woman. Telis's older brother, Manolis, sympathizes with Antigone.

A nice romantic dinner in a restaurant goes awry when it’s revealed one of them has a monstrous secret.

Claudie seeks advice from an old flame as a new love is born from the embers.

The world’s most notorious jackass, Matt Pritchard of Dirty Sanchez fame, has been unceremoniously tossed into prison on a trumped-up indecent exposure charge. And life on the inside is less kind than you’d think for the mad Welshman who’s made a name for himself self-inflicting bodily harm and inserting assorted objects into places where the sun don’t shine. Like Paris Hilton before him, Pritch has become the ultimate Subservient Celebrity – and now you’re calling the shots.

In Colonial Australia, three Irish convicts decide to commit murder in order to avoid the lash but when their plan to kill a guard goes horribly wrong, their only hope is to draw straws to take control of their fate.

Inside The West Papua Liberation Army

After a nasty break-up with her boyfriend, Jane is on the verge of suicide when she is saved by a friendly cat.

A surfer travels the world on a quest to save dolphins.

While taking an exam, a group of high school kids try and find a way to leave the classroom, culminating in many wacky ideas.

A love affair between a Greek and a middle-class Australian divorcee.

Seals’kin is a sonic and choreographic meditation on loss, longing, transformation and kinship, shot on location in coastal Aberdeenshire in January 2022. At the mouth of the river Ythan, where the freshwater meets the North Sea, hundreds of grey and common seals haul out on the estuary banks. Here, Tuulikki explores with her body what it might mean to become-with-seal, drawing on myths of human-seal hybridity and folkloric musical practices to offer alternative forms of mourning through sensuous identification with more-than-human kin.

An experimental essay film about terrorism, media, violence and globalisation. Three infotainment news broadcasts - a rollercoaster, a hijacking, and an influencer - are soundtracked by pulsating experimental electronics that push the psychic residue of a post war-on-terror world out of the unconscious and onto the screen. Capitalism, imperialism, desire; all three are implicated in a nihilism that has seeped from the news into the social psyche.

The fiery daughter of a colonial farmer discovers the truth behind her family's new land after she reluctantly saves a wounded Aboriginal boy from drowning.

The world has ended. The remnants of humanity now live underground. Tony, one of the last survivors, is tasked with staving off another disaster by pushing a button every 12 hours, as he progresses, he eventually discovers the horrific truth of his world.

When six-year-old Robbie takes up residence in his favourite tree to be with his friend the peewee bird, his family is forced to se the world from his point of view.

Primary school aged Orville has a fascination for model planes which intensifies when he encounters Harry who owns a sadly neglected but real Tiger Moth. Orville becomes obsessed with the notion that the Tiger might fly once more and the adventure begins when he and Harry set out to achieve that goal.

This short film documents Australian composer Richard Meale’s homage to the young French poet, Arthur Rimbaud. Meale composed a music piece for woodwind, percussion and strings which he titled “Incredible Floridas."

Joel Taylor's surfing career ended with a paralysing wave. 20 years later, he's back in the water as a World Champion.

A family makes Santa an adorable rag doll named Candy Claus who comes to life because Santa loves her. But there's a wicked miser who's jealous of the little doll. He's going to cause lots of trouble during Candy's adventures in the magical, musical world of Santa Town.

Featuring Charles 'Bud' Tingwell in only his second film and first lead role, which helped prepare him for his part in the 1953 World War Two Hollywood action drama, 'The Desert Rats'. 'Always Another Dawn' celebrates the Australian Navy's contribution to the Allied victory in WW2. The ship (Dauntless) is based on the real-life HMAS Yarra, which was sunk by a Japanese cruiser squadron on 4 March 1942 with 138 lives lost. Assisted by the Royal Australian Navy, filming took place at Flinders Naval Depot Melbourne and aboard the destroyer HMAS Bataan.

A stand-up promoter assembles a roughshod gang of Yobbos for one last comedy tour 'Up The Guts'. A 'Yobbomentary' crew accompany the tour to film an outback roadtrip, shot over a week with no script, no props, and no rest-stops.

A short film by Edwin Mcgill.

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