All documentaries
544 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 next
S (continued)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sydney on Show c1940
This documentary from about 1940 shows Sydney’s progress as a modern city. It is from the large private film collection of Roger McKenzie and Bernard Kent.
Sylvania Waters – Episode 5 1992
One of the first ‘fly on the wall’ reality TV shows, this co-production between the ABC and BBC was a hit here and in the UK.
T
Take Notice 1939
Take Notice uses innovative and sophisticated filmmaking techniques to describe the need for a solution to rising rents and substandard living conditions in Sydney.
Taking Pictures 1996
Taking Pictures examines ethnographic filmmaking in Papua New Guinea and explores filming across cultural boundaries.
Tall Tales but True: David Williamson – playwright 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.
Teddy Briscoe 2000
Indigenous stockman Teddy Briscoe, now an old man, tells his story, sharing the historical importance of men like him to the Australian cattle industry.
Temple of Dreams 2007
Made at the time of the Cronulla riots, articulate young Australian Muslim leaders take action to recognise and address the needs of their community.
Temple on the Hill 1997
Social and cultural changes in an Indian community in NSW, where traditional arranged marriages are challenged by contemporary Australian influences.
Tennant Creek – Sacred Dances 1999
The spirit Moonga Moonga 'is cheeky’ to people from other countries and cultures. The land is considered a living entity around which cultural practices originate.
Terrible Lizards of Oz 2004
A whimsical review of Australia’s palaeontology, Terrible Lizards of Oz superimposes prehistoric animals on contemporary settings to humorous effect.
Thanks Girls and Goodbye 1988
Thanks Girls and Goodbye is not just a 'feel good’ nostalgia film. It explores how the Women’s Land Army was exploited during the Second World War.
Thar She Blows c1931
A short documentary about a whale hunt, including the dissection of the carcass and the conversion of blubber to oil.
That’s Cricket c1931
A featurette directed by Ken G Hall promoting cricket as the game that 'helps unite the Empire’ and is important to Australian identity.
They Chose Peace 1952
The Realist Film Unit covered the Youth Carnival for Peace and Friendship in Sydney, which took place in the highly political climate of 1952.
Thrill of the Surf 1949
This short Cinesound documentary from Ken G Hall boasts beautifully filmed visuals, with surfers seen in silhouette and sunlight bouncing off the water.
A Thriving and Prosperous Suburb: Bird’s Eye View of Footscray c1911
This informal snapshot of daily life in 1910 is a rare record of working people in early 20th-century Melbourne.
Timber Getting in New South Wales c1925
Wood choppers balance on thin planks while rigorously swinging their axes. A silent film looking at the timber industry in New South Wales in the 1920s.
Time Bomb 2003
A time bomb’ is how Frank Djara, a diabetic and the first male health worker in Areyonga, refers to living with diabetes.
Tim Storrier, ‘Lighting Fires’ 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.
Tnorala: Baby Falling 2007
An ancient central Australian dreaming story about the formation of a large meteorite crater in the Northern Territory.
Tombstone Unveiling 2000
In Torres Strait Islander culture, unveiling the tombstone of the deceased a year after death marks the end of the mourning period.
Track Record: The Story of Australia’s Railways - Tethered to the World 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.
The Trail of the ‘Roo 1931
The Trail of the 'Roo is one of a handful of documentary featurettes made by the McDonagh sisters, pioneers of Australia’s early motion picture industry.
