Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

All titles in the ‘Drama’ genre

407 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 next

0-9

1915 television program – 1982

The television series 1915 cleverly uses First World War historical footage and successfully moves between the action at the front and events at home in Australia.

2000 Weeks feature film – 1969

2000 Weeks (1969) was one of the first features of the modern era in Australian cinema. Autobiographical and intensely personal, it’s still highly watchable.

27A feature film – 1974

Robert McDarra won the 1974 AFI Award for his portrait of an alcoholic imprisoned in a Queensland psychiatric hospital. He died in 1975.

A

Adventure Island – Episode 1174 television program – 1972

A successful children’s show set on the magical Adventure Island, a ‘land that’s far across the sea’.

Against the Grain: More Meat than Wheat feature film – 1980

A terrorist visits his family in Western Australia after detonating a bomb in Sydney on Anzac Day.

Alexandra’s Project feature film – 2003

If Steve is an average Australian male, his insensitive treatment of his wife is by implication a serious indictment of not only him, but Australian men in general.

All the Green Year – Episode 2 television program – 1980

This mini-series about growing up in the years between the world wars recalls a type of small-town society which is now fading into the past.

All the Rivers Run television program – 1983

This program won a swag of awards and has arguably been watched by more people, more often, than any other Australian mini-series of the prolific ’80s.

Amy feature film – 1998

Amy has an amazing voice, once she discovers it, making this an unusual combination of sentiment, social commentary and singing.

Angel Baby feature film – 1995

These lovers are mentally ill and, for the sake of their coming baby, go off their medication, adding a touch of heroism to the film.

Animal Kingdom feature film – 2010

A nervous 17-year-old boy struggles to survive his scary new criminal family after the death of his mother.

Australia feature film – 2008

Three outsiders – an aristocrat, a stockman and a vulnerable child – are set against the malevolent forces of greedy neighbours, a world war and assimilationist policy.

Australian Rules feature film – 2002

This drama, with its racism theme, in turn sparked very heated debate about white filmmakers telling stories with Indigenous content.

Aya feature film – 1990

The story of a Japanese-Australian marriage in the aftermath of the Second World War.

B

Backlash feature film – 1986

Much of the dialogue in Bill Bennett’s film, about two police officers and a young indigenous woman, was improvised on location.

Backroads short feature – 1977

Backroads (1977) is the first feature (albeit, a short one) by Phillip Noyce, who would go on to make Newsfront (1978) and Rabbit-Proof Fence.

Bad Boy Bubby feature film – 1993

Bad Boy Bubby was conceived as an experiment on virtually every level. It had 32 different cinematographers, for example.

Balibo feature film – 2009

In 1975 an Australian journalist travels to East Timor in search of five Australian journalists rumoured to have been murdered by invading Indonesian forces.

Bambaloo – Bird in a Boat television program – 2002

A mixed live-action, puppetry and animation show for preschoolers from Yoram Gross and the world renowned Jim Henson Company.

Bananas in Pyjamas – Banana Breakfast television program – 1999

The combination of visually appealing characters with the 'Bananas in Pyjamas’ song created a highly popular and commercially successful preschool series.

The Bank feature film – 2001

A story of the greed and corruption of one banker, The Bank is about the collapse of a sense of compassion in contemporary Australia.

Bellbird television program – 1970

Australia’s first successful national weekly serial, dealing with the lives and loves of ordinary people in a small country town.

Beneath Clouds feature film – 2002

While the narrative devices that director Ivan Sen uses to communicate his themes are firmly located within Indigenous sensibility and cultural perspective, the subject matter is universal.

Beneath Hill 60 feature film – 2010

During the First World War, a Queensland miner learns the true cost of war when he leads Australians in a project to tunnel beneath enemy lines to plant explosives.

The Bet feature film – 2006

This tale of corruption and high finance is the first feature directed by Mark Lee, who starred in the iconic film Gallipoli.

The Big House short film – 2000

In this short film, director Rachel Ward takes a relationship between two men in prison into surprising territory.

Billy and Percy television program – 1974

Based on the diaries of Percy Deane, private secretary of Prime Minister WM Hughes during the conscription debates of the First World War.

Birthday Boy short film – 2004

This Oscar-nominated short, set during the Korean War, is about a boy who receives an unexpected birthday present with tragic consequences.

The Birth of White Australia feature film – 1928

This early feature depicts racial tension in NSW in 1861. Despite its offensive representation of Aboriginality, the film has cultural and historic value.

Bit of Black Business – Back Seat short film – 2007

One day seen through the eyes of 12-year-old Janine, who is meeting her biological family for the first time.

Bit of Black Business – Bloodlines short film – 2007

Josh is putting off making a difficult phone call. His procrastination is interrupted by voices from his past.

Bit of Black Business – Custard short film – 2007

A young woman’s grandfather has died. She returns to Stradbroke Island to comfort her grandmother and discover the truth about her grandfather’s death.

Bit of Black Business – Days Like These short film – 2007

Days Like These is a day in the life of Dan, a young Aboriginal man trying to get ahead – but it seems the odds are stacked against him.

Bit of Black Business – Sharpeye short film – 2007

An 11-year-old boy’s sharp eyes help thwart an invasion exercise by elite Special Forces soldiers in the Torres Strait.

Bit of Black Business – The Turtle short film – 2007

Jason’s mother sends him to a small coastal town to keep him out of trouble. But it takes a turtle hunt with his grandfather to bring Jason out of his shell.

Bit of Black Business – Too Late short film – 2007

Ben arrives home late to find his wife not talking to him and his son ignoring him. His pleas for forgiveness are ignored, and he uncovers a shocking truth.

Bitter Springs feature film – 1950

A family of white farmers fight to take possession of land and water that is home to a well-established Aboriginal clan.

Black and White feature film – 2002

The film presents both the defence’s and the prosecution’s version of what might have happened in the controversial Max Stuart case, so that there is no easy path to the truth.

The Black Balloon feature film – 2007

The Black Balloon is partly a coming-of-age movie, but the presence in the family of an autistic brother like Charlie prevents it from becoming conventional or predictable.

Black Beauty television program – 1978

Poignantly told from the horse’s point of view, this 1978 animated film from the classic novel tells of the heartbreaking consequences of unrestricted exploitation of animals.

Black Robe feature film – 1991

In 17th century Canada a Jesuit missionary confronts his faith and mortality while travelling up river to reach a settlement of Huron Indians.

Blackrock feature film – 1996

Blackrock’s depiction of teenagers letting off steam with sex and drink and rock 'n’ roll is very dynamic because of the fluid camerawork, lively soundtrack and energetic choreography.

Black Talk short film – 2002

Wayne Blair fits a lot into 12 minutes of drama, weaving Indigenous language through the dialogue and exploring spiritual aspects of Indigenous culture and community.

Blood Oath feature film – 1990

A fictionalised drama about the true-life struggle to successfully convict Japanese military officers responsible for war crimes in Indonesia during the Second World War.

Blue Heelers – A Woman’s Place television program – 1993

This first episode of Blue Heelers combines police drama with soap elements and introduces us to the show’s key country locations and the central 'family’ of contrasting characters.

BMX Bandits feature film – 1983

A young Nicole Kidman stars in a story of BMX bikes and wannabe bandits.

Bodyline television program – 1984

This mini-series recreates the 1932-33 cricket test series that threatened ties between Australia and England and changed cricket forever.

The Book of Revelation feature film – 2006

The Book of Revelation is based on a simple, powerful idea: most films about rape are about women as victims of men, so reversing that idea allows men to experience the trauma of violation.

Bourke Boy short film – 2009

A father attempts to reaffirm his relationship with his adopted son as the son seeks to reconnect with his natural mother, culture and country.

Boxing Day feature film – 2007

The unconventional production method helped give Boxing Day an unusually intense sense of foreboding, danger and unpredictability.

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