All documentaries
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D (continued)
Deadly Hurt 1994
A filmmaker questions whether the National Committee on Violence Against Women’s 1992 national strategy was appropriate.
Demons at Drivetime 1995
A day-in-the-life-of shock jocks Howard Sattler, Bob Francis, Alan Jones, Ron Casey, Brian Wiltshire and Stan Zemanek.
Desert Walker: Gulf to Gulf 1985
The Flying Doctor base helped Denis Bartell when he became the first white man to walk across Australia from north to south.
Diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky 2001
Vaslav Nijinsky, from Russia, was widely considered the most talented male dancer of the 20th century.
Dick Smith Explorer 1983
Dick Smith records his own solo around-the-world flight in a helicopter in 1982; his unfailing enthusiasm helps sustain interest.
Difficult Pleasure: A Portrait of Brett Whiteley 1989
Artist Brett Whiteley says many 'gifted people shipwreck’ ; he died from a drug overdose three years later.
The Digger Carries On: Repatriation Illustrated 1919
This 1919 film reassured Australians that returned servicemen were being looked after, in part through retraining.
Dirty War 2005
Defence force personnel say all military exercises are environmentally sustainable, but the filmmaker sides with the community.
Division of Radiophysics 1950
This public relations documentary outlines research undertaken by the CSIRO Division of Radiophysics during the 1940s.
Doesn’t Everybody Want a Golden Guitar 1995
A theme of this foot-tapping documentary, set in Tamworth, is that country music fans are also down-to-earth like country people.
Dog Dreaming 2001
Dog Dreaming is a documentary about the journey of two ancestral dogs that became a Dreaming story.
The Dream and the Dreaming 2003
When Lutheran missionaries arrived in Central Australia, the strength of the existing culture made it challenging to make converts.
Dreamtime, Machinetime 1987
There are strict rules about who can and can’t tell certain stories in indigenous culture, these distinguished artists reveal.
Dugong Dugong 1980
Depending on the individual viewer’s attitude, scenes of dugong hunting can be exhilarating or disturbing.
E
Echidna the Survivor 1995
Echidnas have no sweat pores and don’t pant, so in hot weather they go swimming to cool down.
Eelemarni, The Story of Leo and Leva 1988
All the threads aren’t tied up in this short film; rather it is presented as if it was a yarn being heard while at the feet of an elder.
Emily’s Eyes 1998
Emily has physical disabilities, but this documentary is moving and uplifting because of the way the family deals with her.
Empty Arms, Broken Hearts 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.
End of the Rainbow 2007
This documentary traces the impact on the communities of moving a gold mine operation from Indonesia to West Africa.
Endurance 1933
After watching Home of the Blizzard Ernest Shackleton asked Frank Hurley to film his expedition across Antarctica with the aim of funding part of the expedition through film sales.
Errands of Mercy 1998
The observational material provides a real sense of the day-to-day life of ambulance workers, and their challenges.
Eternity 1994
Cinematographer Dion Beebe has beautifully recreated 1930s Sydney here — and about 10 years later won an Oscar.
An Evergreen Island 2000
Arson and sabotage were eventually used to stop the shocking environmental degradation being caused by copper mining in Bougainville.
Evolution of the Australian Crawl c1952
Swimming champion Andrew 'Boy’ Charlton, who has a picturesque Sydney pool named after him, is one of those interviewed.
Exile in Sarajevo 1997
The children’s stories are the most poignant in this very moving account, from civilians, of the last six months of the Bosnian War.
F
Facing the Demons 1999
This is absolutely compelling: two of the four men convicted of the murder of a teenager after a robbery, face his family and friends.
Family Antics 1945
This is very strange but oddly compelling: a father, his son, and three fox terriers do acrobatics and balancing acts for the camera.
Fear or Favour 1993
Chequebook journalism is one of the topics put under the spotlight when Iain Gillespie points the camera at his own kind.
Fences 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.
Fez Please c1935
A short silent documentary made by the Owen Brothers about Melbourne’s fast-disappearing cable trams.
Fighting Blood 1951
This Cinesound documentary highlights the talents of Australian fighters, including Aboriginal boxers Alfie Clay, Elley Bennett and Dave Sands.
Fighting in Flanders 1917
Silent footage of Australian troops in the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele), fighting near the Menin Road in Belgium, in September 1917.
Fig Street Fiasco 1974
Residents take on the bulldozers and the police in Tom Zubrycki’s look at urban redevelopment in Sydney in the 1970s.
A Film for Discussion 1973
This black-and-white experimental film was made collectively by members of one of Australia’s first Women’s Liberation groups. It sought to promote Women’s Liberation by engaging viewers in active discussion, hence its name.
Final Insult 1997
When some people are 'allergic to the 20th century’ they become captives in their own homes.
Fire Guardians 1932
For this eccentric dramatised documentary on the history of firefighting, Frank Hurley dressed members of the NSW Fire Brigade in all manner of period costume.
First Australians – Episode 1, They Have Come to Stay 2008
The opening episode of this landmark television series explores the first contact, meetings and relationships between the British and the first Australians.
First Australians – Episode 2, Her Will to Survive 2008
This episode covers the period from 1825–60 and European settlement in Tasmania, told through the stories of Truganini and George Augustus Robinson.
First Australians – Episode 3, Freedom For Our Lifetime 2008
Episode 3 focuses on the first Australians of Victoria and the lives of Simon Wonga and William Barack.
First Australians – Episode 4, No Other Law 2008
This episode examines the coming of the telegraph pole and white settlement to Central Australia.
First Australians – Episode 5, Unhealthy Government Experiment 2008
This episode explores the lives of Jandamarra, an Aboriginal stockman, and Gladys Gillian, an institutionalised half-caste.
First Australians – Episode 6, A Fair Deal for a Dark Race 2008
Episode 6 of First Australians explores Indigenous history from 1930–67, primarily in the south-eastern regions of Australia.
First Australians – Episode 7, We Are No Longer Shadows 2008
The final episode of First Australians covers the period 1967–93 and Eddie Mabo’s fight for land rights.
First Contact 1983
It was a gift to the filmmakers: seven rusty cans of film documenting ‘first contact’ between PNG people and three white brothers.
Flamingo Park 1980
Fashion designer Jenny Kee had talent but so did the film’s crew, many of whom went on to make outstanding documentaries.
The Flying Vet 1984
The bonus for the viewer is that the vet, and his wife, provide a real sense of what it’s like to live in remote Australia.
Follow the Sun 1938
Pioneer filmmaker Frank Hurley is best known for documenting wartime and adventure but he also made travelogues like this one.
Fond Memories of Cuba 2002
Two perspectives are presented: admiration for Fidel Castro and proud optimism, alongside evidence of poverty and decay.
Footy Chicks 2006
Footballers are often criticised for their treatment of women; this offers insights into the kind of women that pursue them.
