All documentaries
513 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 next
R (continued)
Rough Riders 1995
This film examines the gladiatorial machismo of the laconic roughriders of the rodeo.
Round About Townsville 1926
Thought to be one of the Know Your Own Country series from the 1920s, Round About Townsville positions Townsville as a veritable paradise.
Rush 1999
This is an observational documentary about three young Melbourne men and their obsession with fast cars and lifestyles.
Rydin’ Time 2005
This documentary about three Indigenous rodeo riders at the 2005 Mt Isa Rodeo has an energetic soundtrack that creates a youthful, lively narrative true to its subjects.
S
Sammy Butcher, Out of the Shadows 2004
Musician Sammy Butcher played with the Warumpi Band and now invests his energy in young musicians in his community of Papunya.
Sanitation and the City c1957
This documentary outlines the management of water supply and sanitation by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works.
Satellite Dreaming 1991
The creation of CAAMA was designed to produce media that would sustain a strong Indigenous identity with regional variations.
The SBF Story 2007
The amateur production company SBF made travelogues, animations and short dramas in the 1950s and ’60s.
Searchlight on Japan c1948
Made by Ken G Hall, Searchlight on Japan focuses on Japan under Allied occupation at the end of the Second World War.
Secret Fleets 1995
Early in the Second World War plans were made to fight the Japanese enemy on Australian soil. Americans submariners were given a warm welcome.
Seeking Asylum 2002
Three Afghans escaped from the Taliban and arrived in Australia as asylum seekers. Ninety-two per cent of Afghans seeking asylum in Australia are genuine refugees.
Selling Sickness 2004
Direct-to-consumer advertising and newly created diseases such as ‘premenstrual dysphoric disorder’ have led to overuse of antidepressant drugs.
Serious Undertakings 1983
Serious Undertakings breaks new ground in understanding the construction of meaning and exemplifies the impact of 1970s screen theory on making independent films.
Shadow Play 2001
In Indonesia, 1965, a group of President Sukarno’s guards murdered six generals. A history of our closest Asian neighbour, and its postwar political history.
The Sharkcallers of Kontu 1982
Believing that the spirits of their ancestors dwell in the mako shark, shark callers are not only hunting but also maintaining a connection with their past.
A Shifting Dreaming 1982
Ray Barrett stars in this story of Indigenous and non-Indigenous relations spanning from the 1928 Coniston massacre to Land Rights hearings in 1982.
Shifting Shelter 3 2005
Shot over a ten-year period, and reminiscent of the British 7 Up series, Shifting Shelter follows four Indigenous teens into young adulthood.
The Ship That Shouldn’t Have 1984
A scientific expedition aboard the steam-powered Cheynes 2 was beset by disasters. The members of the expedition were lucky to survive.
Shoalwater: Up For Grabs 1992
Shoalwater: Up for Grabs was instrumental in stopping sandmining in the Shoalwater area.
Shooey’s Little World 1984
Keith and Gladys Shoesmith live in the country with their six children. An interesting insight into the family life of a genuine battler.
Siege of the South 1931
Frank Hurley documents Australia’s rich history of scientific exploration of the Australian Antarctic Territory.
Singles Club 2007
Phoenix Lifestyle, founded in 1982, has 1,000 members. Singles Club follows the lives of five members as they seek partners.
Size 10 1978
Size 10 is about how four young women break free of the pressure to conform to beauty and fashion norms.
Skyway Express c1948
One of a series of travelogues produced in the late 1940s when very few Australians had travelled overseas, each is about flying into an 'exotic’ location.
Smart’s Labyrinth 1994
Artist Jeffrey Smart observes that he doesn’t like viewing his finished work as 'every picture is a defeat’.
Smoking the Baby 2001
Smoking the Baby demonstrates an Indigenous ritual that helps children and mothers fend off illness.
Snakes and Ladders 1987
An account of the achievements and setbacks of a ‘shifting landscape’ as Australian women attempt to gain equality in education in the 20th century.
Snow… Down Under 1982
Snow… Down Under shows three friends skiing on Mount Kosciuszko, intercut with the history of skiing in Australia.
So Simple, So Hard … 1997
An opera singer, a hairdresser, an artist and a Chinese Australian seek suitable partners through introduction agencies, a fortune teller and the internet.
Soldiers Without Uniform 1942
This propaganda film made by Charles Chauvel aims to boost worker morale by recognising their contributions to the war effort.
Some of Many: Germans in Australia 1983
An Australian-based German filmmaker traces the changing fortunes of German immigrants to Australia from the first fleet to the late 1980s.
South of the Border 1987
This documentary explores the role of music in the grass roots political protest movement in Central America and also raises ethical dilemmas.
Spirit 2000: Countdown to Sydney 1998
Director David Goldie interviews athletes as they prepare for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
Spirit of Progress: Australia’s Wonder Train 1937
As the only new passenger train to be constructed in Australia during the 1930s, the Spirit of Progress was a symbol of technological achievement.
State of Shock 1991
Alcoholic Alwyn Peter traces the events in his life – dysfunction experienced by an Indigenous family within a frame of dispossession and loss of cultural practice.
The Stawell Gift: Staging the Golden Jubilee Carnival 1927
The Stawell Gift, one of the oldest foot races in the world, began as a competition between miners in the Victorian goldfields.
Steamboat Holidays on the Murray River c1920
This silent documentary shows the landscape and townships along the Murray River and is from a series made in the 1920s called See Australia First.
Stepping Out 1980
Stepping Out draws attention to the talents of people with intellectual disabilities. The group went on to perform at the Sydney Opera House.
Stolen Generations 2000
Describes the destruction of the familial, cultural and social fabric of Indigenous communities following the removal of children form Indigenous families.
Stone Forever 1999
Over 30,000 bikers turned up in 1998 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Stone and recreate the funeral scene.
Strangers in Paradise 1989
On the eve of bicentennial celebrations, Strangers in Paradise looks at Australian culture through the eyes of tourists on a ‘Dreamtime’ tour.
Submariners 2005
Life on board the submarine HMAS Rankin. From a six-part series which followed the crew as they prepare for naval exercises with the US Navy.
Suburban Strippers 1998
This behind-the-scenes look into the world of Adelaide strippers in the 90s explores the distinction between stripping and prostitution.
The Sun Worshippers 1922
A scientific expedition to Wallal for the 1922 solar eclipse confirmed the bending of light by gravity predicted in Einstein’s 1915 General Theory of Relativity.
Sunset to Sunrise (ingwartentyele – arrerlkeme) 2006
A yarn told by Rupert Max Stuart, an Arrernte and Mu-tujulu Elder, encapsualing his philosophies about passing culture on and keeping it alive.
Super 8 Soldiers 1991
A group of Australian conscripts took 8mm cameras with them to Vietnam. Super 8 Soldiers intercuts their footage with interviews with the men and their families in the early 1990s.
Super Flu: Race Against a Killer 2005
In 1997, Avian flu erupted in Hong Kong and crossed over into the human population. This is a report on the world’s preparedness for an airborne pandemic.
Surfing 50 States 2008
Australian mates Jonno Durrant and Stefan Hunt go surfing in all 50 states of the USA.
Suzi’s Story 1987
A mother who has contracted AIDS bravely decides to make a film of the experience.
The Sydney Morning Herald 1911
One of the first Australian docos to be shot at night with artificial light, this Pathé short shows the newspaper printing process of the Sydney Morning Herald.
