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- Pianist David Helfgott, driven by his father and teachers, has a breakdown. Years later he returns to the piano, to popular if not critical acclaim.
- Early in 2017, Gulpilil was diagnosed with lung cancer. His doctors estimated six months for him but David, being David, was always likely to defy the odds. And he continues to do so with probably his last great work, My Name is Gulpilil.
- One of three cars carrying lady bowls players is overdue. Unsure about which car, who the occupants might have been, or what might have happened to them, the locals embark on a chaotic course of action to try to solve the mystery.
- In 1971, author and film scholar Donald Richie published a poetic travelogue about his explorations of the islands of Japan's Inland Sea, recording his search for traces of a traditional way of life as well as his own journey of self-discovery. Twenty years later, filmmaker Lucille Carra undertook a parallel trip inspired by Richie's by-then-classic book, capturing images of hushed beauty and meeting people who still carried on the fading customs that Richie had observed. Interspersed with surprising detours-a visit to a Frank Sinatra-loving monk, a leper colony, an ersatz temple of plywood and plaster-and woven together by Richie's narration as well as a score by celebrated composer Toru Takemitsu, The Inland Sea is an eye-opening voyage and a profound meditation on what it means to be a foreigner.
- Real-life story of Sylvia Ashton Warner's pioneering work teaching Maori children to read in the 1940's.
- Master violin maker, Charalambos Vatiliotis, is 85 and retired from making. When Romano, a violinist and friend of 48 years, persuades him to make one final violin, a heart-warming story unfolds.
- Biography of Lachlan Macquarie and his wife, Elizabeth, who arrived to govern the colony of New South Wales in Australia in 1810. In just over a decade, the couple transformed the prison colony into a proto nation.
- Set in the late 1800s, BLACKBIRD follows the story of Solomon Islander siblings, Kiko (16) and Rosa (24), who were kidnapped from their Pacific island home and forced to work on a sugar cane plantation in Queensland. In a world where exploitation of Pacific Islanders for cheap labour is legislated and conditions for islanders are akin to slavery, Rosa struggles to keep an eye on her spirited young brother as he journeys into adulthood. The film sheds light on a little known part of history - Australia's sugar slaves.
- Jacob Nayinggul is a charismatic elder from Gunbalanya, an isolated settlement in Arnhem Land, northern Australia. Aboriginal people in this area believe that the landscape is inhabited by the spirits of their ancestors whose bones can be seen in crevices and caves. Nayinggul is aware that many of the old burial sites have been disturbed by scientists who collected human remains for museums. This presents the terrifying possibility that ancestral spirits were wrenched from their traditional country. Drawing on original footage from National Geographic, this carefully crafted documentary explores the impact of one notorious bone theft by a member of the 1948 American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land. Hundreds of bones were stolen and deposited in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. When the location of the bones became known to Arnhem Landers in the late 1990s, elders called for their return. This resulted in a tense standoff with the Department of Anthropology at the Smithsonian-and eventually in the repatriation of the bones. Made over eight years, Etched in Bone gives extraordinary insight into the deep and enduring conflict between scientific and traditional forms of knowledge. In moving footage, we see how the repatriated bones are removed from their museum boxes, coated in red ochre and wrapped in paperbark. In this way, Jacob Nayinggul draws on ancient knowledge to create a new form of ceremony that welcomes home the ancestor spirits and puts them to sleep in the land where they were born.
- With intimate interviews, dance sequences, and archival material, this documentary follows Ella as she explores her identity and offers a glimpse into her life as an elite ballet dancer in the largest company in the southern hemisphere.
- Teenagers from the documentary series On The Edge (2009) are reunited five years later in Over The Edge as young adults facing a turbulent world. The mentor of the group, Fran Dobbie, a Yuin woman, has worked extensively in programs designed to help young people, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to build resilience and self-esteem. Offering the participants guidance and support, Fran takes us into their homes and talks with their families. We see their successes, joys and their fears. Alan, Muriel and Lillian are already parents. How have their babies changed their dreams for the future? We replay what they said in 2009, and hear about their aspirations now. How are they coping? What would they say to others confronting teenage pregnancy? One of the group has discovered whats its like to be behind bars at a young age. What does he say now about walking on the wrong side of the law? Others are now employed. Did Tai follow his dream of becoming a lawyer? Did Yulara's dream, to represent World Vision as an Indigenous Youth Ambassador come true? What does it mean to them now being Aboriginal? Are they proud or has discrimination kept their culture a hidden secret? Are they owning their identity? Over the Edge is more than a sequel: It is an intensely moving story of growth and adjustment, high aspirations and profound challenges. Matched with the earlier series, the film is a stimulating discussion-starter for all ages.
- NEON is a celebration of the beauty, invention, design and heritage of the neon sign from internationally award-winning Director Lawrence Johnston.
- Filmed during the inaugural year of the Ramsay Art Prize, Making a Mark is a chronicle of passion and creative trailblazing as a selection of finalists, all aged under 40, vie for the $100,000 prize. In a story that spans the globe from Europe to Outback Australia, we explore one of the most personally challenging and financially tenuous vocations, and find out just what it takes to live a life in the world of visual arts.
- A personal essay documentary about growing up with mental illness in the family, about a confusing and destructive mother/daughter relationship and about repressed grief and family secrets.
- A documentary about one of Hollywood's most prolific yet forgotten filmmakers John Farrow. Part mystery, part biography, part film noir it follows the life and films of this Australian Oscar winning director.
- Travel guidebooks describe Thailand's "long neck" villages as human zoos. Tourists pay big money to gawk at women with brass rings around their neck and take photographs. Filmed over three years, My Long Neck follows the stories of three young Kayan sisters forced to live in the past and desperate to move into the future.
- At the end of the nineteenth century soldiers from Australia came under fire in Africa - they were the first of one and a quarter million Australian men and women to serve their country in war and conflict and in every continent except the one they call home. Amongst them were the first of more than one hundred thousand to die in the service of Australia. The chronicle of Australia's soldiers from then till now is full of heroism, humour, mateship and larrikinism. It has bred perhaps the most enduring Australian icon - the digger. This is his story.
- HOPE IN A SLING SHOT is a hard-hitting documentary about the ongoing conflict between Palestinians and Israelis on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It is a film about power and control, exploitation and dispossession, injustice and persecution. Through dynamic maps, statistics, interviews (with lawyers, ex-prisoners, Israeli soldiers, wounded teenagers, farmers and settlers) and the personal experiences of the filmmaker just what is happening to Palestinians and their human rights as their daily lives and opportunities are increasingly restricted by the actions of Israeli soldiers and civilians. The film also explores the way in which the United Nations and other countries are unable - or unwilling - to halt these incursions.
- The Coolbaroo Club was the only Aboriginal-run dance club in a city which practiced unofficial apartheid, submitting its Aboriginal population to unremitting police harassment, identity cards, fraternization bans, curfews, and bureaucratic obstruction. During its lifetime, the Club attracted Black musicians and celebrities from all over Australia and occasionally from overseas - among them Nat "King" Cole, Harold Blair and the Harlem Globetrotters. Although best-remembered for the hugely popular Coolbaroo dances attended by hundreds of Aborigines and their white supporters, the Coolbaroo League, founded by Club members, ran a newspaper and became an effective political organization, speaking out on issues of the day affecting Aboriginal people. "More shaming than a hundred news stories, this chirpy, dignified and scathing documentary by Roger Scholes does more than just recall a less tolerant time and place. In a modest way, it lifts the lid on postwar relations in this country. Some wonderful interviews with feisty former club members, especially several still remarkably articulate old women. This is a shaming documentary but an educative and surprisingly forgiving one.
- Jack Buckskin is the sole teacher of a once extinct language. From the northern Adelaide suburb of Salisbury, Jack's mission is to teach the Kaurna language, the language of his ancestors, to as many people as he can in his lifetime. But this is not easy. The language was driven to near extinction over a century ago. Now, Jack and fellow language speakers are sculpting a new Kaurna language and culture, and through that bring a new way of being to the youth of suburban Adelaide, in the form of a new Aboriginal identity, and with that, hope.
- An aboriginal musical from Australia, set in a late hippie era and featuring production numbers with a dash of Bollywood.
- Legendary Aboriginal Australian actor and dancer David Gulpilil discusses his life and career from his home in Yolngu country in Arnhem Land, NT.
- Australian feature length documentary about a poverty stricken family living in a squatter's dwelling in Manila, Phillipines. Doc is set during a three month period and tells the story of two parents with two little children who must sell cigarettes to survive. Ethnographic and anthropological film shows the crises the impoverished family must face and is the winner of a number of awards.
- Narrated by award-winning comedian Dawn French ("The Vicar of Dibley"), this thought provoking film addresses a subject matter rarely tackled: Why do humans believe in a higher power? By interviewing scientists, atheists and religious leaders from diverse faiths, this groundbreaking documentary explores the motivations of humankind to believe in something bigger and more powerful than itself. Travelling the world and asking poignant questions of its subjects, Chasing God is able to look at the relevancy of God in today's harsh world. Today, we see the very existence of humanity being threatened. Human beings are at war with each other, while weapons of devastating destruction exist that can wipe out whole countries. Violence is being mooted as a solution to the need for peace and protection, and many people feel powerless to influence outcomes. New prayer and meditation websites and groups are popping up daily in a desperate attempt for divine intervention. It has always been true that when we human beings are afraid or in pain we reach out for a power greater than our own. Perhaps never before in the history of the world has the sound of God's name been so loudly heard from people of all cultures and religions at the same time. Beliefs about God have divided humanity, yet this documentary seeks to highlight a paradoxical unifying principle that may well lie beyond the divisive interpretations of God. While science cannot prove or disprove the existence of God, ultimately it is either a universal truth or a mass delusion. In the absence of any verifiable proof, what we are then left with are personal experiences. This documentary spotlights the most controversial yet elusive figure in recorded history. No one else has been the subject of such hotly contested debate, disagreement, and wars.
- Follows newly weds Maggie Haertsch and clown doctor Jean Paul Bell, on their whirlwind mission to take medical aid and humour to the children of Kabul.
- This documentary follows a genial Muslim Australian host of Iraqi descent as he traces the origins and general excitement of Iraqi music, which has a strong Jewish component. He travels to several countries, including Iraq, Israel, The Netherlands and England to interview musicians involved with this music. They are nearly all (but not all) older men and they seem genuinely delighted with his interest. We see a lot of individual homes, and some groups of folks in these countries. This is an important documentary of record, and leads into a really satisfying conclusion.
- 'Don't cry, be a man!'. A mother's concern for her son and his abuse of alcohol takes her on a journey of her own self-discovery. She reflects on the past and her concerns for young people and their determination to experience life to its fullest. For years she watched helplessly, seeing the harm being done by high consumption levels of alcohol to young bodies, minds and emotional well-being. The film observes the pain and hardship of alcohol abuse on families, and the internal pain of a mother feeling 'useless' as she observes the self-destruction of her child as he tries to become 'a man'. Determined and persistent, she meets inspiring people such as Rev Bill Crews from the Exodus foundation, and hits the streets with Bill to meet kids struggling with addictions. She witnesses the miracles of individuals 'broken from the ruins of alcohol abuse' who are now repairing their lives. And finally, she is guided by her ancestors to meet Uncle Bob Randall, a traditional owner of Uluru in the Northern Territory, and hears his simple message of wisdom for healing one's addictions. She learns that her son's journey is as much hers as it is his. 'Men Don't Cry' is a hard-hitting, raw but compassionate and positive look at alcohol and young people: their feelings, their concerns, the harm done, and the preventative tools that are available - all leading to hope and a healthier life. Men do cry ..
- To survive and grow economically is often challenging enough for our regional country towns but there is a hidden pain and illness that lies beneath the surface of such beautiful places as many women and even men suffer in silence from domestic abuse. One little town in far west NSW are using their voices as the weapons in which too battle this violence and create an ever lasting change for future generations.
- Cass recalls the old days of the pearling industry when there would be 40 or more boats operating from Broome, Australia. Now there are only 5 or 6.
- Enter the worlds of Leander, Edna and Rhonda- three vision-impaired women whose conversation draws from memory and stirs the senses. Together they lead the audience gently through their daily lives, dreams, fears and observations.
- The extraordinary story of Chinese-Australian artist Zhou Xiaoping and his inspiring but sometimes controversial collaboration over 23 years with Aboriginal artists in remote Arnhem Land.
- VOTE YES FOR ABORIGINES interrogates the success of the Referendum and addresses current debates about what is meant by Australian citizenship and values and how they relate to Aboriginal history, identity and culture.
- Footage for The Mural was shot by indigenous students as part of a film making course at Rooty Hill High School. Writer director, Ruth Hessey, spent two years with the students and this is the second of the two short videos she made with them. Several indigenous filmmakers including Darlene Johnson and Murray Lui visited the group. The result was a fantastic mural that still hangs in pride of place at Rooty Hill High School - a truly confidence-building experience for all the students involved. Special thanks to the school principal Christine Cawsey for supporting the project.
- After decades of overfishing, the global tuna industry has now invaded the waters of Papua New Guinea. And it comes at a high cost. A human cost now affecting the last places on earth uncovering the full impact of globalization.
- 75 years of Australian Animation rolled into 80 minutes. Made for and paying homage to the many people who form an important part of our film history.
- Grant Leigh Saunders is an Aboriginal filmmaker, teacher and song-writer. Despite a promising artistic career, Grant is unsettled and feels there is something missing in his life. As a fair skinned, middle-aged, Aboriginal man, with a Norwegian wife and two young "Koori-Wegian" kids, Grant is still struggling with his identity. Compounding this feeling is that Grant has been away from his home country of Taree for over twenty years. Grant has secretly always wanted to be a fisherman, just like his father Ray and his grandfather Horry before him. When his uncle Steve, his father's main fishing partner, decides to quit fishing, Grant latches onto the opportunity to quit everything to go fishing with his father. On the eve of Ray's retirement, he finally convinces him to pass on the family trade, leaving his family in Newcastle through the working week to pursue his dream to be a fisherman in his home country on the beautiful Manning River. It is an opportunity for him to spend time with his father to hopefully salvage a relationship he spoiled sometime ago but as Grant asks more questions of his father, we learn that there is infinitely more to this father and son fishing trip than learning how to fish. Throughout Grant's journey, the push and pull between his life in Newcastle with his wife and kids and his re-connection with his family up north in Taree, leads Grant to make some big life changing decisions.
- The possibility of sex with a football player is a fantasy for many women and a reality for some. Footy Chicks explores the scene off the football field - a colorful world of sex, male bonding and the women who pursue them. It can be a fun, alluring and sometimes dangerous game
- At the urging of a socialist fellow Australian, filmmaker David Bradbury travels to Cuba and documents the current economic, social and cultural realities and disappointments of post-revolutionary Cuba.
- In 1937 a young missionary, Father John Nilles, arrived in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. There he stayed for the next 54 years, living with the people of the Chimbu, learning their language and way of life, introducing them to his God and Western culture. More than just a priest, he became an anthropologist, linguist, politician and revered clan leader. Through Nilles' extraordinary archive of photos, diaries and letters as well as interviews with those who knew him, filmmaker Verena Thomas pieces together a portrait of this fascinating man - her great-uncle. What she discovers is an unexpected new family, who had made 'Papa' Nilles one of their own. Presenting a personal perspective on 'big picture' history, Papa Bilong Chimbu offers a thought-provoking insight into the complexity of cultural exchange.