All short films
138 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2 3 next
A
Ada 2001
Set in a domestic dining room in Sydney in the mid-1950s, the main focus of this autobiographical short film is the relationship between Ada and her granddaughter.
B
Babakiueria 1986
A mockumentary surveying the culture and customs of the white native people of the land of ‘Babakiueria’, from the perspective of the country’s black colonisers.
The Big House 2000
In this short film, director Rachel Ward takes a relationship between two men in prison into surprising territory.
Birthday Boy 2004
This Oscar-nominated short, set during the Korean War, is about a boy who receives an unexpected birthday present with tragic consequences.
Bit of Black Business – Back Seat 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 2007
Josh is putting off making a difficult phone call. His procrastination is interrupted by voices from his past.
Bit of Black Business – Custard 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 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 – Done Dirt Cheap 2007
A tourist overhears two miners talking with Amos, a gold prospector. He buys a nugget from Amos that’s worth a lot less than he bargained for.
Bit of Black Business – Hush 2007
Ethel’s daughter thinks her mum and Mary get together to play cards. She’s shocked to discover they’ve found an unexpected new way of supplementing their pensions.
Bit of Black Business – Jackie Jackie 2007
Inspired by a dream, Jackie Jackie is reminiscent of Strictly Ballroom (1992) and Tracey Moffatt’s BeDevil (1993) in its stylised kitsch.
Bit of Black Business – Kwatye 2007
Filmed in Alice Springs and inspired by a true story, Kwatye is a humorous lesson in being careful about what you say in front of the children.
Bit of Black Business – Nana 2007
This short film from Warwick Thornton is a humorous portrait of an all-rounder told from the perspective of her adoring granddaughter.
Bit of Black Business – Sharpeye 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 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 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.
Bit of Black Business – Two Big Boys 2007
When their car breaks down at a drive-through restaurant, a speed bump becomes a seemingly insurmountable obstacle for two bickering brothers.
Black Talk 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.
Bourke Boy 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.
C
Camera Natura 1986
This montage film is about the spirit of the land: charting the contours of myth, geography and landscape.
Cheap Blonde 1998
A humorous experimental word game which examines gender representation and authorship in the cinema.
Confessions of a Headhunter 2000
Based on a short story by Archie Weller, this short drama speaks about the conflict between the Indigenous people of the Perth area and colonial culture.
Crocodile Dreaming 2006
A short film highlighting the role of traditional custodians in maintaining balance between the natural and spiritual worlds.
Crust 1987
Surreal antics over dinner are the subject of this animated short film by John 'Hobart’ Hughes.
D
Dad’s Clock 2001
This stop-motion animation short film celebrates the life of the animator’s late father.
Deadly Yarns 2 – Adrift 2006
In this short film a boy responds to the healing power of the natural environment, Aboriginal cultural practices and family.
Deadly Yarns 2 – Frankie’s Story 2006
A young boy excluded from a school trip to the fire station brings the fire trucks to him.
Deadly Yarns 3 – Who Paintin’ Dis Wandjina? 2007
When a Perth artist uses traditional iconography as graffiti, the traditional owners are not impressed.
Deadly Yarns – Don’t Say Sorry 2004
In this short documentary Christine Jacobs describes how she overcame the pain of being a child of the stolen generations.
Deadly Yarns – Ganggu Mama 2004
In this short film, Ganggu Mama guides his nephew towards his culture and out of trouble.
Deadly Yarns – Sugar Bag 2004
A story of love and endurance about an Aboriginal child fathered by a white man and hunted down by police troopers.
Delivery Day 2000
A girl is caught between competing demands of family and school. Uncle Le needs help in his garment shop but it’s parent-teacher night.
Desert Tracks 1997
Desert Tracks – a business established without government funding – is a community’s attempt to sustain itself culturally and an important initiative for self-determination.
The Djarn Djarns 2005
The Djarn Djarns is a comedy-drama very much suited for young people. It is a dance film with a sports feel, so culture and sport are not in competition.
Driving Home 1999
In this animated short film, a young Korean immigrant struggles to define her cultural identity.
E
Episodes in Disbelief 2000
This short animation is a reflection on childhood loss as the narrator attempts to come to terms with the death of her father.
An Exercise in Discipline: Peel 1982
In Jane Campion’s Palme d’Or winning student short, a bickering red-headed family on a weekend road trip reach a standoff by the side of a country road.
F
The Felt Hat 1951
Arguably the first real attempt at film drama made in South Australia, The Felt Hat draws on 1940s crime fiction and Hollywood film noir to good effect.
Fetch 1998
This short film is a comic escalation of mishaps with a double-barrelled payoff. It was selected to compete at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.
Flat 2002
A short drama about the day in a life of a young teenager. Marnie lives in a housing commission estate and captures Alice Springs through a video camera given to her by her mostly absent father.
Flowergirl 1999
Cate Shortland brings her distinctive visual sensibility and mood-oriented storytelling to a tale of cross-cultural experience, departure and unrequited love.
From Sand to Celluloid – Black Man Down 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.
From Sand to Celluloid – No Way to Forget 1996
Writer-director Richard J Frankland drew on his experience as a field officer for the Royal Commission into Deaths in Custody to compose this story.
