Titles beginning with O
36 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year
1890s
Opening of Queensland Parliament historical – 1899
This short clip shows the Queensland Governor arriving by horse-drawn carriage to open Queensland Parliament on 18 May 1899.
1910s
Opening of the Prahran-Malvern Tramway documentary – 1910
This silent footage by Millard Johnson and William Gibson was made at a time when few people had seen moving pictures let alone a film camera.
The Official Film of the Mawson Antarctic Expedition documentary – c1916
This film documents part of the treacherous 600-mile 1911–1914 expedition to the Magnetic South Pole led by Sir Douglas Mawson.
1920s
On Our Selection feature film – 1920
On Our Selection is a landmark of the silent era in Australian cinema, and one of the key films in the career of Raymond Longford, the greatest director of that period.
The Origin of Oil sponsored film – c1923
Made for the Shell Company of Australia, this industrial documentary traces the path of oil from its initial extraction to the petroleum relied on by consumers.
Opal Mining Lightning Ridge documentary – c1925
Davidson collected over a million feet of footage over 40 years including the miracle of a man pulled from a mine shaft, never once hindered by the pipe in his mouth.
Overland Whippet Motor Car: Advertisement advertisement – c1926
The Overland was an American motor vehicle company acquired by John Willys early in the 20th century.
Official Opening of Canberra by His Royal Highness the Duke of York newsreel – 1927
The Duke of York (later King George VI) officially opens Parliament House in Canberra on 19 May 1927. Dame Nellie Melba sings the national anthem, 'God save the King’.
1930s
On Our Selection feature film – 1932
This film was technically innovative and, when it opened in 1932, a box office sensation, rejuvenating the local film industry.
The Opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge newsreel – 1932
This newsreel footage with on-the-spot commentary contains unique coverage of the official opening ceremony of the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Saturday 19 March 1932.
Orphan of the Wilderness feature film – 1936
Boxing contests between men and kangaroos, as shown in this film, were a frequent ‘attraction’ in travelling tent shows.
1940s
The Overlanders feature film – 1946
As the Japanese threaten northern Australia in 1942, a drover takes a mob of prime beef cattle across 2,600 kms of hazardous country to Queensland.
1950s
On Stream sponsored film – 1954
On Stream romanticises the achievements in building an oil refinery and emphasises the benefits for Geelong, its residents and the Australian nation.
Overland Adventure: The Story of the 1954 Redex Reliability Trial documentary – 1954
Jack Murray earned the nickname ‘Gelignite Jack’ through his habit of blowing up outback toilets, livening up his entrance to towns along the route.
Operation Buffalo – Colour Record sponsored film – 1956
In 1957, Britain’s Prime Minister declared that the Operation Buffalo tests would place Britain on an equal nuclear footing with the USA and the Soviet Union.
1960s
Operation Blowdown sponsored film – 1963
This is the official film of Operation Blowdown, the classified project that aimed to replicate the effects of a nuclear explosion on a tropical rainforest environment.
1970s
Or Forever Hold Your Peace documentary – 1970
This compilation was made by 132 filmmakers, including some of the best known directors and producers of the time.
The Office Picnic feature film – 1972
Bored employees in a mindless bureaucracy are barely more than automatons until released by alcohol at the office picnic, during which sexual and generational differences explode.
Oz – A Rock ‘n’ Roll Road Movie feature film – 1976
Director Chris Löfvén was heavily involved in the rock music scene. Oz was his attempt to rework The Wizard of Oz for a mid-1970s youth audience.
The Odd Angry Shot feature film – 1979
Australia’s role in Vietnam was still a raw issue when this film emerged and some criticised it for not condemning that involvement.
1980s
Out of Darkness documentary – 1984
One of the most valuable messages of Out of Darkness is that the Australian landscape is in fact an Indigenous artefact.
One People Sing Freedom television program – 1988
One People Sing Freedom documents the largest gathering of Indigenous people since 1788, a protest march against the Bicentennial celebrations of 26 January 1988.
One Man’s Instrument short film – 1989
In this animated short film, a man finds his paradise is literally lost.
1990s
One Way Street: Fragments for Walter Benjamin documentary – 1992
One Way Street is a timely exploration of a figure who was on the way to being recognised among the great 20th century philosophers.
Only the Brave short feature – 1994
Although made on a low budget, Only the Brave showed that first-time filmmaker Ana Kokkinos had an uncompromising ambition to tell powerful and personal stories.
Ocean Girl – Series 2, Episode 3 television program – 1995
Ocean Girl is a beautiful alien that can swim at extraordinary speed and telepathically communicate with a humpback whale called Charley.
Oscar and Lucinda feature film – 1997
Drawn together by a passion for gambling, Anglican priest Oscar Hopkins and Australian heiress Lucinda Leplastrier agree on a wager with life-changing consequences.
Our Park documentary – 1998
Gillian Leahy visits a micro-world – the park outside her house. Her films are both documentaries and works of fiction.
2000s
One Night the Moon feature film – 2001
One Night the Moon, from director Rachel Perkins, reintroduces song into the Australian landscape. For Indigenous peoples, song has been one of the central means of land management.
Outback Opera, La Boheme Tour documentary – 2002
Opera Australia’s OzOpera Tour took La Boheme to country Victoria and South Australia. The camera follows the 22-stop tour.
Out There – Two Down Under television program – 2002
A comedy-drama for children set in an animal clinic in rural Australia.
Opal Fever documentary – 2004
Opal Fever examines the people who make a fortune, those who make a living and those who go broke mining opals in Coober Pedy.
Oyster Farmer feature film – 2004
Writer-director Anna Reeves spent four years immersed in the culture of the beautiful Hawkesbury River area before making this drama.
The Old Man and the Inland Sea documentary – 2005
Warwick Thornton’s documentary about a 'noodler’ on the mining fields of Coober Pedy and the sense of community he shared with Indigenous people whilst doing this work.
One Shoe Short short film – 2007
On a town camp in Alice Springs, a boy searches for a pair of shoes so he can go to school. His friend tries his best to help him out.
The Oasis documentary – 2008
Father figure, counsellor, saviour Paul Moulds works tirelessly to salvage lost children. Along the way, he reflects on his own past.
