Titles tagged with ‘environment’
65 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2 next
1920s
From the Bush to the Bungalow documentary – 1920
Produced at a time when the timber industry was considered romantic, Bush Bungalow shows the power of nature and man’s ability to conquer it.
The Origin of Oil sponsored film – c1923
Made for the Shell Company of Australia, this industrial documentary traces the path of oil from its initial extraction to the petroleum relied on by consumers.
Australasian Gazette – Prickly Pear Infested Areas of Australia newsreel – 1926
By 1925, the prickly pear infested over 25 million hectares in New South Wales and Queensland. Caterpillar larvae were introduced in 1926 to combat the problem.
1930s
Isle of Many Waters sponsored film – 1939
The opening credits read 'a portrayal by Frank Hurley described by himself’ and contain the relaxed and descriptive narration style evident in many of his travelogues.
King Billy’s First Car advertisement – 1939
This 1930s animated advertisement contains a disturbing subtext about Indigenous Australians.
1940s
Norforce Army Days at Hayes Creek, NT and Wyndham home movie – 1943
This footage was filmed by John Mack, a South Australian photographer and cinematographer who served as staff sergeant during the Second World War.
Beautiful Melbourne sponsored film – 1947
This film, put together by the Brotherhood of St Laurence in 1947, increased public awareness of the dire state of those living in slum housing in Melbourne.
Snowy Hydro - Where Giants Meet sponsored film – 1948
The film spends a lot of time singing the praises of the TD-24 bulldozer, but it’s also interesting as a recruitment tool for genuine high country bushmen.
Around a Gum Tree documentary – 1949
This documentary cleverly uses gum trees as a device to explore the broad range of industries that Australia supports.
1950s
The Back of Beyond documentary – 1954
Battling heat, dust and flood, Tom Kruse delivers mail, stores and supplies along the 517 kilometre Birdsville Track in central Australia.
Snowy Hydro – Conservation in the Snowy Mountains sponsored film – 1955
This film traces the history of soil erosion in the Snowy Mountains and demonstrates the approach taken by the Snowy Mountains Scheme to counteract the problem.
Operation Buffalo – Colour Record sponsored film – 1956
In 1957, Britain’s Prime Minister declared that the Operation Buffalo tests would place Britain on an equal nuclear footing with the USA and the Soviet Union.
Snowy Hydro – Operation Adaminaby sponsored film – 1958
In an extraordinarily florid finale, reminiscent of wartime propaganda, the film pays tribute to the residents and their noble act in moving the town of Adaminaby.
1960s
Operation Blowdown sponsored film – 1963
This is the official film of Operation Blowdown, the classified project that aimed to replicate the effects of a nuclear explosion on a tropical rainforest environment.
Poetry In Australia – Judith Wright television program – 1963
This simple, talking heads interview is most informative and a delight to watch. It is a must-see for students of Judith Wright’s work and fellow poets.
Snowy Hydro – The Jindabyne Story sponsored film – c1965
Although the film talks about the potential loss of the history of the region, the prevailing sense is that the new town of Jindabyne will do very well.
1970s
The Changing Face of Australia documentary – 1970
The sheer beauty and grandeur of Uluru before and after a rainstorm is a highlight of this geological study.
Snowy Hydro - The Best of the Years sponsored film – 1974
This 1974 documentary examines the multicultural workforce and its achievement in building one of the world’s largest hydroelectric schemes to that date.
In the Wild with Harry Butler – Lake Argyle television program – 1976
Harry Butler CBE, naturalist and environmentalist, explains how man-made Lake Argyle has changed the ecology of the Kimberley region forever.
In the Wild with Harry Butler – Scars on the Landscape television program – 1976
Harry Butler seems the archetypal bushie, with his khaki shorts and battered bushman’s hat. He doesn’t work to a script, but moves around the bush with a keen eye.
Storm Boy feature film – 1976
Seamlessly woven into this story about one boy’s love of a pelican, are such themes as race relations, ecology, and family breakdown.
Long Weekend feature film – 1978
On a long weekend camping trip to a lonely beach, Peter and Marcia confront the despair of their marriage, as nature takes revenge on them.
Port Botany: A Planning Dilemma documentary – 1979
Tom Zubrycki developed a filmmaking style he calls ‘verite narratives’. This work represents a transition in his development as a filmmaker.
1980s
The Franklin Wild River documentary – 1980
Bob Brown takes a rubber dinghy through spectacular rapids as part of a filmed campaign to halt plans to flood the Franklin River.
Give Trees a Chance: The Story of Terania Creek documentary – 1980
This recording of an anti-logging protest is one of many documentaries made in the 1980s that reflect growing concern about progress at the expense of the environment.
Waterloo documentary – 1981
Tom Zubrycki’s skills as a documentary filmmaker are clearly evident in this history of the redevelopment of Waterloo in Sydney.
Weekend Magazine – Carnarvon Gorge and the Fighting Highlanders television program – 1982
Weekend Magazine was one of the first programs on television to teach people about the environment and how it should be cherished and protected.
A Voice for the Wilderness documentary – 1983
Jobs versus rainforest preservation – this 1983 documentary was part of a successful popular campaign to save the rainforest inland from Port Macquarie.
The Ship That Shouldn’t Have documentary – 1984
A scientific expedition aboard the steam-powered Cheynes 2 was beset by disasters. The members of the expedition were lucky to survive.
Half Life: A Parable for the Nuclear Age documentary – 1985
O’Rourke presents the case that the US government used the Marshall Islands as a testing ground for atomic weapons to document the long-term effects of radiation.
Pleasure Domes short film – 1987
The first Australian animation to compete at Cannes, Pleasure Domes is a reflection on the inevitability of attaching associations to perceptions of landscape.
Touch the Sun – The Gift television program – c1988
This film offers a glimpse into the lives of a Greek-Australian family as they struggle with cultural differences, materialism, environmental issues and family relationships.
One Man’s Instrument short film – 1989
In this animated short film, a man finds his paradise is literally lost.
1990s
Loggerheads documentary – c1990
Since European settlement, half of Australia’s forests and three-quarters of its rainforests have been cleared.
Lord of the Bush documentary – 1990
Through the complex character of McAlpine, Zubrycki reveals the issues confronting the rapidly expanding town of Broome.
People Who Still Use Milk Bottles documentary – 1990
This documentary traces the history of the dairy industry in Victoria in the 20th century, featuring Barry Dickins, John Flaus and Barry Jones.
Land of the Apocalypse documentary – 1991
The traditional custodians of Kakadu National Park battle to protect an important sacred site from mining exploitation.
Paper Trail, the Life and Times of a Woodchip documentary – 1991
A ‘paper trail’ from Japanese paper products back to Australia, examining whether the world’s demand for paper can coexist with protection of its forests.
Blinky Bill’s Fire Brigade television program – 1992
Blinky Bill is an iconic Australian character much loved by generations of children, through the books and more recently through these television series.
Shoalwater: Up For Grabs documentary – 1992
Shoalwater: Up for Grabs was instrumental in stopping sandmining in the Shoalwater area.
Tim Storrier, ‘Lighting Fires’ documentary – 1993
Painter Tim Storrier journeys to the outback accompanied by his father and his son, and talks about his love of the desert and bush upbringing.
The Last Whale documentary – 1994
Credited as being influential in the IWC’s 1994 decision to create the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, this film is a passionate plea to save whales from extinction.
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.
Ocean Girl – Series 2, Episode 3 television program – 1995
Ocean Girl is a beautiful alien that can swim at extraordinary speed and telepathically communicate with a humpback whale called Charley.
The Battle for Byron documentary – 1996
The Byron Bay whaling station operated between 1954 and 1962, producing more than 10,000 tonnes of oil from 1,146 whales.
Yindi: The Last Koala? television program – 1996
A young koala is rescued from danger, but the whole species is still threatened.
Final Insult documentary – 1997
When some people are 'allergic to the 20th century’ they become captives in their own homes.
Jabiluka documentary – 1997
This film offers Indigenous, scientific and economic perspectives on the issue of mining uranium at Jabiluka.
The Games – Series 1 Episode 8, Rural and Environment television program – 1998
In mockumentary style, The Games charts the progress of the fictitious Logistics and Liaison Division of SOCOG in the run-up to the Sydney Olympics.
Home of the Blizzard documentary – 1998
This documentary is an excellent portrayal of the adverse conditions of Antarctica.
