Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

All short films

138 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2 3 next

F (continued)

From Sand to Celluloid – Payback 1996

Payback, a black-and-white short about the Western and Indigenous legal systems, is one of Warwick Thornton’s earliest dramatic works.

From Sand to Celluloid – Round Up 1995

Round Up is a lighthearted short drama that deals with the cultural clash between a white stockman and an Indigenous stockman.

From Sand to Celluloid – Two Bob Mermaid 1996

In this visually stunning short film set in the 1950s, a fair-skinned Aboriginal girl gains access to the local swimming pool where Aboriginal people are legally denied access.

G

A Girl’s Own Story 1983

In this short film by Jane Campion about changes afoot in 1960s society, teenage girls get in trouble for acting out Beatles concerts in the playground.

Grange 2005

Grange is an irreverent story of the extremes two young lawyers go to in order to get promoted in the corporate sector.

Green Bush 2005

Warwick Thornton began his film career as a cinematographer and moved into directing and writing. In Green Bush, his visual aesthetic complements his storytelling strengths.

H

The Hand of the Artist 1906

The artist’s hand gives a young man and woman a number of options for romance. This English short film was used by the Corrick family entertainers in their performances.

Harry’s War 2000

Richard Frankland, writer and director of the short drama Harry’s War, is from the third generation of Indigenous men to have served in the Australian army.

Harvie Krumpet 2003

Adam Elliot combines darkness and humour, tragedy and triumph, Alzheimer’s and living life to the full, so that we may learn more about what it means to be human.

Has Beans 1998

In this animated short film, bullying and revenge lead to annihilation.

Hayride to Hell 1995

This short film featuring Kylie Minogue is part rock’n'roll moment, part homage to the mysteries and mood of film noir.

Hello 2003

In this beautifully realised short film, animated characters communicate using music and recorded sound.

Hey Sista! 2001

A coming of age story about a girl who just wants to play basketball … and have straight hair.

Hot to Trot 1977

A cartoon adventure featuring Captain Goodvibes, the pig of steel, and his sidekick Astro.

I

Indefinable Moods 2001

This short animation by artist Kathy Smith is a surreal Australian dream landscape with music.

The Instructional Guide to Dating 2005

This short film contains in-flight instructions for dating success.

It’s Like That 2003

A haunting animated documentary depicting the sadness of refugee children held in captivity in Australia.

L

La Poule aux Oeufs d’Or 1905

A fable of wealth and greed leads to disaster for a farmer and his wife. The Corrick family entertainers incorporated this early French film into their touring show.

Letters From Poland 1978

While the plight of migrant women was a pillar issue for 1970s and 1980s Australian feminism, this film’s approach to the issue is very much focused on the individual.

Leunig Animated – How Democracy Actually Works 2001

This animated short based on the cartoons of Michael Leunig offers a fresh look at democracy and elections.

Living with Happiness 2001

Living with Happiness is a short animation about our inability to embrace happiness without worrying about its demise.

The Long Yard 2000

In this animated short film, an ex-soldier has an encounter with death.

Looking for Horses 2001

A stop-motion short about two sisters’ holiday illusions and family revelations.

Love Song 1998

In this animated short film, a singing punk rat tries his luck in the game of love.

Love Tricycle 2003

Love Tricycle is like Grease with bicycles instead of people, complete with a high school, a love affair and a showdown between rivals on the racetrack.

The Luminary 2005

In this animated short without dialogue, a moth collector searches for a lost moth and more.

M

The Mad Century 2000

All you ever wanted to know about the 20th century according to cartoonist Bruce Petty.

Magical Powers 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.

The Maitland and Morpeth String Quartet 1989

A whimsical, animated tale of music and romance, narrated by Ruth Cracknell and set amidst the Great Maitland Flood of 1955.

Mimi 2002

Warwick Thornton’s satirical short film stars Sophie Lee and Aaron Pedersen and pokes fun at white art collectors who purchase Indigenous art purely for its investment value.

Mother Tongue 2002

Set in Korea in 1976, this haunting film conveys how a young girl’s relationship with her parents is altered by the loss of her mother tongue.

Mutt 2008

In this animated short, all work and no play is not an option for a hard-working dog.

My Mother My Son 2000

The pain experienced by three generations of a family as the cycle of separation of mother from child repeats itself.

My Mother Told Me 2007

A fragmentary account of the horrors of war in Cambodia evolves into an exploration of its aftershocks in a family and the impact of cultural dislocation on identity.

The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello 2005

The film evokes an aura of mystery from the outset and is a superb example of how animation at its best can create a magical imaginary, yet convincing, world.

N

Ned Wethered 1983

Lee Whitmore’s first animated film is a memoir of a frequent visitor to her home when she was growing up in the 1950s.

The New Car 1953

An ambitious amateur production, most of which is set in the early 1900s, the film was shot on location at an historic homestead in Morphettville, South Australia.

Nice Coloured Girls 1987

The tongue-in-cheek title of Tracey Moffatt’s first film positions Aboriginal women as naïve and 'nice’ but these are merely roles played by the women.

Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy 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.

O

One Man’s Instrument 1989

In this animated short film, a man finds his paradise is literally lost.

One Shoe Short 2007

On a town camp in Alice Springs, a boy searches for a pair of shoes so he can go to school. His friend tries his best to help him out.

P

Palermo: ‘History’ Standing Still 2004

Images of architecture and street life shot in Palermo in 1999 are edited as a mock-documentary to suggest a century of history, and to examine issues of authenticity in the period film.

Paper City Architects 2006

A stunning, Manhattan-esque metropolis made of paper is the setting for this stop-motion tale of all-too-familiar bureaucratic frustration.

Passionless Moments 1983

Jane Campion’s student short film delivers funny, fragmentary tales with an unsentimental whimsy.

Pentuphouse 1998

This short film by Cate Shortland is a snapshot of a relationship in its last days.

Peter Nicholson Animations – Fraser’s Leadership Challenge 1974

An animated political cartoon by Peter Nicholson featuring Billy Snedden and Malcolm Fraser.

Peter Nicholson Animations – Gough’s World Tour 1974

An animated political cartoon by Peter Nicholson featuring Gough Whitlam, Joh Bjelke-Petersen and Bob Hawke.

Pianoforte 1984

A young woman who yearns to become a concert pianist is rescued from a sleazy cabaret by a mysterious cat burglar with whom she falls in love.

The Piano Tuner 1960

Amateur filmmakers the Straford Brothers started making this comedy short to test their newly purchased 16mm Bolex camera.

The Picture Woman 1997

Over a series of seemingly unrelated images, a woman speaks in voice-over of taking a photo of herself every other day.

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