All titles in the ‘Experimental’ genre
19 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year
1930s
Magical Powers short film – 1936
The idea behind Magical Powers was to show the audience some of the illusions and simple tricks that can be created with a moving image camera.
1950s
The Workman’s Nightmare short film – 1951
In the first short film from amateur filmmakers the Straford Brothers, a young man falls asleep on his work break and dreams that his ladder attacks him.
1960s
In the Head the Fire radio – 1966
This radiophonic piece written by composer Nigel Butterley in 1966 won the prestigious Prix Italia and set a benchmark for radio in Australia.
1970s
We Aim to Please short film – 1976
We Aim to Please incorporated experimental and feminist ideas and was a bold break away from the narrative films and factual documentaries of the time.
Maidens documentary – 1978
Almost four years in the making, Maidens sparked impassioned debate and became compulsory viewing in women and film courses around the country.
Palm Beach feature film – 1979
The underrated Palm Beach, set on Sydney’s northern beaches, is very daring in its use of sound.
1980s
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.
Serious Undertakings documentary – 1983
Serious Undertakings breaks new ground in understanding the construction of meaning and exemplifies the impact of 1970s screen theory on making independent films.
Camera Natura short film – 1986
This montage film is about the spirit of the land: charting the contours of myth, geography and landscape.
Living Room documentary – 1988
This beautiful, unsettling experimental documentary is a meditation on Australian suburbia and notions of home.
Moodeitj Yorgas documentary – 1988
Moffatt’s work, influenced by cinema and pop culture, probes misconceptions about Aboriginality and explores gender, sexuality and identity.
Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy short film – 1989
Tracey Moffatt continues to challenge the social construction of Aboriginality and how it is viewed nationally and internationally. Night Cries is a possible sequel to Jedda.
Shadow Panic short film – 1989
An experiment in structure, Shadow Panic reflects the influence at the time of French screen theorists on Australian feminist filmmaking.
1990s
Breathing Under Water feature film – 1991
The director’s preoccupation with humankind’s tendency to self-destruct was one factor that lead to the creation of this complex film.
One Way Street: Fragments for Walter Benjamin documentary – 1992
One Way Street is a timely exploration of a figure who was on the way to being recognised among the great 20th century philosophers.
Epsilon feature film – 1995
Rolf de Heer combines extraordinary time lapse photography with a drama that argues that the human race is killing the planet.
From Sand to Celluloid – Black Man Down short film – 1996
This short experimental drama offers a spiritual alternative to fighting the system. To overcome injustice, return to your spiritual roots for healing to take place.
The Picture Woman short film – 1997
Over a series of seemingly unrelated images, a woman speaks in voice-over of taking a photo of herself every other day.
2000s
Indefinable Moods short film – 2001
This short animation by artist Kathy Smith is a surreal Australian dream landscape with music.
