Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

All titles produced in 1994

30 titles

A

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert feature film – 1994

The most unforgettable scenes in Priscilla feature excessive costumes on incongruous characters in vast, humbling spaces.

Arthur Boyd: Testament of a Painter documentary – 1994

Boyd’s habit of making people and objects float in his landscapes has earned him the title of an 'antipodean Marc Chagall’.

B

Boys and Balls documentary – 1994

Greig Pickhaver and John Doyle, aka 'Roy and HG’, are the commentators: of course the sport theme is tackled with humour.

Brisbane Dreaming documentary – 1994

Historical footage and re-enactments help tell stories about the Indigenous people who were displaced by Brisbane.

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.

C

Concrete City documentary – 1994

The Pyrmont quarries Paradise, Purgatory and Hellhole, supplied the sandstone for many landmark buildings in Sydney.

Convictions documentary – 1994

Convictions honours those Australians who fought in The Korean War, a war that is all but forgotten in this country.

D

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.

Deadly Hurt documentary – 1994

A filmmaker questions whether the National Committee on Violence Against Women’s 1992 national strategy was appropriate.

E

Empty Arms, Broken Hearts documentary – 1994

One of the people who made this study of abduction had her own children taken out of Australia by their father, a Malaysian prince.

Eternity documentary – 1994

Cinematographer Dion Beebe has beautifully recreated 1930s Sydney here — and about 10 years later won an Oscar.

Everynight… Everynight feature film – 1994

A new prisoner refuses to submit to frequent bashings by prison officers in the notorious H Division of Pentridge prison in Melbourne.

F

Fences documentary – 1994

When a man pulls a sheet over a woman’s head and yell’s 'Dutch oven’, the relationship needs to be severed, says Judi McCrossin.

The Ferals – An Explosion of Talent television program – 1994

This irreverent puppet-live action series about a mangy group of animals pushes the boundaries of children’s television.

H

Harold documentary – 1994

A big man with a big voice. As the first Indigenous man to sing on national radio, Harold Blair carried huge responsibilities on his shoulders.

I

It’s Ruth: Ruth Cracknell, Actor documentary – 1994

It’s Ruth begins as a romp with Ruth as Maggie Beare through some of the zaniest scenes of Mother and Son, and ends with her as Winnie in Happy Days.

L

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.

M

Metal Skin feature film – 1994

Social misfit Joe is befriended by the cool and confident Dazey. Their shared passion for drag racing leads to conflict and tragedy.

Muriel’s Wedding feature film – 1994

Muriel’s Wedding took Australia by storm when it opened in 1994, satirising an Australian family in a way that audiences found extremely moving, as well as hilarious.

My Country documentary – 1994

My Country is about the impact of the Native Title Act on relationships between Indigenous peoples and pastoralists.

O

Only the Brave short feature – 1994

Although made on a low budget, Only the Brave showed that first-time filmmaker Ana Kokkinos had an uncompromising ambition to tell powerful and personal stories.

R

Rebels With a Cause documentary – 1994

Cecil Waters rules the family with a ‘rod of iron’, and is training his sons to be champion boxers.

Rites of Passage documentary – 1994

Exploring the rites of passage that accompany entry into adulthood, three rebellious teenagers and their parents struggle to resolve their differences.

S

Sky Trackers – Is There Life On Earth? television program – 1994

Shane is not a textbook hero, and while Nikki’s attraction to him because of his scientific brain seems a little improbable, this situation certainly challenges the stereotype.

Smart’s Labyrinth documentary – 1994

Artist Jeffrey Smart observes that he doesn’t like viewing his finished work as 'every picture is a defeat’.

The Sum of Us feature film – 1994

The Sum of Us presents three generations of characters, all of whom seek the same thing – a meaningful and long-lasting partnership in love.

T

Tall Tales but True: David Williamson – playwright documentary – 1994

David Williamson began writing plays in 1968 at La Mama Theatre Company in Melbourne. He fell in love with Kristen Green on the set of The Removalists.

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.

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.

W

When the Lights Go Out: Cockroaches, a Domestic History documentary – 1994

A tour of domestic life from a cockroach’s point of view. Humankind are a passing evolutionary novelty compared to their 300 million years on earth.