Titles curated by Damien Parer
234 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2 3 4 5 next
1990s (continued)
The Ice Capped Jungle documentary – 1993
The five climbers of Puncak Jaya were led by author Lincoln Hall. Hall was left to die on Mt Everest in 2006 but was later found – hallucinating and frost-bitten, but alive.
The Joys of the Women documentary – 1993
As a teenager, singer–songwriter Kavisha Mazzella rejected her Italian heritage, but now wants to keep a dying music tradition alive by recording and performing it.
A Kid Called Troy documentary – 1993
This is the story of the last year of 8-year-old Troy’s life as he lives with AIDS and struggles to be brave in the face of pain and death.
The Last Circus? documentary – 1993
Produced in 1993, this rousing plea for the surivival of the circus offers an argument to counter the claims of animal liberationists that circus animals are cruelly treated.
The Last Husky documentary – 1993
Husky dog teams have served on the Mawson Base in the Antarctic for fifty years. The documentary records the last dogs to be used there and their journey to a new home in Minnesota in the USA.
The Last Man Hanged documentary – 1993
The story of Ronald Ryan, last man hanged in Australia, features some of Australia’s best-known actors and interviews with the real-life people involved.
The Life and Times of Margaret Whitlam documentary – 1993
Wife of former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, Margaret Whitlam recalls the day that the Governor-General John Kerr sacked her husband on 11 November 1975.
Lowering the Tone: 45 Years of Robyn Archer documentary – 1993
Archer considered A Star is Torn a tribute to women who influenced her music: Patsy Cline, Bessie Smith, Janis Joplin and Marie Lloyd.
Midwives … Lullabies … and Mother Earth documentary – 1993
In Europe from the late 14th to the 17th centuries, many midwives were accused of being witches and burnt at the stake.
No Survivors: The Mysterious Loss of the HMAS Sydney documentary – 1993
The loss of HMAS Sydney, the worst naval disaster in Australian history, sparked allegations of a cover-up.
Tim Storrier, ‘Lighting Fires’ documentary – 1993
Painter Tim Storrier journeys to the outback accompanied by his father and his son, and talks about his love of the desert and bush upbringing.
Arthur Boyd: Testament of a Painter documentary – 1994
Boyd’s habit of making people and objects float in his landscapes has earned him the title of an 'antipodean Marc Chagall’.
Boys and Balls documentary – 1994
Greig Pickhaver and John Doyle, aka 'Roy and HG’, are the commentators: of course the sport theme is tackled with humour.
The Business of Making Saints documentary – 1994
This documentary explores what has to happen before someone is declared a saint, and notes that women don’t fare well in the system.
Concrete City documentary – 1994
The Pyrmont quarries Paradise, Purgatory and Hellhole, supplied the sandstone for many landmark buildings in Sydney.
Convictions documentary – 1994
Convictions honours those Australians who fought in The Korean War, a war that is all but forgotten in this country.
Deadly Hurt documentary – 1994
A filmmaker questions whether the National Committee on Violence Against Women’s 1992 national strategy was appropriate.
Empty Arms, Broken Hearts documentary – 1994
One of the people who made this study of abduction had her own children taken out of Australia by their father, a Malaysian prince.
Eternity documentary – 1994
Cinematographer Dion Beebe has beautifully recreated 1930s Sydney here — and about 10 years later won an Oscar.
Fences documentary – 1994
When a man pulls a sheet over a woman’s head and yell’s 'Dutch oven’, the relationship needs to be severed, says Judi McCrossin.
Harold documentary – 1994
A big man with a big voice. As the first Indigenous man to sing on national radio, Harold Blair carried huge responsibilities on his shoulders.
The Last Whale documentary – 1994
Credited as being influential in the IWC’s 1994 decision to create the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, this film is a passionate plea to save whales from extinction.
My Country documentary – 1994
My Country is about the impact of the Native Title Act on relationships between Indigenous peoples and pastoralists.
Rebels With a Cause documentary – 1994
Cecil Waters rules the family with a ‘rod of iron’, and is training his sons to be champion boxers.
Rites of Passage documentary – 1994
Exploring the rites of passage that accompany entry into adulthood, three rebellious teenagers and their parents struggle to resolve their differences.
Smart’s Labyrinth documentary – 1994
Artist Jeffrey Smart observes that he doesn’t like viewing his finished work as 'every picture is a defeat’.
Tall Tales but True: David Williamson – playwright documentary – 1994
David Williamson began writing plays in 1968 at La Mama Theatre Company in Melbourne. He fell in love with Kristen Green on the set of The Removalists.
When the Lights Go Out: Cockroaches, a Domestic History documentary – 1994
A tour of domestic life from a cockroach’s point of view. Humankind are a passing evolutionary novelty compared to their 300 million years on earth.
The Black Swan: Meryl Tankard Choreographer documentary – 1995
Meryl Tankard was on a high at the Australian Dance Theatre in this 1995 documentary; the controversial dispute was later.
Carcrash documentary – 1995
Plenty of emotion and trauma is on display when 26 people speak to camera about the road accidents they were involved in.
Dance of Nature: The Music of Ross Edwards documentary – 1995
Interesting points on the effect nature has on creativity are raised in this documentary about composer Ross Edwards.
Demons at Drivetime documentary – 1995
A day-in-the-life-of shock jocks Howard Sattler, Bob Francis, Alan Jones, Ron Casey, Brian Wiltshire and Stan Zemanek.
Doesn’t Everybody Want a Golden Guitar documentary – 1995
A theme of this foot-tapping documentary, set in Tamworth, is that country music fans are also down-to-earth like country people.
Echidna the Survivor documentary – 1995
Echidnas have no sweat pores and don’t pant, so in hot weather they go swimming to cool down.
Glued to the Telly documentary – 1995
Forty years of television broadcasting in Australia is presented in a self-conscious, ironic style.
Going Tribal documentary – 1995
It takes sophistication to live simply. Going Tribal captures the joy of life and values of a group of ferals living in the Byron Bay area.
The Good Looker documentary – 1995
Joy Hester’s emotionally disturbing and challenging work mainly deals with the relationships between men and women. Her genius is now gaining wider recognition.
The Hillmen: A Soccer Fable documentary – 1995
With Greek and Turkish communities moving out of the area, the Clifton Hill Soccer Club must recruit from a newer wave of Asian immigrants or face extinction.
The Isabellas: The Long March documentary – 1995
Political events in China are humanised through refugee Chen Xing Liang, with his softly spoken determination to live in a democracy.
The Last True Action Hero documentary – 1995
This frank and delightful documentary follows young trainee firefighters as they experience the dangers and challenges of their chosen profession.
Rough Riders documentary – 1995
This film examines the gladiatorial machismo of the laconic roughriders of the rodeo.
Secret Fleets documentary – 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.
We’re All Independent Now documentary – 1995
Filmmaker Don Parham draws on his personal experience to question the effectiveness of the Family Law Act 1975 with respect to children.
The Young One: A Portrait of the Conductor Simone Young documentary – 1995
Australian-born Simone Young is a conductor who has succeeded in a highly competitive, male-dominated field.
40,000 Years of Dreaming: A Century of Australian Cinema documentary – 1996
Filmmaker George Miller is a big believer in applying Joseph Campbell’s musings on the hero’s journey to storytelling.
Advertising Missionaries documentary – 1996
In their quest to find new consumers, multinational companies are using performance to reach isolated PNG highlanders.
Alicia documentary – 1996
Alicia and her parents believe the family’s collective faith aided her recovery from a brain injury sustained in a car accident.
The Battle for Byron documentary – 1996
The Byron Bay whaling station operated between 1954 and 1962, producing more than 10,000 tonnes of oil from 1,146 whales.
Big Hair Woman documentary – 1996
An aid organisation chose to 'gently educate’ a television audience about PNG using comedy, hiring Mary Coustas for the job.
Billal documentary – 1996
Skilled documentarian, Tom Zubrycki, set out to make a film about young Lebanese-Australians in Sydney but had to change tack.