Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

Titles tagged with ‘satire’

24 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year

A

Art documentary – 1974

This short, amusing and thoughtful animated documentary is full of debate about art and is a good starter for students.

B

Babakiueria short film – 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.

C

Cartoons of the Moment – Crown Prince of Death newsreel – c1915

This First World War anti-German propaganda cartoon represents fighting countries as animals and employs puns in the titles and accompanying captions.

Cartoons of the Moment – German Dove of Peace newsreel – 1915

These cartoons also occasionally provided social commentary on domestic issues that did not have to do with the First World War, such as the evolution of the skirt.

Cartoons of the Moment – Miss Australasia newsreel – c1915

Cartoons of the Moment employs cut-out animation, with two-dimensional character shapes photographed using a stop-motion technique.

Cartoons of the Moment – The Berlin Lokal Anzeiger newsreel – 1915

To emphasise the topicality of his work, political cartoonist Harry Julius is seen reading a newspaper at his desk before he begins sketching his latest cartoon.

Cartoons of the Moment – The Economy in Germany newsreel – c1915

Julius’s propaganda cartoons satirise the qualities of a country and its people by associating characters with specific symbols, items of clothing and facial features.

Cartoons of the Moment – The Kaiser War newsreel – c1918

This edition of Cartoons of the Moment was probably made in 1918, after Prime Minister Hughes’s second visit to England to attend the Imperial War Cabinet.

Cartoons of the Moment – The War Zoo newsreel – c1915

Cartoonist Harry Julius used animals to represent the various countries involved in the First World War, creating easily identifiable – and satirical – character stereotypes.

The Chaser’s War on Everything – APEC Episodes television program – 2007

The Chaser’s APEC episodes underscore the power of the unexpected in this type of comedy and the legal juggling act involved in bringing it to air on a weekly basis.

The Chaser’s War on Everything – Series 1 Episode 1 television program – 2006

This is the first episode of the satirical variety program, containing comic pranks, commentary and send-ups responding to topical issues and more general subjects.

CNNNN: Chaser Non-stop News Network – Lunchgate television program – 2002

Finely tuned satire that gives sensationalist reportage a caning.

D

D-Generation – Series 1 Episode 1 television program – 1985

While the D-Generation credits read like a who’s who of two decades’ worth of Australian comedy, at the time these comedians were unknowns.

E

Emerald City feature film – 1988

Successful screenwriter Colin Rogers moves from Melbourne to Sydney and becomes involved with commercial movie hustler Mike McCord.

F

Fast Forward – Series 4 Episode 3 television program – 1992

A sketch comedy show from the late 1980s and early ‘90s featuring some big names in Australian comedy.

Full Frontal – Series 3 Episode 4 television program – 1995

This sketch comedy series features early work from performers like Eric Bana and Shaun Micallef.

H

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.

J

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.

John Safran vs God – Episode 2 television program – 2004

Nothing is sacred in John Safran’s comedy-documentary series about religion.

L

The Librarians – Series 1 Episode 1 television program – 2007

This situation comedy series is set in a fictitious ‘Interactive Learning Centre’, known more prosaically as the local library.

M

The Mad Century short film – 2000

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

The Mavis Bramston Show – Series 1 Episode 1 television program – 1964

A weekly variety show featuring topical satire, sketches and songs.

The Mavis Bramston Show – Series 2 Episode 1 television program – 1965

Although Mavis Bramston’s topical satire is no longer current, it is still sharp.

W

We Can Be Heroes – Episode 3 television program – 2005

Chris Lilley’s mockumentary follows five very different nominees for the Australian of the Year award in the lead-up to the event.