Footage of an anonymous man performing a comic vaudeville act on rollerskates in a park in 1896 has been identified as the oldest surviving footage made in Australia. No-one knows exactly who he is or where he is. The footage is thought to have been shot just earlier than Melbourne Cup 1896 – pipping at the post the footage that until now held the 'earliest footage’ title.

Can you help us identify the man or the location?

Go to Patineur Grotesque (1896) to view a brief excerpt of the footage and let us know if you can provide any information by posting a comment on the title.

'This is an important discovery for Australia’s film history as we now know that these were the first images the world saw of Australia’, says NFSA film curator Sally Jackson.

The exact location of the footage is not precisely known, 'We are assuming it is Melbourne, but it could have been Sydney. We would like people to give us any information that will confirm the details of the location or perhaps the man who features in the film. They could even be a relative of the man who is featured in Australia’s earliest surviving film.’