Titles tagged with ‘religion’
66 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2 next
1910s
The Man from Kangaroo feature film – 1919
John Harland, a bush parson, is dismissed from his job for teaching children how to box. Harland moves to another town, where he combats ruffians and rescues his girlfriend from a forced marriage.
1920s
South Melbourne Methodist Mission News sponsored film – c1924
From the early 20th century, Christian welfare organisations have used films like this to highlight their work within the Australian community.
1930s
The Silence of Dean Maitland feature film – 1934
Renowned filmmaker Ken G Hall was concerned that this film would incite religious anger, but it was a smash hit instead.
1940s
The Dance of the Eyes documentary – c1940
Skylogues’ like this one from Bali, were shown in cinemas prior to a feature film; few Australians travelled abroad then.
Give Us This Day advertisement – 1943
This food rationing advertisement takes its title from a phrase in the Lord’s Prayer ‘give us this day our daily bread’.
A Mountain Goes to Sea documentary – 1943
Made during the Second World War, A Mountain Goes to Sea was intended as a morale booster for workers building the machinery of war.
Cradle of Creation documentary – 1944
A compendium of the Middle East filmed by Frank Hurley during his years working as an official war photographer in the Second World War.
Mid-East documentary – 1945
The African continent would have still represented the ‘heart of darkness’ for many Australians viewing this film.
1950s
Smiley feature film – 1956
A mischievous boy in a small town tries to reform himself, in order to earn a bicycle.
Minter, R: South-East Asia, India and Rome home movie – 1958
This home movie from Robert Minter follows his travels to Hong Kong, Thailand, Burma, India, Turkey, Greece and Italy.
1960s
Interview with Archbishop Mannix television program – 1962
Interviewed at age 97, Dr Daniel Mannix, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, was a man of considerable influence in Australian public life.
Divine Service – Mary Magdalene Roman Catholic Church, Rose Bay television program – 1965
Divine Service was first broadcast in 1956, the first year of television in Australia. In a packed church, everyone is dressed in their Sunday best for the ABC.
Dimpel, Konrad: German Christmas celebrations, Lutheran Sunday School picnic home movie – c1966
In this 1960s home movie, a curious baby kangaroo joins a Lutheran Sunday School picnic at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve outside Canberra.
1970s
Monday Conference – Rhodesia or Zimbabwe television program – 1973
Out of the studio and into the community, Robert Moore interviews Senator Glen Sheil, just returned from Rhodesia, and Bishop Donal Lamont.
The Golden Cage feature film – 1975
Murat and Ayhan are Turkish migrants living in Sydney. Ayhan falls in love with Sarah, but religious and cultural differences create problems.
The Devil’s Playground feature film – 1976
Both writer Thomas Keneally and director Fred Schepisi spent time in a Catholic seminary, the world explored in this drama.
1980s
A Hard God television program – 1980
A Hard God, based on the play of the same name, is the story of a working-class Irish-Australian Catholic family in Sydney in the 1940s.
The Clinic feature film – 1982
Medical student Paul Armstrong spends a day at a Melbourne VD clinic.
The Sharkcallers of Kontu documentary – 1982
Believing that the spirits of their ancestors dwell in the mako shark, shark callers are not only hunting but also maintaining a connection with their past.
Man of Flowers feature film – 1983
An elderly aesthete who regularly hires a young woman to strip for him finds his life becoming entwined with hers.
Winners – Quest Beyond Time television program – 1985
Simply told, and not too frightening, Quest Beyond Time shows the changes that could occur in the world if a nuclear war takes place.
Divine Service – The House of Freedom Church, Brisbane television program – 1986
An informal Christian service is held in a suburban home in Brisbane. This group is involved in a wide range of peace activities in the ‘International Year of Peace’.
Evil Angels feature film – 1988
Evil Angels is a highlight of ‘80s Australian cinema but did not perform as well locally as it deserved, perhaps because it presents the dark side of the easygoing ‘g’day mate’ nation.
The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey feature film – 1988
Medieval Britons journeying through time and space find a contemporary city, where they attempt to fulfil a prophecy that will save them from the plague.
1990s
Black Robe feature film – 1991
In 17th century Canada a Jesuit missionary confronts his faith and mortality while travelling up river to reach a settlement of Huron Indians.
The Book Show – Jim McClelland television program – 1991
Jim McClelland, minister in the Whitlam Government, was a good friend of John Kerr until 1975 when Kerr dismissed the Labor Government. They never spoke again.
Brides of Christ television program – 1991
Brides of Christ take a vow to forsake the secular world and live according to God’s will. An Australian television landmark, recapturing the great changes of the ’60s.
Land of the Apocalypse documentary – 1991
The traditional custodians of Kakadu National Park battle to protect an important sacred site from mining exploitation.
Benny and the Dreamers documentary – 1992
Freddy West Tjakamarra, a member of the Pintubi people, thought that tinned food contained human flesh.
God’s Girls: Stories from an Australian Convent documentary – 1992
The Roman Catholic Sisters of Mercy give full access to the filmmakers to explore and question those who choose a religious life.
Bad Boy Bubby feature film – 1993
Bad Boy Bubby was conceived as an experiment on virtually every level. It had 32 different cinematographers, for example.
The Business of Making Saints documentary – 1994
This documentary explores what has to happen before someone is declared a saint, and notes that women don’t fare well in the system.
The Damnation of Harvey McHugh – From Here to Maternity television program – 1994
Amid TV’s throng of lawyers, doctors and cops, public servant Harvey McHugh stands out as an unlikely small screen hero.
Eternity documentary – 1994
Cinematographer Dion Beebe has beautifully recreated 1930s Sydney here — and about 10 years later won an Oscar.
That Eye, the Sky feature film – 1994
Twelve-year-old Morton ‘Ort’ Flack lives in the outback. When Ort’s father is paralysed in an accident, a stranger named Henry arrives, offering to help.
From Sand to Celluloid – Payback short film – 1996
Payback, a black-and-white short about the Western and Indigenous legal systems, is one of Warwick Thornton’s earliest dramatic works.
Oscar and Lucinda feature film – 1997
Drawn together by a passion for gambling, Anglican priest Oscar Hopkins and Australian heiress Lucinda Leplastrier agree on a wager with life-changing consequences.
Shifting Sands – My Colour, Your Kind short film – 1998
When under threat of having their children stolen by authorities, Indigenous mothers resorted to darkening their fair-skinned children with mud and charcoal.
Vanish documentary – 1998
Ivan Sen’s Vanish explores the history of the Gamilaroi people being moved onto Toomelah Reserve.
Bridewealth for a Goddess documentary – 1999
Bridewealth for a Goddess is a remarkable record of a ritual that may never be repeated.
Holy Smoke feature film – 1999
Ruth Barron falls under the spell of a guru while visiting India. Her desperate family hires cult deprogrammer PJ Waters to confront Ruth.
2000s
The Mad Century short film – 2000
All you ever wanted to know about the 20th century according to cartoonist Bruce Petty.
Tombstone Unveiling documentary – 2000
In Torres Strait Islander culture, unveiling the tombstone of the deceased a year after death marks the end of the mourning period.
Compass – Buddha Realms, Part 1 television program – 2001
An exploration of Buddhism and why it still has relevance to the world of the 21st Century.
John Safran’s Music Jamboree – Episode 2 television program – 2002
An irreverent and enthusiastic take on popular music, sandwiching real facts between Safran’s signature pranks and comic diatribes.
Message Stick – Kurtal: Snake Spirit television program – 2002
A beautiful story about Kurtal, an ancestor and Dreaming song, and the Elder Spider, whose responsibility it is to perform the dance as well as pass it on.
Compass – Tomorrow’s Islam television program – 2003
In a world where Muslims are increasingly depicted as fanatics and fundamentalists, Faiz Khan, born and raised in the USA, speaks out.
The Dream and the Dreaming documentary – 2003
When Lutheran missionaries arrived in Central Australia, the strength of the existing culture made it challenging to make converts.
The Healing of Bali documentary – 2003
This documentary explores the Balinese response to the terrorist bombings in Kuta on 12 October 2002.
