Discoveries from Australia World Cinema

The Marvelous Magician gifts the kind widow Hobbs on her birthday with a tiny child - Thumbelina. Percival the Pig, Hobbs' companion, gets very jealous of Thumbelina and arranges for a bullfrog to kidnap her.

A child explores her changing relationships with friends in an industrial town.

Luc Longley on Andrew Bogut: Lane Violation explores the unlikely mentorship between two basketball greats. As Bogut transitions from polarising NBA star to assistant coach of the Sydney Kings, this intimate documentary charts ego, resilience, growth and the shaping of a new legacy in Australian basketball.

John, his wife Emily and their small son Edward leave the city for what they believe will be a brief foray to the countryside to claim John's inheritance - a small shack. They find themselves in a strange back-woods rural setting. Nothing is what it seems, and John's behaviour becomes increasingly bizarre as he crosses paths with the unusual inhabitants of the area, some of whom he knows from a distant past. As his connections to the area are gradually revealed, we are shown a puzzle and a tapestry of our hero and his life before he moved away. To his wife's horror we witness a man who belongs to a long lineage of disaster and mishap and rural weirdness. As the realization sets in of what has happened, the spectre of the next-in-line, his son Edward, becomes spookily evident.

In present-day Western Sydney, a devoted carer struggles with his own limitations while caring for his brother with Down syndrome and cerebral palsy, as news of a family tragedy tied to Middle Eastern conflict tests their bond.

Two teens, Alice and Anthony, bonding over grapes and pondering parental complexities, begin to fall in love.

Three friends witness an argument and theorise on what it could be about.

Guided by four musicians from the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Anatomy of String Quartet takes audiences on an intimate journey through the rehearsal and performance of an iconic piece of string music.

One Sunday between meals and chores with her family, ten-year-old Leah experiences small but striking moments of longing and loss. A series of reimagined memories, the film offers a meditative and wistful glance into the intersectional identities of being Chinese-Australian.

The story behind the Hollywood film 'The Great Escape', examining the search for the Gestapo men who murdered 50 of the escapers.

How do you escape a loop?

The planet is being rained on by countless trouble making schoolboy aliens, so a group of legendarily powerful epic people all run around kicking ass, only to converge on the aliens target; the prison bus. Alas, they are too late! The boys in the bus have transformed into the Violence Kings, and go on a bloody rampage, devastating the world.

A one minute film about two friends having a day out in Melbourne

An adaptation of the popular legend of Diva Grabovčeva, a young Catholic woman who was raped and then subsequently brutally killed by an Ottoman emissary in northern Herzegovina 1680.

Luca and his wife reunite with friends at a dinner party, where supposedly healed wounds within the group are opened, and true feelings come to fruition.

Rodney's crumbling ego is at a breaking point, and he needs his best pal Slim to help him before a big date.

Six girls coming of age, ready to become something extraordinary.

A quirky comedy in which mythology, ancient history, and the sometimes paranormal present are never distinct, but always entertaining.

When Ethan becomes overwhelmed by his future prospects, he tries escape from the impending stress of adult life.

Advent follows Tommy and John who are having a sleepover to try and fix their friendship that is falling apart. Little did they know, one of them is infected with a virus.

An elderly widower undergoes a dramatic makeover in a last bid for love.

The Protagonist misses the last evacuation flight of the doomed earth because he was too obsessed with trying to be the saviour by finding another way to save everyone without the option of evacuation. After he misses the flight, he has until tomorrow to save himself.

Victorian Queens takes a deep dive into the weird, wonderful and utterly unique landscape of Melbourne's drag community.

Ruby has nothing in Melbourne: no home, no job, no friends, no contacts.

Good Grief is a short stop motion animated documentary that explores the lessons we learn from dealing with grief and loss. Five real people share their true stories of losing something precious and what it has taught them about living.

Refusing to accept the loss of her girlfriend, Quinn spirals through the suffocating confines of prison. In the depths of her grief she must navigate her unraveling mind and confront her inner demons.

In the small town of Kalgoorlie Western Australia, five young adults live together in a small townhouse when suddenly Kat is forced to make a decision changing her life forever.

A young filmmaker's secret job directing pornography is threatened by her sister’s vow to expose her to their demanding Jewish family at Rosh Hashanah dinner that night.

The newly formed Independent Republic of South Australia is the phoenix that rises from the ashes of a decaying and corrupt Australian Commonwealth, becoming wealthy beyond imagination on the back of uranium.

A lonely man named Doran wanders, searching for his love Aisling. As he descends into the forest, he becomes lost in a fairytale, surrounded by strange mystical creatures within a seemingly endless maze of trees and leaves... will he ever escape?

A Chinese woman who migrated from South-east Asia doesn't feel apart of Australian culture or Chinese, causing her to feel alienated.

From the world's most famous penguin parade on Phillip Island to the penguins living in St Kilda, we meet key characters who will attempt to complete their mission: to stake their territory, partner up and raise their chicks.

The film looks at the men, their living conditions, the food they eat and their bamboo shower. It shows the men building a radio out of spare parts to re-establish contact with the mainland (contact had been lost after the Japanese victory), the use of florins to pay native helpers, and a raid on a hostile native village which sees huts set on fire.

After four decades of food, culture and support, Dr Nouria Salehi reflects on the closing of the Afghan Gallery Restaurant and the community it will leave behind.

Oliver is sitting in his small town pub one night moping around another potential relationship he's ruined by coming on way too strong when wannabe criminal Connie enters with a gun, demanding to take the place for every last cent. Her inexperience and clear lack of confidence starts to be her undoing, until Oliver falls head over heels for her and attempts to impress her by becoming her partner in crime. Connie is put off by this, but as the local law enforcement begin closing in around her, she has no choice but to accept this creep's help.

A feature film that depicts a touching love story between two young women, Meaghan and Louise, who confront mainstream religious beliefs that pose a threat to their romantic relationship. Meaghan, who is rejected by her parents due to her sexuality, pretends to have undergone religious conversion therapy to become heterosexual. Louise, on the other hand, is openly gay and deeply in love with Meaghan, but Meaghan struggles to come to terms with her own feelings and hides them. Amidst the challenges, threats, and intimidation by those who claim to be 'believers,' will the couple's love ultimately triumph?

A young girl discovers the truth regarding the secrets of her past. Just as she discovers the truth, events take place that change her life forever.

An eccentric screenwriter, oblivious to the misogynistic nature of his script is given an ultimatum by a feminist film producer.

Short film about downsizing where a man and a woman reorganise the structure of their office not realising the effects they create.

How the church is better and worse than you ever imagined, a documentary by the Centre for Public Christianity, confronts the worst of what Christians have done - and also traces the origins of Western values like human rights, charity, humility, and non-violence back to the influence of Jesus.

Victoria Achut battled her way through medical school and escaped a civil war in Sudan, but her biggest struggle yet has been re-starting life in the 'lucky country' with three children, an absent husband and mounting bills.

A close bond between two identical twins is tested when one sister rebels against their shared sense of oneness.

Part 2 of the History of Australian Cinema series. Covering the 1920s and 30s. From an origin that promised so much, the Australian film production industry faced new challenges from abroad which ultimately proved to be more than they could cope with. Unfortunately very few films from then now survive.

A fake documentary following around a man who claims to be a serial killer.

The process of closure.

A lonely ghost finds love at the graveyard.

Experience the magic of Tony O'Connor performing live at the Sydney Opera House. Joined by a troupe of fellow musicians, and enhanced by a stunning nature video backdrop, Tony invites you on what reviewers called "a theatre of the senses".

A film by Henry Stone

An intimate portrait of a reluctant grandfather on a heart-warming journey of transformation – one that will lead him back to a home unlike any he ever imagined.

Originally completed in 2018, the film was largely self-funded, Mr Yen Ooi worked on the script, refining the vision of the film for over a decade, with multiple iterations of the story under names such as 'Beetle Ramen', in which the completed draft of this screenplay was finalised in 2005, this would become the basis of inspiration and 13 years later the final production "Spaghetti Ramen" would be completed. It was then distributed to different indie and international film festivals. Unfortunately due to the passing of the director in the same year, the final processes were incomplete and the film did not get screened anywhere due to not getting the rights clearance. In 2023 however, the film was cleared to screen at WORM, Camera Japan in Rotterdam. This allowed for the first and only screening of the film in the world.

Jonah dreams of being able to fly away from his life in the housing commission. But after an encounter at the local skate park, he finds his wings in an unexpected way.

After witnessing her Daddy's tragic death in the ring Charlie sets out to become a wrestler in his memory. The only things stopping her are a disapproving boyfriend, an overwhelming day job, and her corporate psycho boss - whose dodgy business practices threaten to unleash hordes of brain eating wrestling-monsters on the earth! Faced with a wrestle-pocalypse Charlie has no choice but to open up a can of whoop-ass and take these monstrous Jabronis for a stroll down smack down boulevard! From the director of the international cult film MURDERDROME comes FROM PARTS UNKNOWN: FIGHT LIKE A GIRL. The story of a young girl wrestling with life's issues - and some brain eating wrestle-monsters.

The landscape was never indifferent. The barbed-wire fence has snagged the skyline. The bath water is tepid. And every night when you lie down you fall flat.

An anxious teenage boy overcomes his apprehension to talk to a girl. While approaching her, he imagines the worst that could happen. He is laughed at, he goes viral on social media and he turns into a clown all before facing a decision; to learn the truth or to stay in the darkness and dread of his mind. His choice of the truth results in a relievingly pleasant conversation that ends with the girl revealing that she has a boyfriend

In a dystopian alternate reality, a team of investigators must find the killer responsible for a string of brutal murders before it's too late.

A 2023 Perth Anthology Feature Film. Four directors come together to create and dissect an exploration of mental health through four short, but horrifying stories and genres; Sci-Fi, Gothic, Fantasy, and Psychological.

Phillip has just lost Marcus, his long-term partner. He tries to forget his grief in a haze of alcohol and invites a young rent boy home. But the boy proves to be more than Phillip bargained for, and a dangerous game of truth and lies unfolds.

An urgent and powerful documentary, shot in a detention centre where asylum seekers trying to reach Australian shores are indefinitely detained. Secretly shot on a mobile phone by Iranian journalist Behrouz Boochani while detained on Manus, in Papua New Guinea, the film is a collaboration with Dutch-Iranian filmmaker Arash Kamali Sarvestani. Boochani recounts, via the testimonies of fellow inmates, the abuse and violence inflicted and the precarious state of limbo they find themselves in. Chauka, the name of the dreaded solitary confinement unit within the detention centre, was originally the name of a beautiful bird and symbol of the Manus Island. By interweaving dialogue with two Manusian men and shots of daily life on the island, the film gives a much-needed voice to Manus inhabitants, understandably distressed by the current situation. With marked restraint, the film exposes lives broken by shocking immigration policies.

When the Northern Rivers of NSW community found their home being threatened by gas field industrialization, a critical mass of citizens from all walks of life responded to the call.Told through the eyes of the "Protectors" over a five-year period and inter-cut with fresh insight from some of the world's leading social commentators, this feature documentary captures and celebrates what is described as the non-violent 'Eureka Stockade' of our time.

Haunted by a past abusive relationship, Ella tries to psych herself up for her third date with Harry.