Australian Comedy Part 2: The Early Sound Era
Part two in Paul Byrnes’ series on comedy in Australian film covers the early sound era. [read more]
Australian Comedy Part 1: The Silent Era
Part one in Paul Byrnes’ series on comedy in Australian film looks at the silent filmmaking era. [read more]
Australian Comedy Part 3: 1950s–1980s
Part three in Paul Byrnes’ series on comedy in Australian film covers the 1950s through to the 1980s. [read more]
Reality Comedy
TV curator Kate Matthews looks at the postmodern blending that has created a genre mashup loosely referred to as ‘reality comedy’ in Australian television. [read more]
Reality and TV Crime
Australian audiences have demonstrated an enduring fascination with stories of ‘true crime’. TV curator Kate Matthews explores the relationship that Australian crime and police shows have had with reality over the years. [read more]
Berlei Advertisements
These cinema and television advertisements promote Berlei’s extensive range of foundation garments, corsetry and lingerie. [read more]
Snowy Hydro
This is a collection of films and footage shot and produced in the main by the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Authority film unit, during construction of the Snowy Mountains Scheme between 1949 and 1974. [read more]
Australia Post
The Australia Post series of films at the National Archives of Australia is a collection of films and footage relating to the nation’s postal service. [read more]
Archibald Family: Noorong Gazettes
Noorong Gazettes is a collection of seven black-and-white film gazettes by members of the Archibald Family that span approximately 1927 to 1932. [read more]
Marvellous Corricks
The Corrick family were vaudeville-style entertainers who toured Australia, New Zealand, and the world in the early 1900s. [read more]
Roads and Traffic Authority
The Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) Collection spans approximately 50 years and contains over 75 films publicising safety issues, recording developments in traffic engineering and documenting the building of roads and bridges. [read more]
A Short History of Indigenous Filmmaking
After almost a century of silence as a creative voice in screen culture, Indigenous filmmakers have, within a generation, become a vibrant presence in the centre of filmmaking in Australia. Liz McNiven explores the short but significant move from being in front of to behind the camera. [read more]
Outback on Screen
NFSA Historian Graham Shirley traces the rich diversity of Australian cinematic representations and interpretations of the outback. [read more]
Cinesound Movietone Australian Newsreels
The Cinesound Movietone Australian Newsreel Collection held at the National Film and Sound Archive comprises 4,000 newsreels from 1929 to 1975. [read more]
Agricultural shows
It’s carnival time! Joanne Scott explores the world of agricultural shows on film. [read more]
Prisons on Film
Paul Byrnes examines the history of Australian penal cinema, from prison ships to detention centres. [read more]
Australian Ethnographic Film
Michael Leigh surveys the long history of ethnographic filmmaking in this country and the representation of Indigenous Australians on film. Note: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that this page may contain images of deceased persons. [read more]
Horror in Australian Cinema
While vampires and zombies thrilled audiences in the Northern hemisphere, Australia’s idea of a horror scenario lay somewhere in the vast centre of the continent. [read more]
The Depression
The Depression was worse for Australia than many other countries. Paul Byrnes wonders if that explains its treatment on Australian screens. [read more]
