Titles curated by Damien Parer
234 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2 3 4 5 next
1980s (continued)
Neptune’s Nippers documentary – 1984
At the age of 12, Jason Duplator won a scholarship from the Wildlife Research Institute to participate in a marine training program.
Nicaragua: No Pasaran documentary – 1984
David Bradbury spent six months in Nicaragua telling the story of the revolutionary Sandinistas coming to power after 43 years of organised resistance.
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.
The Ship That Shouldn’t Have documentary – 1984
A scientific expedition aboard the steam-powered Cheynes 2 was beset by disasters. The members of the expedition were lucky to survive.
Shooey’s Little World documentary – 1984
Keith and Gladys Shoesmith live in the country with their six children. An interesting insight into the family life of a genuine battler.
Wings to Victory documentary – 1984
Celebrating the win by 12-metre yacht Australia II, this was the first time that America had lost the America’s Cup in 132 years.
Arthur Boyd: Figures in the Landscape documentary – 1985
Arthur Boyd shows how he uses his fingers and the palm of his hand to paint, allowing him to 'feel his way through the painting’.
Belsen For Example documentary – 1985
The recollections of concentration camp survivors, now living in Australia, and rescuers, are extraordinary.
Clowns and their Make-Up documentary – 1985
As the title indicates, this is about how to apply clown make-up and not about much else.
Desert Walker: Gulf to Gulf documentary – 1985
The Flying Doctor base helped Denis Bartell when he became the first white man to walk across Australia from north to south.
For a Price documentary – 1985
This catalogue of what kinds of sex there was for sale in the mid-1980s, also makes a link between drugs and prostitution.
Chile: Hasta Cuando? documentary – 1986
Filmed in secret, this is a significant record of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and his murderous regime.
China, the Long March documentary – 1986
There is much to learn from this work about China’s Communist Party leader Mao Zedong, who died in 1976.
Cannibal Tours documentary – 1987
Dennis O’Rourke highlights the absurdity of the interactions between 'civilised’ tourists and 'primitives’ in a PNG village.
Cricket in Australia documentary – 1987
Some say Ian Chappell betrayed the tradition of cricket for financial gain when he joined Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket.
Friends and Enemies documentary – 1987
The story of a machiavellian plan to destroy union power, Friends and Enemies follows the bitter fight between Joh Bjelke-Petersen’s Queensland government and the ACTU.
Gillies documentary – 1987
Max Gillies, probably best know for his portrayal of Bob Hawke, feels more confident and secure when he creates a character to hide behind.
South of the Border documentary – 1987
This documentary explores the role of music in the grass roots political protest movement in Central America and also raises ethical dilemmas.
The White Monkey documentary – 1987
Father Brian Gore, a Columban missionary on Negros Island in the Philippines, was imprisoned on trumped-up charges by the Marcos Government.
The 1930s Golden Era of Australian Movies: A Tribute to Ken G Hall AO OBE documentary – 1988
Two of Ken G Hall’s basic rules were that films had to have a memorable title and a strong story climax.
Australia Daze documentary – 1988
An observational documentary shot by 29 different camera crews on the bicentennial anniversary of Australia’s European settlement on 26 January 1988.
Behind the Sun documentary – 1988
Robert Klippel, who sculpts from discarded materials, is one of the artists featured in this documentary compilation.
Betty Pounder documentary – 1988
Being successful in theatre, says dancer Betty Pounder, requires passion, and that may have to come at the expense of family.
Body Work documentary – 1988
Death is a taboo subject but not in this stylised documentary about those who 'make a living out of dead bodies’.
Clifton Pugh documentary – 1988
This landscape painter says painting an amalgam of his surroundings is more authentic than taking a 'myopic view’.
Commuting by Cable documentary – 1988
Even the most dedicated tram enthusiast will be fully satisfied by the detail in this 1988 study.
The Queen Goes West documentary – 1988
Queen Elizabeth II opens the Stockman’s Hall of Fame in Longreach, Queensland. Filmaker Christine Olsen went on to write Rabbit-Proof Fence.
Tuckson documentary – 1988
Examines the life and work of little-known but important artist Tony Tuckson, a 'decisive, ethical, hard-painting, hard-drinking, Craven A smoking artist’.
Astonish Me, Graeme Murphy Choreographer documentary – 1989
Dancer Graeme Murphy remembers the anxiety he felt about partnering, particularly in a pas de deux, because of his small stature.
Difficult Pleasure: A Portrait of Brett Whiteley documentary – 1989
Artist Brett Whiteley says many 'gifted people shipwreck’ ; he died from a drug overdose three years later.
1990s
Loggerheads documentary – c1990
Since European settlement, half of Australia’s forests and three-quarters of its rainforests have been cleared.
Lord of the Bush documentary – 1990
Through the complex character of McAlpine, Zubrycki reveals the issues confronting the rapidly expanding town of Broome.
People Who Still Use Milk Bottles documentary – 1990
This documentary traces the history of the dairy industry in Victoria in the 20th century, featuring Barry Dickins, John Flaus and Barry Jones.
Big People, Small People documentary – 1991
Cartoonist Michael Leunig and then opposition member John Howard have very different views on the desire for more.
The Good Woman of Bangkok documentary – 1991
At the time of the film’s release there was a lot of debate about filmmaker O’Rourke’s relationship with his subject – a prostitute – and the issues that raises.
Polska documentary – 1991
Polska looks at Poland in 1991 through the eyes of a journalist who visits different areas of her country talking to ordinary people about their lives.
State of Shock documentary – 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.
Super 8 Soldiers documentary – 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.
Track Record: The Story of Australia’s Railways - Tethered to the World documentary – 1991
This episode from a four-part series outlines the surviving tourist railways of Australia and looks at the problems presented by the legacies of the past.
Bigger than Texas documentary – 1992
WA’s need for a hero and corporate excess created Alan Bond, who features heavily in this quite personal documentary.
For All the World to See documentary – 1992
Fred Hollows, eye surgeon with a passion for medical reform, visits Aboriginal communities and Eritrea in Africa.
God’s Girls: Stories from an Australian Convent documentary – 1992
The Roman Catholic Sisters of Mercy give full access to the filmmakers to explore and question those who choose a religious life.
Shoalwater: Up For Grabs documentary – 1992
Shoalwater: Up for Grabs was instrumental in stopping sandmining in the Shoalwater area.
Webs of Intrigue documentary – 1992
For this close-up look at the world of Australian spiders, cinematographer Jim Frazier patented a revolutionary lens now used throughout the world.
You Have No Secrets documentary – 1992
In any sophisticated society information is power’ – what of the accumulation of information in the digital age for use by governments, marketers and employers?
Angst documentary – 1993
Sandy Gutman, one of the comedians featured, released Australiana in 1983 and it is still the biggest-selling local comedy record.
Barred Wives documentary – 1993
Not all these stories of marrying prisoners end well: one woman was murdered by her bridegroom upon his release.
Beating About the Bush documentary – 1993
The filmmakers set out to record a music documentary with a happy ending but end up with coverage of a goodwill disaster.
Cenotaph documentary – 1993
The documentary looks at the effect of the First World War on the New South Wales country town of Hay. Fourteen men and seven women revisit the Western Front after 70 years.
Fear or Favour documentary – 1993
Chequebook journalism is one of the topics put under the spotlight when Iain Gillespie points the camera at his own kind.
