Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

Titles tagged with ‘families’

194 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2 3 4 next

S (continued)

The Shiralee television program – 1987

This miniseries was made during the golden decade of television drama. Its magic lies in the chemistry of Bryan Brown and Rebecca Smart.

Shit Skin short film – 2002

This beautiful short drama tells of a young man who takes his grandmother back to the place of her childhood to reconnect with her surviving family.

Shooey’s Little World documentary – 1984

Keith and Gladys Shoesmith live in the country with their six children. An interesting insight into the family life of a genuine battler.

Snapshots around ‘Madras’ home movie – c1926

This is a good example of how, in the early days of moving images, people would often pose for the camera as if they were posing for a still photograph.

Snowy Hydro – Conquest of the Rivers sponsored film – 1957

This is essentially a recruitment film, targeting the types of workers whose adaptability and skills base would well serve the Snowy Hydro scheme’s requirements.

Soft Fruit feature film – 1999

This comedy, drenched in grief and family conflict, would be a tragedy if it were not so funny and affectionate.

Soldiers Without Uniform documentary – 1942

This propaganda film made by Charles Chauvel aims to boost worker morale by recognising their contributions to the war effort.

The Sound of One Hand Clapping feature film – 1997

Sonja Buloh returns to Hobart 20 years after leaving her violent father, Bojan. Their reunion ignites painful memories of shattered family life.

Stingers – Ratcatcher television program – 1998

The first episode of Stingers wastes no time setting up its premise, diving straight into the action, allowing us to get to know the characters as the crime story unfolds.

Stone Bros. feature film – 2009

A fun-loving road movie about two cousins who travel home to Kalgoorlie from Perth to fulfil an obligation they’d made to their uncle.

The Stranger – Series 1 Episode 1 television program – 1964

A stranger with an accent, amnesia and seemingly no heartbeat arrives at the home of the Walsh family in Australia’s first science–fiction series.

Strictly Ballroom feature film – 1992

Strictly Ballroom is one of the most popular Australian films ever made. The story may be nothing new but the execution is so colourful and eccentric it hardly matters.

Suburban Mayhem feature film – 2006

Katrina, played astonishingly well by Emily Barclay, controls every man in her small kingdom with an overpowering sexuality.

The Sullivans – On the Brink of War television program – 1976

The first four episodes of the long-running hit series cover the period leading up to the declaration of the Second World War in Australia on 3 September 1939.

Suzi’s Story documentary – 1987

A mother who has contracted AIDS bravely decides to make a film of the experience.

Sweetie feature film – 1989

Ambiguity is filmmaker Jane Campion’s preferred method in Sweetie, and it works superbly as a destabilised narrative because of it.

Sydney on Show documentary – c1940

This documentary from about 1940 shows Sydney’s progress as a modern city. It is from the large private film collection of Roger McKenzie and Bernard Kent.

Sylvania Waters – Episode 5 documentary – 1992

One of the first ‘fly on the wall’ reality TV shows, this co-production between the ABC and BBC was a hit here and in the UK.

T

Take Notice documentary – 1939

Take Notice uses innovative and sophisticated filmmaking techniques to describe the need for a solution to rising rents and substandard living conditions in Sydney.

Three Dollars feature film – 2005

Australians have decided to live in an economy and not a society’, were the words on a banner that partly inspired this film.

Touch the Sun – Captain Johnno television program – 1988

Captain Johnno is a significant Australian children’s film which won the 1988 International Emmy Award for Children and Young People’s Programming.

Touch the Sun – Devil’s Hill television program – c1988

With his gap-toothed smile and great integrity, Badge is the delightful hero of this adventure story based on the classic Australian children’s novel.

Touch the Sun – Peter & Pompey television program – 1988

This lovely film has a delightful ocker Aussie feel, and is a quirky, fantastic yarn filled with mystery, greed, loyalty, betrayal, ancient curses and Roman history.

Touch the Sun – Princess Kate television program – c1988

This is a story of insecurity, snobbery, fear, love and hope as this young girl takes herself and two families on an emotionally painful journey to find out who she really is.

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.

Touch the Sun – Top Enders television program – 1988

This lovely production captures the exotic frontier feel of Darwin, as it explores human survival and the challenges and rewards of family relationships and friendship.

Travelling North feature film – 1987

Casting Leo McKern was a coup because he almost never accepted roles in his place of birth once he’d become successful in England.

The Trouble With Medicine: Conceiving the Future television program – 1993

This is a thought-provoking program about advances in medicine, which we leave in the hands of doctors at our peril.

U

Uncle short film – 1996

The biography of a humble man, his lemon tree, chihuahua and crumpets.

Us Deadly Mob documentary – 2005

A 'surf family story’ featuring Amber Mercy, who describes Indigenous surfing competitions as ‘sharing waves and laughing’.

V

Vacant Possession feature film – 1994

Margot Nash’s ambitious feature debut has a strong political basis, but it’s ultimately a very personal story.

Vivien Straford 1927–1937 home movie – 1927

The father of amateur filmmakers the Straford Brothers was an avid maker of home movies himself, despite losing an arm during the First World War.

W

Walking on Water feature film – 2002

Friends and family euthanise a young man dying of AIDS and then deal with their grief and guilt.

Was That Really Me? documentary – 1997

Tracey’s response to her baby’s crying led her to realise that there was something wrong. An insight into postnatal depression.

We’re All Independent Now documentary – 1995

Filmmaker Don Parham draws on his personal experience to question the effectiveness of the Family Law Act 1975 with respect to children.

Winging It short film – 1998

A short animation about a young man who recalls a piece of family lore which helps him out of a potentially tricky situation.

Winners – Just Friends television program – 1985

Just Friends reveals the hard asks of a young teenager – trying to fit in, standing up for yourself and resisting peer pressure to do things you’re not comfortable with.

Winners – On Loan television program – 1985

This is a strong and very painful story as Lindy is forced to make a difficult choice between her natural father and her adoptive parents.

Winners – Room to Move television program – 1985

The script of this telemovie (starring a young Nicole Kidman) was criticised at the time for undermining parental authority but that seems hard to understand now.

Winners – The Other Facts of Life television program – 1985

Ben’s over-the-top campaign to right the wrongs of the world is funny to watch but at the same time confronts viewers with some serious global and local issues.

Winners – The Paper Boy television program – 1985

The Paper Boy is a beautifully shot period film that captures the era and gives a realistic insight into the lives of struggling people in the Depression.

Winners – Top Kid television program – 1985

A compelling moral drama, made more powerful by its refusal to deal in absolutes, Top Kid draws on the real-life rigging of top American quiz shows in the 1950s.

Wirriya: Small Boy documentary – 2004

A warm account of family narrated by eight-year-old Ricco, who lives with his foster mother in an Indigenous Australian town camp near Alice Springs.

The Woman Suffers feature film – 1918

This has been called ‘Australia’s first feminist feature’ but many of its female characters are ruined by men, a common theme in melodrama.

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