ZOOM IN ON OZ Film List Catalogue

ZOOM IN ON OZ
Film Catalogue

A catalogue of Australian documentary film titles for broadcast and non-broadcast release. Films marked with an asterisk * are available for broadcast TV.

Simply scroll down page to view complete list with synopses or link to individual titles from the contents below.

CONTENTS OF FILM TITLES
A Dying Shame A Paralyzing Fear Aftershocks An Irish Country Christmas Angels of War Australia in Profile Beyond the Dreamtime Black Magic Brothers & Sisters Buffalo Legends Canary in the Mine Celso and Cora	Cowboy & Maria Cracks in the Mask Dead Letters Earth Walkers Face First 15 Minutes of Fire First Citizen Albert Namatjira For All the World to See Gogodala-a cultural revival? Hephzibah Kings of the Outback Life's Burning Desire	Lighthouses of Aust & Ireland Man on the Rim Man Without Pigs Mary Mimi Pulka No More Needles Please Non-Hearing World Our Park Pyongyang Diaries Quest of Jimmy Pike Rough Riders Testament of a Painter	The Coolbaroo Club The Highest Court The Last of the Nomads The Silent Hunger The Year of the Dogs To Get Rich is Glorious To Live With Herds Trobriand Cricket Valencia Diary Walking with My Sisters Was That Really Me? World Kitchen


TITLE Hephzibah*	DURATION one episode x 50 min	SYNOPSIS The story of child prodigy, American-born concert pianist, Hephzibah Menuhin who, in 1938 at the age of 18, gave up her brilliant career to marry Australian, Lindsay Nicholas, the heir to the Aspro fortune. They lived on his remote but splendid sheep station in Victoria, Australia where she led a privileged life. But all that changed when, after the War, she travelled to Europe and saw the horrors of Hitler's concentration camps. Later she left her husband and Australian life to set up the Centre for Human Rights in London with Viennese sociologist, Richard Hauser whom she married. Hephzibah died in 1991. The film tells her story through the eyes of her Australian sons.


TITLE Our Park*	DURATION one episode x 52 min	SYNOPSIS The thread of this film was meant to be a tranquil one - a gentle story of the filmmaker's local park in an inner city suburb of Sydney, Australia. However, things take an unexpected turn when neighbours become embroiled in a dispute which alters the whole outcome of the film The story then becomes centred on the conflict and the grass roots of democracy. It is about how a community relates to its own little patch of park. While the events of the film happen to be set in Australia, it could be about any park in any neighbourhood anywhere in the world.


TITLE Life's Burning Desire*	DURATION one episode x 50 min	SYNOPSIS Paul Mercurio, the brilliant ballroom dancer star of the 1992 international Australian hit movie, Strictly Ballroom, talks of his love of dance and his dream to begin a dance company, the Australian Choreographic Ensemble. The dance explored in this film, choreographed for his company, is a modern piece which Mercurio approaches with the same creative energy he brought to his leading role in Strictly Ballroom.


TITLE Mary*	DURATION one episode x 76 min	SYNOPSIS A feature length docu-drama on the inspiring and saintly life of Australia's first beatified saint, Blessed Mary MacKillop. Born to Scottish migrants in Melbourne in 1842, Mary founded the order of the Sisters of St. Joseph. By the time she was 25 her order had spread all over Australia. The film reveals her remarkable story which, through her disregard for social barriers and her work among impoverished lower classes in colonial Australia, brought her into conflict with the Catholic hierarchy which led to her excommunication. Mary's life is beautifully recreated in this challenging film.


TITLE Dead Letters*	DURATION one episode x 50 min	SYNOPSIS An insightful, clever and funny film about mailed letters which for one reason or another, end up at the Australian 'Dead Letter Office'. The story focuses on two women whose job it is to open dead letters and look for return addresses. What they find is amazing and through their work the women, Anne and Carol, are forced to contemplate the lives of so many others - strangers whose lives impact on their own.


TITLE Was That Really Me?*	DURATION one episode x 55 min	SYNOPSIS This film is a moving account by first-time parent, Tracey, following the birth of her son, who suffered severe Post Natal Depression (PND). Tracey's ordeal, which is told with the help of her husband and family, is one which she still finds hard to tell and to come to terms with. It makes compelling viewing.


TITLE No More Needles Please	DURATION one episode x 55 min	SYNOPSIS James Jarvis, 12 years, has severe diabetes. He and his mother have injected life saving insulin into his stomach twice daily for a decade. James is one of millions of sufferers around the world who wait for a cure. Yet there is no cure forthcoming even though some 160 billion dollars are spent globally on research each year. In this film James asks the question - why is there still no cure?


TITLE Face First*	DURATION one episode x 29 min	SYNOPSIS Facial birth defects may not ordinarily be the subject of an enjoyable film but this film flies in the face of gloom as the filmmaker's own painful memories of social isolation as a child led him to profile the stories of three other remarkable young people, all with severe facial deformities. We learn how they manage to deal with their trauma by developing a strong sense of self and the ability to look at their experiences with compassion and humour. The film is a pleasure to watch.


TITLE The Year of the Dogs	DURATION one episode x 86 min	SYNOPSIS A brilliant expose of the game akin to 'religion' in Australia, Australian Rules Football (AFL) or 'footie' as it is called. This story is about one of the country's highest ranking AFL teams, the Bulldogs of Melbourne, Victoria who have not won a premiership in over 20 years. Their club is going broke and players are dogged by injury and ill-health. The year in which this intriguing film is set is 1996, the centenary of AFL and it proves to be a season of high drama on and off the field.


TITLE The Last of the Nomads	DURATION one episode x 52 min	SYNOPSIS A moving story of an Aboriginal couple who, when marry outside their tribal laws, eloped to live a nomadic life in the remote Gibson Desert of central Australia. When the land was stricken by severe drought in 1977 their tribal elders, together with anthropologist Dr Bill Peasley, mounted a search for them. The couple were found but they were naked and starving. The film, which won a Gold Medal at the New York Film and TV Festival, recreates the momentous journey made by Dr Peasley.


TITLE Cracks in the Mask*	DURATION one episode x 88 min	SYNOPSIS The journey of indigenous Australian, Ephraim Bani, when he and his wife visit the great museums of Europe in search of Aboriginal artefacts which were taken from his ancestors by missionaries and anthropologists more than a century ago. Rare archival footage of these missionaries is shown in the film.


TITLE The Coolbaroo Club*	DURATION one episode x 55 min	SYNOPSIS The story of an Aboriginal run dance club in the 1950s in Perth, Western Australia and how the club became a political force in a radically divided Australia. Through the story of the club, which attracted both black and white members and a host of international musicians, including Nat 'King' Cole, the film lifts the lid on postwar race relations in Australia. A study guide of the film is also available.


TITLE Man Without Pigs*	DURATION one episode x 59 min	SYNOPSIS In Papua New Guinea millions of people still live in isolated communities coping with tribalism and 700 different languages. This intriguing film tells the story of Dr John Waiko who grew up in an isolated village and went on to study for a doctorate at the Australian National University in Canberra. After his studies, and accompanied by his academic supervisor, he returns to his village to help his community. However, he does not receive a warm welcome for, having returned without any pigs, he is worth nothing.


TITLE Angels of War*	DURATION one episode x 54 min	SYNOPSIS In January 1942, the people of Papua New Guinea found themselves caught up in a war they did not know about nor understand. Some risked execution unless they collaborated with the Japanese and others were conscripted into the Australian Army as carriers. This multi-award winning film provides indelible images of the Papua New Guinean campaign and records the bravery of the carriers who became the heroes of the war-torn jungle. They became affectionately known to the Australian troops as the 'Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels'.


TITLE Cowboy & Maria in Town	DURATION one episode x 59 min	SYNOPSIS Cowboy and Maria is the interwoven story of two people who, like many others living in remote communities in Papua New Guinea, leave their village in search of work in the city. Cowboy, unemployed, illiterate and with a jail record, earns money playing rock 'n' roll on the streets with his homemade scrap metal guitar while Maria sells vegetables. The film records them as they go about their daily lives with amazing optimism and humour.


TITLE Man on the Rim*	DURATION 11 episodes x 52 min	SYNOPSIS A fascinating series of man's migration through the Pacific Rim. Presented by Professor Alan Thorne of the Australian National University, one of those friendly academics who manage to convey a wealth of scientific information in a totally absorbing fashion, the series represents a major study of anthropology while at the same time providing absorbing entertainment.


TITLE The Highest Court*	DURATION one episode x 56 min	SYNOPSIS A revealing and unconventional look at the High Court of Australia to show the characters and the drama of the day-to-day decision-making of High Court judges. Two of Australia's most recent historic constitutional judgments, and the appointment of two new Justices, were filmed as they actually happened.


TITLE 15 Minutes of Fire*	DURATION one episode x 55 min	SYNOPSIS On 8 January 1994 the beautiful city of Sydney, Australia, was in the grip of an intense heat wave. Without warning, a quiet suburban street exploded into fire and in the space of just fifteen minutes many homes were reduced to smouldering heaps of ash. Some residents died. The film documents the challenges faced by the community as they go about the prospect of rebuilding their homes and their lives.


TITLE Aftershocks*	DURATION one episode x 86 min	SYNOPSIS In 1989 the Australian city of Newcastle, just two hours drive from Sydney, was hit by a large earthquake causing the collapse of the Newcastle Workers' Social Club where several people lost their lives. Through interviews with thirty-two survivors, the film cleverly recreates the moments before, during and after the tragedy.


TITLE Rough Riders*	DURATION one episode x 55 min	SYNOPSIS Every weekend across Australia hundreds of young men and women travel far and wide to compete in the dangerous activity of rodeo riding. Serious injuries are commonplace but the adrenaline rush is addictive and more and more people are attracted to the sport. The film, which captures the spirit of country Australia, tells the stories of friendships forged through the raw danger of the ring. It focuses on the friendship in particular of two champion riders, one of whom breaks his leg and one who loses his life.


TITLE For All the World to See	DURATION one episode x 73 min	SYNOPSIS An inspiring portrait of the larger-than-life international eye specialist, Professor Fred Hollows, Australian of the Year, 1992. Before his untimely death from cancer in 1994, Fred Hollows, with single-minded passion, restored sight to hundreds of thousands of cataract-blinded people in Eritrea and Nepal - the film includes footage of his expeditions to these places. He began his work in the 70's with Australian Aborigines as founder of the Aboriginal Medical Service and the Trachoma Programme. It's a superbly told story of a man who, while not always liked by everyone because of his unconventional approach, lived life thinking only of the welfare of others. For this he was greatly admired.


TITLE Kings of the Outback*	DURATION one episode x 52 min	SYNOPSIS There are 50 different species of kangaroo in Australia roaming every part of the country which has made them a true national symbol of the country. They are fascinating creatures making for a fascinating film. The 'big red' kangaroo, which inhabits remote parts of Australia, is known as 'The King of the Outback'.


TITLE Earth Walkers*	DURATION 39 episodes x 26 min or 3 series x 13 episodes	SYNOPSIS Backpacking is a style of travel which attracts people from all walks of life and age groups. Backpackers get to places which many conventional travellers never get to. This is the essence of this innovative Australian series as it takes the adventurous traveller through challenging and remarkable terrain in places such as Thailand, Nepal, Africa and outback Australia.


TITLE Lighthouses of Australia & Ireland*	DURATION 4 episodes x 52 min	SYNOPSIS The series provides breathtaking and dramatic images of both the Australian and Irish coastlines as the history and traditions of lighthouses in both these countries is explored. Interviews with lighthouse keepers and their families reveal dramatic stories of the tragedies and the triumphs of the job as well as the history and architecture of the lighthouses themselves.


TITLE Australia in Profile*	DURATION 150 episodes x 5 min	SYNOPSIS An entertaining and informative series of five-minute self-contained snapshots of Australian life covering social, cultural, sporting, economic and technological topics.


TITLE World Kitchen*	DURATION 26 episodes x 30 min or 2 series x 13 episodes	SYNOPSIS Malaysian-born Australian chef, Lillian Wong, presents a colourful and enticing menu of ethnic dishes from countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, Italy, China, Japan, Korea, Jamaica and Tibet. Lillian is an entertaining celebrity cook who makes cooking look delectable and easy.


TITLE Testament of a Painter*	DURATION one episode x 50 min	SYNOPSIS Arthur Boyd, Australian of the Year 1995, and arguably Australia's finest painter, died in April 1999 after 78 brilliant years. Born into an artistic family, Boyd started painting full-time at the age of 14. Filmed mainly at his homestead, 'Bundanon', overlooking the Shoalhaven River 200km south of Sydney, which he and his wife gifted to the Australian people in 1993, Boyd is seen relating the story of his life to two of his grandsons. The film is a fitting portrait of a man who will not only be remembered internationally as a significant artist of our time, but as a humble man whose warmth and generosity was legend.


TITLE Canary in the Mine or 'Boy in the Bubble'*	DURATION one episode x 50 min	SYNOPSIS Seventeen year old Jonathan Wilson-Fuller known as 'The Boy in the Bubble' lives in strict sanitised conditions in two rooms of his parents home due to his acute chemical intolerance to the outside world. He hasn't been outside his world of two rooms for over 8 years. If he did, he would die. It's a sad and poignant story which shows the lengths his devoted parents and his doctor have to go to to keep Jonathan alive. Former Australian cricketer, Mike Whitney, introduces the film.


TITLE A Paralyzing Fear	DURATION one episode x 90 min	SYNOPSIS A feature-length documentary which tells the story of infantile paralysis from epidemic to the discovery of a vaccine. Fear gripped America in 1916 and again in the summers of the 40's and 50's when thousands of children contracted the virus known as polio. The iron lung provided some relief but a vaccine was critically needed. President Roosevelt, himself a victim of the disease, led the campaign towards the discovery of a vaccine which became one of the 20th century's most successful fights against disease.


TITLE The Silent Hunger*	DURATION one episode x 45 min	SYNOPSIS This film is for those who wish to understand Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa better: two of this century's debilitating psychological diseases. The film sets out to portray the problem clearly and honestly allowing patients and relatives to describe the anguish of how the illness has affected them.


TITLE Non-Hearing World*	DURATION 5 episodes x 32 min av	SYNOPSIS A comprehensive series which explores every aspect of the non-hearing world to promote an understanding of the problems faced by the hearing impaired. Each of the 5 episodes tackles a different hearing issue: Understanding Hearing Loss (17 mins); Signs of Life (40 mins); Signs of Language (25 mins); Passport Without a Country (47 mins) & A Piece of Cake (33 mins).


TITLE Quest of Jimmy Pike	DURATION one episode x 51 min	SYNOPSIS Internationally acclaimed aboriginal artist, Jimmy Pike, began painting in prison encouraged by prison psychologist, Pat Lowe, whom he later married. On leaving prison, and as interest in his colourful and distinct designs grew, they opened 'Desert Designs' in Perth specialising in his designs on clothing and fabrics. Pike's 'quest' in this film, however, is the journey he and Pat take into the Great Sandy Desert of Western Australia in search of the place where he was born as a member of the Walmajarri tribe.


TITLE A Dying Shame*	DURATION one episode x 53 min	SYNOPSIS A film which examines the plight of Aboriginal health in Australia through the personal stories of families within the Aboriginal community of Borroloola in the Northern Territory. Nine months in the making, the film documents the day-to-day social and health struggles of a remote community. However, some members of the community try to break the cycle of despair by organising a festival and getting the community involved.


TITLE First Citizen Albert Namatjira	DURATION one episode x 54 min	SYNOPSIS Albert Namatjira (b. 1902) was the first Aboriginal artist to paint in a western style yet still express his own culture and his harmony with the land. Sadly he died amidst great hardship in 1959 but today his works can be found in many valuable Australian and international art collections. He became a pivotal figure in Australia in the 50's in a period of racial division. Reference to the South African system of apartheid is made in the film.


TITLE Beyond the Dreamtime	DURATION one episode x 54 min	SYNOPSIS Australian artist, Ainslie Roberts, who died in 1993, did more than any other white artist, through his vibrant surreal images, to bring the enchanting richness and awesome power of the Aboriginal 'Dreamtime' to universal attention. The film covers one of his journeys to paint in central Australia and shows glorious images, past and present, of Uluru (Ayers Rock) and the other magnificent sights of Australia's red centre.


TITLE Black Magic*	DURATION one episode x 55 min	SYNOPSIS An eye-opening account of Noongar (Aboriginal) sportsmen from Western Australia whose success in many codes of competitive sport notably, running, boxing and Australian Rules Football (AFL) helped them achieve recognition and acceptance in their racially divided community. The film presents a clever mix of archival and current footage as it traces the stories of several early Noongar champions most notably the Hayward brothers who played in the 1961 AFL Grand Final.


TITLE Buffalo Legends*	DURATION one episode x 56 min	SYNOPSIS Racial laws in the Australian city of Darwin in the Northern Territory in the early 30's meant that male Aborigines had to live in compounds. However, when it came to the game of Aussie Rules Football, the law allowed them to play with their white bosses. This film is about one Darwin team called 'The Buffaloes' telling the story of some of the Aboriginal men who, by excelling at their sport, overcame many of the social difficulties of that time.


TITLE Mimi Pulka	DURATION one episode x 26 min	SYNOPSIS The film documents a 3000km journey undertaken by a group of young actors as they present a stage play about HIV/AIDS to remote communities in the spectacular Kimberley region of Western Australia. The play, 'No Prejudice', the initiative of the Aboriginal Medical Service of Broome, was created to break down existing myths about the disease and present information to Aboriginal communities in a culturally appropriate way. The actors, writers and producers talk about the play and the experiences of their journey.


TITLE Walking with My Sisters*	DURATION one episode x 52 min	SYNOPSIS The filmmaker's personal account of the struggle of three Australian Aboriginal sisters who, between 1994 and 1998, lodged a Native Title claim in the popular and sought-after coastal resort town of Byron Bay, in northern NSW. Their claim for this prime land followed the earlier landmark decision by the High Court of Australia which recognised that Aboriginal people occupied the land prior to Europeans. The film, which documents their unfolding legal battle, is the most contemporary look at the Native Title Aboriginal claim process and it comes at a time when the issue is at the forefront of Australia's cultural and political landscape.


TITLE Trobriand Cricket*	DURATION one episode x 53 min	SYNOPSIS "This film has to be seen to be believed", wrote The New York Times, "for it's one of the most fascinating and funniest anthropological films ever made". What it demonstrates is the way the game of cricket has been played for over 70 years by the people of the Trobriand Islands in Papua New Guinea. It's fascinating and funny because of the bizarre and elaborate rules and rituals they use having ingeniously adapted the missionary-introduced game to the needs of their own society.


TITLE Gogodala - a cultural revival?*	DURATION one episode x 50 min	SYNOPSIS Gogodala is a swampy part of the lowlands of Papua New Guinea where the locals produce magnificent carvings for ceremonial use. Anthropologist, Tony Crawford, visited this area in the 70's but found none of their traditional artwork left and the Gogodala people in 'a state of cultural stagnation'. The film tells of the stormy history of this tribe and the attempts of Crawford and the local Government to revive the lost culture of this community.


TITLE Celso and Cora*	DURATION one episode x 109 min	SYNOPSIS A feature-length film which follows the daily lives of Celso and Cora and their two young children as they struggle against all odds to eke out a life in a squatter community in the Philippine capital, Manila. Under the now deposed Marcos regime their days are filled with desperation and hardship. The filmmaker spent several months with this community to produce this rarely seen observational account of Filipino life. (Filipino dialogue with English subtitles)


TITLE Valencia Diary*	DURATION one episode x 108 min	SYNOPSIS A feature-length film which chronicles life in a southern rice-growing Philippine village, Valencia, during the tense time leading up to the country's Presidential elections in 1992. Election fever grips the community as Ferdinand & Imelda Marcos go on the campaign trail with surprise contender and new political hopeful, Cory Aquino. The downfall of the Marcos regime provides the background to this unfolding story.


TITLE Pyongyang Diaries*	DURATION one episode x 68 min	SYNOPSIS Filmed in secret, the filmmaker provides a personal encounter of the closed society of North Korea where she travelled to attend the Pyongyang Film Festivals in 1994 and 1996. The film reveals the mood of the people who, despite their country being in dire financial and political upheaval as it sinks into a devastating famine, continue to hold on to a strong sense of patriotism and pride.


TITLE To Live With Herds*	DURATION one episode x 70 min	SYNOPSIS This 1972 black and white film about the Jie, the pastoral people of northeastern Uganda, is considered a documentary classic. It examines how the Jie, under increasing pressure to exchange their traditional culture and subsistence economy for a cash economy, deal with that change. It's a touching, humorous and formative anthropological film which won the top prize at the 1972 Venice Film Festival.


TITLE To Get Rich is Glorious	DURATION one episode x 56 min	SYNOPSIS This unusual film sees Vincent, an enthusiastic and charming Hong Kong Chinese businessman, who teams up with Mart, a Harvard professor and investment banker, on a quest to share in the growth and profits of Chinese capitalism. Together they negotiate the cultural maze of government officials and company bosses.


TITLE An Irish Country Christmas*	DURATION one episode x 52 min	SYNOPSIS Experience the warmth of a traditional Irish Christmas especially this one beautifully filmed on location in Ireland and relived through the eyes of a grandmother. The enchantment of the Season is captured... the preparations, the superstitions, Midnight Mass in an ancient church and a festive dinner in a charming old farmhouse. A lovely old-fashioned Christmas story.


TITLE Brothers & Sisters*	DURATION one episode x 54 min	SYNOPSIS A film which explores the emotional dynamics of the sibling bond through compelling stories of envy, admiration, love and hate, loyalty and betrayal. Providing the commentary is research scholar and author, Frank Sulloway, who has developed new and controversial theories about sibling relationships and personality development.

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