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Film Catalogue (20/34)
MOHAMED ALI'S HAPPY DAY FEAST
1998 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 55 min
Mohamed Ali and his wife, Halima Mubarak, are the owners of the Dhodaan Café, Flemington, a meeting place for the Somali refugee community in Melbourne. Having survived war in Ethiopia and Somalia, but suffered the loss of home and family, Mohamed and Halima arrive in Australia with a renewed optimism, and set about establishing... more
MOLLY AND MOBARAK
2003 (M) 85 min
Molly and Mobarak starts where the hysteria and hyperbole of media commentary on the Tampa incident and refugee problems leave off. It is a film that provides an intimate insight into what it means to be on a temporary protection visa, to be only partially accepted by the country you live in and to endure the emotional... more
MORESBY MODERN
2009 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min
PNG is slowly joining the globalised world, and if you look closely at this society in transition you can see signs of a modest middle class on the rise, and a new generation coming of age. more
MORE THAN A FISH KILL
2024 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 38 min
Two beloved rivers and more than 30 million dead fish bring artists, scientists and First Nations custodians together to turn ecological disasters into a journey of cultural healing. more
MORNING SUN
2004 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 117 min
A brilliant portrait of China's "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution" of the 1960s and 70s. Another extraordinary film from the team that made the award-winning THE GATE OF HEAVENLY PEACE. more
![MOURNING FOR MANGATOPI [from the AIATSIS Collection]](/images/small/9119.jpg)
MOURNING FOR MANGATOPI [from the AIATSIS Collection]
1974 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 53 min
An elaborate Tiwi mourning ceremony, performed as an affirmation of traditional culture. more
![MPARNTWE - Sacred Sites [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/6587.jpg)
MPARNTWE - Sacred Sites [from the CAAMA Collection]
2004 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 24 min
The continuous struggle by Central Australia's Arrernte people to maintain their sacred sites in the face of property development in the Mparntwe (Alice Springs) area. more
MR STREHLOW'S FILMS
2001 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min
The life and work of one of Australia's most eminent and controversial anthropologists, T.G.H. (Ted) Strehlow. more
MUCH ADO ABOUT SOMETHING
2003 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 93 min
Was William Shakespeare truly the greatest English author, or does that honour really belong to Christopher Marlowe, a peer of the great bard who penned a number of popular plays during the late 1500s? This documentary plunges deep into the mystery surrounding the authorship of the plays and Marlowe's supposed murder. more
MURIEL MATTERS
2013 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 27 min
Adelaide-born actress and elocutionist Muriel Matters has been neglected by mainstream history, but in the early 1900s was a pivotal figure in the fight for women's rights in Britain and was renowned for her daring escapades to draw attention to the cause. more
MUSIC AND MURDER
2003 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 52 min
Music and Murder follows the story of three men, all incarcerated for horrific murders, who have become accomplished musicians in prison. Each man believed music was helping them in the long road to being reintegrated into society. more
MUSIC CENTRAL
2023 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 27 min
MUSIC CENTRAL explores the power of music to create connection and healing. Filmed on the Central Coast of New South Wales, this documentary follows the stories of local Elder Uncle Kevin 'Gavi' Duncan, the staff and students at Woy Woy Public School, young singer-songwriter Ruby Archer and the Artistic Director of the... more
MUSLIMS IN AUSTRALIA
2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 76 min
Take a journey and discover how deep Muslim history runs in Australia. Discover the earliest contact that dates back to the 1600s, their connection with the indigenous population and the rich contribution they made. more
![MY COLOUR, YOUR KIND [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/2298.jpg)
MY COLOUR, YOUR KIND [from the CAAMA Collection]
1998 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 11 min
An atmospheric short drama about Aboriginal identity. more
MY GRANDPARENTS
2012 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 26 min
A cross-generational documentary in which filmmaker Joshua Marks sets out to find out more about his grandparents. The film is, as Joshua describes it, "a journey of awareness in front of and behind the camera. Gradually, we ask who is the real subject of the film, and who is really in control?" more
MY HOME THE BLOCK
2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 52 min
An intimate view of "The Block", situated in Sydney's Redfern district as seen through the eyes of Aboriginal Elder Joyce Ingram. more
MY LIFE WITHOUT STEVE
1987 (PG) 53 min
A film by Gillian Leahy. Through the story of one woman's year in a room with a view, the film catches its audience up in the collective memories of all those who have loved and lost. more
MY LONG NECK
2013 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 53 min
Maja is proud of the 16 coils of brass around her neck that distinguish her as a Long Neck Kayan woman from Burma. But after 20 years of living on display and constantly being photographed in a tourist village in northern Thailand, the rings are becoming more of a trap than a source of pride. more
MY MOTHER INDIA
2001 (PG) 52 min
Director Safina Uberoi traces her parents' history. Her Australian mother married a Sikh and moved to India. There they bought up their three children and survived the anti-Sikh riots of 1984. The autobiography features family photos, historical footage and interviews with the family particularly with Uberoi's mother,... more
MY MOTHER MY SON
2000 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 26 min
The story of an Aboriginal mother and daughter [Mona & Kymmy], both victims of the stolen generation, who embark on a journey to regain custody of Kymmy's young son Rowland. They are determined to shed the baggage from their past and take control of their own lives and by so doing break the cycle of dispossession, broken... more
MY MOTHER NANCY (Family Foibles)
2001 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 27 min
A cross-cultural, cross-generational tale of a mother reclaiming her identity to pursue her dream against the traditional conventions on which her family is built. more
MY MOTHER'S VILLAGE and the Sri Lanka series
2014 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 256 min
In the late 1970s, anthropologist Sharon Bell and cinematographer Geoff Burton made three landmark documentaries about village life in Sri Lanka, observed over a two-year period, released in 1980. Decades later their son, Aaron Burton, reconnects with the communities to share experiences and aspirations with the next generation. more
MY NAME IS GULPILIL
2021 (M) 101 min
"I'm an actor, I'm a dancer, I'm a singer and also, a painter. This film is about me. This is my story of my story." - David Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu more
MY REMBETIKA BLUES (English version)
2021 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 83 min
Rembetika music or the Greek blues is a music born of exile and the streets. The film traces the roots of this music in the mass migration of people in the early twentieth century and in particular the journey of the filmmaker's own forebears from Smyrna in Turkey to Sydney, Australia. A universal story about love, life... more
MY REMBETIKA BLUES (Greek version)
2021 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 83 min
Rembetika music or the Greek blues is a music born of exile and the streets. The film traces the roots of this music in the mass migration of people in the early twentieth century and in particular the journey of the filmmaker's own forebears from Smyrna in Turkey to Sydney, Australia. A universal story about love, life... more
MY UNCLE BLUEY
2009 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 16 min
A filmmaker's personal story about her estranged Uncle Bluey - a white man who found his home in a remote Aboriginal community. more
MY WORK, MY SORROW
2009 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 44 min
A universal story of labour in the industrial sector. The film is built from interviews (in French with English subtitles) with assembly-line workers in the factory system, discussing their work experiences and the ethics of their employers. more
![NED WETHERED [from HAND-DRAWN HISTORIES]](/images/small/8540.jpg)
NED WETHERED [from HAND-DRAWN HISTORIES]
1984 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 11 min
The first of Lee Whitmore's personal animations, recording her memory of her childhood and a visitor who often called on her family. more
NEW BEIJING
2009 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min
Swinging from old to new, this documentary gives a panoramic view of the biggest construction boom in history and charts the modern face of Beijing and its newly iconic buildings. [DVD includes over an hour of extra features including extended interviews with participating architects]. more
NEW BOYS, THE
2003 (G) 100 min
THE NEW BOYS provides a comparison to the group viewed in With Morning Hearts, for these boys appear more divided and class-conscious. Within the group there is a range of personalities and backgrounds - some are natural leaders, some subject to teasing and bullying, some argumentative and some peace-makers. more
NGANGKARI (NIDF series 5)
2002 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 26 min
The role of Ngangkari, Traditional Healer, still plays a vital role in the health and well-being of the Anangu people of Central Australia. Yet only two Ngangkari are employed in full-time positions. This film introduces these two renowned Ngangkari specialists. more
NICE COLOURED GIRLS
1987 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: M) 17 min
NOW DIGITALLY RE-MASTERED! This stylistically daring film audaciously explores the history of exploitation between white men and Aboriginal women, juxtaposing the 'first encounter' between colonisers and native women with the attempts of modern urban Aboriginal women to reverse their fortunes. more
NIGHT CRIES
1990 (G) 17 min
DIGITALLY REMASTERED! NIGHT CRIES – a story of a white woman and her adopted Aboriginal daughter, told with vibrantly coloured landscapes and a richly constructed soundscape. The film is in part a response by visual artist Tracey Moffatt to Charles Chauvel's celebrated feature film, JEDDA (1955). more
NIGHT PARROT STORIES
2016 (G) 89 min
A cinematic ode to a bird lost in the darkness: a wonderfully inventive and engaging exploration by filmmaker Rob Nugent of the science, mythology and rumours surrounding the elusive nocturnal bird, the Night Parrot, that supposedly disappeared In Australia at the end of the 19th Century. more
NIGHT THE PROWLER, THE
1978/2021 (M) 85 min
A wickedly funny and subversive collaboration between Nobel Prize-winning author Patrick White and one of Australia's most adventurous film directors, Jim Sharman (director of The Rocky Horror Picture Show). more
NO BURQAS BEHIND BARS
2012 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 77 min
Inside an Afghan women's prison. Women are normally faceless in Afghanistan: outside the home, burqas cover them from head to toe. But in prison, they sometimes have more freedom and safety than outside. more
NORTHERN LIGHTS
2013 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 52 min
Behind the scenes of a successful programme to promote Indigenous participation in AFL, led by Indigenous football legends, Andrew McLeod and Michael Long. It's the story of NT Thunder, a new team with 60% Indigenous players, and a new philosophy of community engagement. more
NORTH OF CAPRICORN
2014 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 54 min
"Northern Australia is a profoundly important part of Australia. It's a third of Australia that's in the tropics. It the part of Australia least developed, it's very rich in resources, and its the part of Australia closest to our neighbours," Professor Henry Reynolds. more
NOT A BEDROOM WAR
1992 (G) 52 min
In 1992, four hundred of the world's most prominent women met in Dublin to discuss new visions of leadership. Hosted by Mary Robinson, Ireland's first woman president, NOT A BEDROOM WAR is the behind-the-scenes story of this historic and extraordinary gathering. more
NOTHING RHYMES WITH NGAPARTJI
2010 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 56 min
Acclaimed Pitjantjatjara actor, Trevor Jamieson, sets out on a daunting personal journey to bring his hit show home to country ... but can he bridge these two worlds, two languages and two cultures? more
NOT JUST NUMBERS
2019 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 53 min
Not Just Numbers is an inspiring documentary about the Tangentyere Women's Family Safety Group in Alice Springs. They believe in talking straight about the violence in their communities and are working on the front line in prevention. So often reduced to statistics, these heroes have banded together to fight for their... more
NUN'S NEW HABIT, A
2008 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 56 min
This documentary follows Sister Carmel, a sister of the Good Samaritans, in her fight for social justice. Along with many of her contemporaries, she is passionately involved with the plight of refugees who were incarcerated in detention for many years and the ongoing psychological trauma suffered after their release. more
![NYIRR-MARIE [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/4583.jpg)
NYIRR-MARIE [from the CAAMA Collection]
2010 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 24 min
Evelyn Hall (Nyirr-Marie), a leader of her community in the campaign for land rights, returns to her country to say goodbye for the last time. more
OCCUPATION: NATIVE
2017 (PG) 52 min
The Aboriginal story is often buried deep beneath the accepted 247-year Australian historical narrative. It's not that the Australian story is wrong, it's just that it's a wee bit one-sided. Aboriginal filmmaker Trisha Morton-Thomas, bites back at Australian history in this inspired satire. more
OCHRE AND INK
2011 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 27 min
OCHRE AND INK tells the extraordinary story of artist Zhou Xiaoping and his inspiring 23 year collaboration with Indigenous artists in the Maningrida area in the heart of Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. A film by James Bradley, with co-producer Rachel Clements. more
OH, BEETHOVEN!
2009 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 25 min
Dr Susan West and children from Ainslie Primary School, Canberra, in a special performance of a work about Beethoven's life, followed by discussion about Dr West's innovative approach to music education. more
OK, LET'S TALK ABOUT ME
2005 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 26 min
Meet Eddie. He's a 17-year-old boy with Down Syndrome. He's stubborn and charming, funny and sometimes temperamental. Through the course of this documentary the viewer is invited to get to know Eddie - a rare treat - and journey with him as he turns 18 and prepares to leave school. more
![OLD MAN AND THE INLAND SEA, THE [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/2306.jpg)
OLD MAN AND THE INLAND SEA, THE [from the CAAMA Collection]
2005 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 20 min
Norman Hayes Jagamarra gives us a unique Aboriginal perspective on greed, alcohol and the importance of maintaining your pride and self-sufficiency through a working life. more
![ON A FULL MOON [from HAND-DRAWN HISTORIES]](/images/small/8541.jpg)
ON A FULL MOON [from HAND-DRAWN HISTORIES]
1997 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 17 min
Contemplative memories of childhood and family by animator Lee Whitmore, lovingly animated frame by frame by pencil and pastel on paper. more
ONCE A QUEEN
2005 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 50 min
A universal story of a rural community with big aspirations ... Grafton in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales, and its inspired annual celebration of its rich history. more
ONCE MY MOTHER
2013 (PG) 75 min
Australian filmmaker Sophia Turkiewicz investigates the reasons why her Polish mother abandoned her in an orphanage as a child and uncovers the truth behind her mother's wartime escape from a Siberian gulag, leaving Sophia to confront her own capacity for forgiveness. more
ONE DAY IN FATULAI
2001 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 18 min
Through her medical work as a volunteer Dr Colette Livermore provides a glimpse of everyday life, health and education in a remote East Timorese village. more
ONE LAST CHANCE
2000 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 36 min
An award-winning film about justice and morality, by Rod Freedman (producer of ONCE MY MOTHER). more
ONE PLACE
2008 (G) 27 min
An inspiring film about a unique Islamic Cultural Centre: a place of worship and of study, a library and a centre of learning, it is also a building where families gather, an integral part of a community that speaks more than thirty languages, comes from more than forty countries and shares a single faith. more
ON RICHARD'S SIDE
2016 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 90 min
Filmed over three decades, On Richard's Side charts the life-story of Richard, a young man with a complex disability since birth. The film provides intimate and poignant insights into his parents' determined quest to establish a quality life for their son and for themselves. more
ON THE BANKS OF THE TIGRIS
2015 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 79 min
A musical odyssey that uncovers the hidden – and almost erased – story of Iraqi music. more
ON THE EDGE
2010 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 338 min
Over a two month period, a group of Indigenous teenagers take a physical, emotional and spiritual journey to discover who they are. It's an emotional roller-coaster ride with the group dynamics that constantly change. Featuring the work of mentor Fran Dobbie. more
![OONDOORRD: Married Turtle [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/4898.jpg)
OONDOORRD: Married Turtle [from the CAAMA Collection]
2009 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 22 min
The hunt for the special Oondoorrd or female turtle in the mating season, in the ocean off the West Kimberley region of Western Australia. more
OPHIR
2020 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 97 min
Voiced entirely by the Indigenous people of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea, Ophir observes the colonisation of the land and its people, who at the end of the 1980s were left with no choice but to revolt for their right to exist. more
ORIGINAL MERMAID, THE
2003 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min
From crippled child to the star of the biggest theatres in the world, the story of Annette Kellerman is truly without peer. Along the way she changed the face of swimming, fashion and dance and helped forge a new identity for women. more
OTHER ZIONISTS, THE
2004 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 52 min
An award-winning documentary by Canadian filmmaker, Eric Scott, focusing on an issue which he sees as emblematic of the whole Israeli-Palestinian conflict - the Israeli military checkpoints that line Israel's border and are scattered throughout the Occupied Territories. more
OUR BOTANICAL BIOSPHERE
1990 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 240 min
This pioneering series of short documentaries, first released as UNDER SOUTHERN SKIES in 1990, is even more relevant today: there is now an ever-increasing urgency for us all to be informed about science, to liberate us from a dependence on politicians and corporations. more
OUR COMMUNITY
2006 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 24 min
An exploration of the concept of 'community' in the far northwest of NSW - an intimate expedition through the townships of WALGETT, LIGHTNING RIDGE and SHEEPYARD. more
OUR PARK
1998 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min
OUR PARK was meant to be a nice quiet film about the filmmaker's local park but the it took an unexpected turn and became a film about the politics of a neighbourhood and the difficulties of grass roots democracy - how people interact, how they solve disputes - or how they don't. more
OUT OF OUR MINDS
2001 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 52 min
OUT OF OUR MINDS explores the interlocking stories of Mark Dean, Rita Halabarek and Sonia Teuben. They are full-time professional actors and writers with Geelong's Back to Back Theatre, each of them are people with intellectual disabilities. more
OVER THE EDGE
2015 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 56 min
Teenagers in the series ON THE EDGE reunite 5 years later as young adults facing a turbulent world. This film explores how their choices have determined their present circumstances. Some are working, some in jail, and three are parents. Every one of them is living an extraordinary life and coming to terms with their world. more
PAINTING THE TOWN
1986 (G) 59 min
PAINTING THE TOWN is a film about art and artists, culture and politics. Through the story of Yosl Bergner, the film reveals a community of Australian painters who sought to create an art that would reflect the great social upheavals of the 1930s and 1940s. more
PANTHER WITHIN, THE
2016 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 54 min
Filmmaker Edoardo Crismani and his mother Barbara embark on a search to unravel the mystery surrounding Barbara's father, Joe Murray, an Indigenous boxing champion who danced and sang in vaudeville shows, and married a blue-eyed blonde white woman in 1930s Australia. more
PAPA BILONG CHIMBU
2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 54 min
In 1937 a young Catholic missionary, Father John Nilles, arrived in the highlands of Papua New Guinea – one of the first whites the local people had ever seen. There he would stay for the next 54 years. More than just a priest, he would become an anthropologist, linguist, politician and clan leader. more
PAPER TRAIL: The Life and Times of a Woodchip
1991 (G) 51 min
In Australia, woodchipping has become one of the most politically significant issues of the environmental movement. Australia is a major supplier of woodchips to the paper manufacturers of Japan. As a consequence, the woodchip trade is now high on the political agenda, powerful enough to bring down governments. more
PASSIONATE APPRENTICES, THE
2008 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 75 min
Three intimate portraits of a close-knit group of inspiring people who share a passion for perfection. These three artisans and their apprentices live and work in a quiet valley in Tasmania, in the shadow of Sleeping Beauty Mountain. more
PASSPORT TO PARENTHOOD
2004 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 56 min
When Melbourne couple Davor Dirlic and his wife Nina decide to adopt Petra, whilst visiting their homeland Croatia, they embark on an emotional rollercoaster that will uncover a tragic past. more
PATOU: in Black and White
2022 (M) 55 min
With a career that spans over four decades and across the globe, Jamaican singer Pat Powell ("Patou") is one of Australia's most accomplished yet hidden vocal talents. A award-winning film by Fiona Cochrane. more
PEACE PILGRIMS
2021 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 28 min
In September 2015, five peace activists penetrated the 'Joint Facility' Pine Gap, just outside Alice Springs to protest and lament victims of American drone strikes. They were arrested and faced 7 years jail. A documentary by John Hughes, based on Peace Crimes, Kieran Finnane (UQP 2020) more
PETYARRE and ATNANGKERE (Our Cave) (From the CAAMA Collection)
2016-7 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 40 min
Two related short documentaries by Viviana Petyarre, featuring artist Gloria Petyarre and her family's search for a cave to which they are culturally connected. For millennia, the Atnangkere Cave has been a Dreaming centrepiece for the Alyawarre people of Atneltye (Boundary Bore), Utopia, north of Alice Springs in central... more
PHOTO WALLAHS
1991 (G) 60 min
Renowned ethnographic filmmakers David and Judith MacDougall explore the many meanings of photography in this profound and penetrating documentary. The film focuses on the photographers of Mussoorie, a hill station in the Himalayan foothills of northern India whose fame has attracted tourists since the 19th century. more
PICTURING HOME
2021 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 52 min
After twenty years of homelessness one woman finds empowerment by sharing her journey through the lens of a camera. A powerful film by Annette Cohen, exploring links between mental health concerns and homelessness. more
PIONEERS OF LOVE
2005 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 110 min
An epic story of Immigrant and Indigenous experiences in far north Queensland spanning across the 20th century. more
PITJIRI: The Snake That Will Not Sink
1986 (G) 48 min
In 1936 on a remote outpost in the Northern Territory, nine Aboriginal Elders appeared before Ruth Heathcock, who they believed was a member of their tribe before the Dreaming. Fifty years later, Sister Ruth returns and describes the psychic phenomena that she experienced and how this changed her perception of the human... more
PLEAD GUILTY, GET A BOND
1991 (G) 30 min
A young Aboriginal woman has been charged with wounding her husband during a domestic argument. It is expected by all concerned that she will simply plead guilty and receive a good behaviour bond. The inexperienced legal aid lawyer is outraged by this expectations and persuades Amy to plead her innocence. more
POLES APART: The Blue Poles Controversy
2001 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min
POLES APART places the acquisition by the Whitlam government of Jackson Pollock's 'Blue Poles' in all the turbulence of its social and political context. more
PORTRAITS OF US
2022 (PG) 82 min
An intimate portrait of the life and work of iconoclastic New Zealand artist Geoff Dixon. See GEOFF DIXON - PORTRAITS OF US: more
PORTS OF DESTINY
1998 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min
This documentary follows a 76 year-old man from Australia to Argentina to see his 96 year-old Aunt for the first time since they were separated by war 60 years ago. The film charts the experiences of aging, migration and memory when one is towards the end of their life. more
POZIERES
2000 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: M) 52 min
Between July and August, 1916, the small village of Pozieres in northern France became the centre of one of the bloodiest battles of the Great War. By the end of August the village had been destroyed. The battles to reclaim the territory for the French nation were to become legendary. more
PRESIDENT VERSUS DAVID HICKS, THE
2004 (M) 81 min
The story of the Australian Taliban fighter, David Hicks: the film explores David Hicks's journey from stockman and rodeo rider to the legal limbo of Guantanamo Bay. more
PRIESTESS/THE STOREKEEPER, THE
1983 (G) 30 min
Available only in the collection of four films made by Solrun Hoaas on Hatoma Island: THE HATOMA FILMS. more
PRISON SONGS
2015 (M) 56 min
The inmates of a Darwin prison are shown in a new light in Australia's first documentary musical. Incarcerated in tropical Northern Territory, over 800 inmates squeeze into the overcrowded spaces of Berrimah Prison, and share their experiences in the most extraordinary way – through song. more
PRODIGAL SON, THE
2005 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 27 min
Alexo hasn't spoken to his son for 15 years. It is only after serious illness that he begins to speak to him again. THE PRODIGAL SON is the moving story of a traditional Macedonian family's 'dilemma' with having a gay son. more
PROFESSOR WILL STEFFEN: Lecture on Climate Change
2011 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 59 min
Climate change is real and presents grave dangers for societies globally. This presentation by Professor Will Steffen, Executive Director of the ANU Climate Change Institute, given at the Australian Academy of Science in Canberra on 10 March 2010, provides an easy to understand and comprehensive overview of the climate... more
PUMPHEAD
2020 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 74 min
Pumphead is a feature-length documentary exploring patient experiences following major heart surgery - how to understand these experiences and how to live with them. A story of existential crises and transformative experiences, told by eight ex-patients including the filmmaker himself. more
PUNISHED NOT PROTECTED
2004 (PG) 58 min
PUNISHED NOT PROTECTED is an educational documentary series in four parts (on one DVD) featuring the views of leading Australians and concerned citizens on the effects of government policy on asylum seekers and temporary protection visa holders. more
PUTUPARRI and the Rainmakers
2015 (M) 97 min
Against the backdrop of Australia's tangled colonial and Indigenous history, Putuparri and the Rainmakers explores one man's struggle to fulfill his destiny. more
PYONGYANG DIARIES
1997 (PG) 68 min
PYONGYANG DIARIES is director Solrun Hoaas' personal account of her encounter with the closed society of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. While the official line in North Korea fosters an almost religious cult of personality, with an emphasis on uniformity, nationalism, and a sense of self-reliance, Hoaas' observations,... more
QUEST OF JIMMY PIKE, THE
1989 (G) 51 min
Jimmy Pike lives an extraordinary and idyllic life hunting and painting in a harsh and primitive environment in the Great Sandy Desert. He first learnt to paint whilst in prison serving a life sentence for murder. As a young boy, he had come out of the Great Sandy Desert and saw white men for the first time. Now he wants... more
RADICAL IDEAS IN JUSTICE AND REGULATION
2014 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 191 min
An extended interview with John Braithwaite - from the Regulatory Institutions Network Australian National University, Canberra, Australia - about Restorative Justice and Responsive Regulation. more
RAOUL WALLENBERG: Between The Lines
1985 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 86 min
Raoul Wallenberg was an unlikely hero. A Swedish diplomat, he risked his life to challenge the Nazi forces in Hungary and to save the lives of as many as 100,000 Jews in Budapest in 1944. more
RED BOWMEN, THE
1978 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 58 min
The record of a ceremony called Ida which is performed every year by villagers of the Waina-Sowanda district of West Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea. A film by Chris Owen. more
REDFERN STORY, THE
2014 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 57 min
In Redfern, in inner Sydney, a group of determined visionaries pioneered the National Black Theatre at a turbulent time for Indigenous politics in the 1970s. The Theatre left a lasting legacy on national politics, social welfare and the Australian arts scene. more
RED MATILDAS
1984 (G) 50 min
Through the lives of three women, RED MATILDAS explores the social and political conditions in Australia during the Great Depression - conditions of massive unemployment, widespread malnutrition and growing militarism at home and abroad - that provoked many people to political activity. more
REMEMBERING COUNTRY
2000 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 26 min
An intimate autobiographical film that invites the audience into Harold Furber's vivid memories of being a desert kid stolen away to a tropical island. more
REVENIR (To Return)
2018 (PG) 77 min
For years, stories of West African migrants and refugees have been told through the lenses of foreign journalists. Revenir is a story from the inside: a bold new documentary by Australian filmmaker David Fedele in collaboration with Kumut Imesh, a refugee from the Ivory Coast now living in Paris. more
RIDDLE OF THE BRADSHAWS, THE
2002 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 53 min
This story of the Bradshaw rock paintings or Gwion Gwion as they are known to the Aboriginal traditional owners, unfolds in the vast and beautiful Kimberley region of Australia's far north west. more
RINGBALIN - BREAKING THE DROUGHT
2014 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 32 min
A powerful documentary about the healing of Australia's greatest river and its diverse peoples through ancient ceremony of culture and spirit. more
RINGTONE
2016 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 30 min
In the Yolngu community of Gapuwiyak in the Northern Territory, individual ringtones on mobiles reveal rich insights into lives and relationships. Ringtone features individuals talking directly to camera, revealing the stories behind their own ringtones as well as the pleasures and perils of their new connectivity. more
RISKING OUR KIDS
2008 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min
Exploring the "Modernity Paradox". Could we be the last generation of humans that live longer than our parents? Have we lost sight of how to care for our kids? more
RIVER OF NO RETURN
2008 (PG) 52 min
The story of Frances Daingangan, one of the stars of TEN CANOES, and her journey from traditional tribal life to the international red carpet. A film written and directed by Darlene Johnson, one of Australia's leading Indigenous documentary filmmakers, acclaimed for GULPILIL – ONE RED BLOOD and STOLEN GENERATIONS. more
ROAD TO HOME, THE
2015 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 55 min
A portrait of the West Papuan Benny Wenda, now in exile in England, and his on-going fight for the right to self-determination for his people. more
ROAD TO NHILL
1996 (PG) 95 min
A delightful rural comedy: in a small isolated Australian town, a car carrying four members of the local bowling club runs off the road, trapping the women inside. Maurie, a local pig farmer, is first on the scene and alerts the Emergency Services. However, the ambulance heads off in the wrong direction because there is... more
ROAD TO NHILL (screenplay/book)
(G)
A screenplay by Alison Tilson * Currency press 1998 * Paperback * 100 pages The original screenplay by Alison Tilson, for the highly successful feature film released nationally in 1998. more
ROBERT FORTUNE - THE TEA THIEF
2002 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min
Behind the story of a simple cup of tea is a tale of espionage and intrigue captured in a documentary by Melbourne filmmaker Diane Perelsztein. The cup that cheers has a complex, often dark history. The story of tea is a tale of politics, economics and spirituality, of espionage, art and the drug trade. more
ROCKING THE FOUNDATIONS
1985 (PG) 92 min
DIGITALLY RESTORED! A riveting documentary about the New South Wales Builders Labourers Federation (BLF). Filmmaker Pat Fiske, herself one of the first women members of the BLF, develops a portrait of this once-powerful union through interviews with former union members and officials, archival film, and television news... more
![ROSALIE'S JOURNEY [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/6497.jpg)
ROSALIE'S JOURNEY [from the CAAMA Collection]
2003 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 22 min
The story of Rosalie Kunoth-Monks who (as Ngarla Kunoth) gained fame in the leading role of Charles Chauvel's legendary feature film, JEDDA (1955). more
ROSIE'S SECRET
1994 (G) 11 min
ROSIE'S SECRET is a fictional portrait of a forgotten heroine, Rosie Foster. We discover the pivotal role Rosie played in the construction and celebration of Australia's national icon, the Sydney Harbour Bridge. more
ROUGH RIDERS
1995 (M) 55 min
ROUGH RIDERS tells the story of two champion Australian rodeo riders, one of whom lost his life in a bull-riding accident. Through their story the film explores the rituals of competition, the endless travel, the friendship and loyalty, courage and determination that the sport of bull-riding entails. more
RUNNING WITH CRUTCHES (original title: ShoPaaPaa)
2020 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 96 min
Cinematically bold and intellectually mesmerising, Running With Crutches is an exploration of the line between drama and documentary in the worst of times and the best of times. A film by Shekhar Bassi and Molly Reynolds. more
RUSHING TO SUNSHINE
2001 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 73 min
A rare and remarkable insight into the relations between North and South Korea at a personal, intimate level, through the stories of student dissidents, ex-political prisoners, writers and artists. more
![RYDIN' TIME [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/2888.jpg)
RYDIN' TIME [from the CAAMA Collection]
2005 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 22 min
Life on the rodeo circuit in Queensland for three teenagers who risk their lives to compete. more
SACRED VANDALS
1983 (G) 55 min
Available only in the collection of four films made by Solrun Hoaas on Hatoma Island: THE HATOMA FILMS. more
![SAFE HOUSE, THE [from HAND-DRAWN HISTORIES]](/images/small/8542.jpg)
SAFE HOUSE, THE [from HAND-DRAWN HISTORIES]
2006 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 26 min
Lee Whitmore's careful, loving recreation of a quiet suburban street in Sydney in the 1950s and the moment when larger issues intruded in the form of the Petrovs, ASIO and the newspapers. more
SALTWATER STORY, THE
2017 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 55 min
Guided by Indigenous canoemaker Kyle Slabb from the Bundjalung people, a group of young men (both Indigenous and non-Indigenous) build traditional canoes and embark on a 3-day sea voyage re-tracing an ancient trade route from the heart of the Queensland Gold Coast to North Stradbroke Island. more
![SAMMY BUTCHER: Out of the Shadows [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/5632.jpg)
SAMMY BUTCHER: Out of the Shadows [from the CAAMA Collection]
2004 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 24 min
A portrait of Sammy Butcher [Warumpi Band], one of the leading figures in the contemporary Indigenous music scene. more
![SATELLITE DREAMING [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/10777.jpg)
SATELLITE DREAMING [from the CAAMA Collection]
1991 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 52 min
A film of considerable historic importance, this documentary narrates the emergence of Indigenous media in Australia, and discusses its role in preserving Indigenous languages and culture. more
SAVE OUR SONS (S.O.S.)
1996 (PG) 54 min
A film about the Save Our Sons Movement of Victoria - a group of women formed in the sixties to protest against the Vietnam War. Energetic and informative, an extraordinary episode in the anti-conscription and anti-Vietnam War struggles of the 1960s. more
SCHOOLSCAPES
2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 77 min
In this film David MacDougall explores a famous progressive school in South India, the Rishi Valley School. Inspired by the cinema of Lumière and the ideas of the 20th century Indian thinker Krishnamurti, this film is dedicated to the simple act of looking, in which each scene is a single shot. more
SCOTT HICKS: sculpting the movie - the experience of directing SHINE
2016 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 28 min
In this documentary, made for the 20th anniversary of the release of SHINE, director Scott Hicks recalls the long development of the project and the complexities of shooting the film in Australia on a limited budget, contrasting with his subsequent experiences working in Hollywood on major studio productions. more
SCRIBE, THE
2018 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 71 min
From deep within the engine room of politics comes this superb documentary on the "Donald Bradman" of speech-writers - Graham Freudenberg: a powerful journey into one of the great minds of politics who has written speeches for Labor leaders over many decades, including Gough Whitlam and Bob Hawke. more
SEARCHING FOR INGMAR BERGMAN
2018 (M) 99 min
In this beautifully crafted and moving memoir, Margarethe von Trotta recalls the inspiration she found in the work of Ingmar Bergman: his films triggered her decision to become a director and guided many of her creative decisions over her long career. more
SECRET AND SACRED
2008 (G) 53 min
A documentary detailing the anthropological and historical story of the Badtjala people of the Hervey Bay and Fraser (K'Gari) Island region. more
SECRET SAFARI, THE
2001 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 52 min
A documentary about an overland safari truck which, between 1986 and 1993, ran 40 successful trips smuggling arms into the townships of South Africa without the passengers knowledge. An account of one of the ANC's most audacious military operations in the armed fight against apartheid told by those who were the main protagonists. more
SELLING SICKNESS
2004 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 52 min
SELLING SICKNESS explores the unhealthy relationships between society, medical science and the pharmaceutical industry as they promote their new miracle cures - selling not just drugs but also the latest diseases that go with them. more
SENSE OF PLACE, A
2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 28 min
An intimate portrait of four Vietnamese Australians who, for the past 30 years, have searched to build their identity and home in Australia. more
SENSO DAUGHTERS
1990 (PG) 55 min
During World War II, 140,000 Japanese troops died in Papua New Guinea. Considered the 'Forgotten War,' neither the war nor its veterans received public recognition in Japan. Another unacknowledged tragedy of that campaign was the army's mistreatment of New Guinean women and 'comfort girls'. Over 90,000 'comfort girls' were... more
SERIOUSLY SINGING
2011 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 26 min
At a small school in the Victorian Mallee, indefatigable 91 year-old choral conductor, the late Jessie Carmichael, works with a group of novice singers to revisit a legendary moment in local history. more
SERIOUS UNDERTAKINGS
1983 (G) 28 min
A fascinating film about Australian culture, politics, film and pleasure, and the context in which images of femininity and masculinity are produced. more
SERPENT AND THE CROSS, THE
1991 (G) 55 min
In several outback Australian communities Aboriginal artists are consciously seeking an expression that builds bridges between Aboriginal spirituality (the Dreaming) and the Christian religion of their invaders. A look at these artists' thinking and dreaming which provides a rich, privileged look at the artwork, beautifully... more
SEX, DRUGS AND STRING QUARTETS
2003 (M) 27 min
The Landau String Quartet comes together to rehearse. Each player has travelled a very different path to become a musician. In this dramatised documentary, the musicians reveal the story of that journey. more
SHADOW OF MARY POPPINS, THE
2003 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 52 min
This documentary explores the complex and troubled life of the creator of Mary Poppins, Pamela Travers. The audience will be taken on a journey tracing the parallel lives of Travers and Mary Poppins from their origins through to their transformation from servant to seer. The enigma of Travers is finally revealed in this... more
SHADOW PANIC
1989/2020 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 25 min
The feminist classic from 1989, now restored from original 16mm film materials. An innovative film by Margot Nash (director of VACANT POSSESSION and THE SILENCES) based on "the idea of structuring a film via the female gaze". more
SHADOW PLAY
2001 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: M) 79 min
In Indonesia, on 30 September 1965 a group of President Sukarno's guards murdered six generals who were anti-Communist. General Suharto blamed the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI). Suharto grabbed power and set up death squads to murder up to a million accused Communist sympathisers. The documentary traces the events... more
SHAKE RATTLE & ROLL
2005 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 52 min
A journey with Parkinson's - Ross Collins is on a journey. At the age of thirty three, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's. Now he wants to be like the man he was. An in-depth look at the toll and impact this disease has on one sufferer. more
SHARK TRACKER
2003 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 47 min
A spectacular voyage of discovery with a team of marine biologists, catching and tagging Tiger Sharks in the Coral Sea, northeast of Queensland. The team is led by scientist and underwater photographer, Richard Fitzpatrick. more
SHIFT IN PERCEPTION, A
2006 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 16 min
Journey through the senses and memories of three vision-impaired Australian women. more
SHINE
1996 (PG) 107 min
The 1996 multi-award winning Australian film based on the life of pianist David Helfgott, who suffered a mental breakdown and spent years in institutions. Starring Geoffrey Rush, Lynn Redgrave, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Noah Taylor, John Gielgud, Googie Withers, Justin Braine, Sonia Todd, Chris Haywood and Alex Rafalowicz. more
SHINE (screenplay/book)
(G)
A screenplay by Jan Sardi * Bloomsbury 1997 * Paperback * 176 pages * The screenplay by Jan Sardi for the feature film, SHINE, directed by Scott Hicks and produced by Jane Scott. more
SHOCK ROOM
2016 (M) 72 min
In the early 1960s American psychologist Stanley Milgram ran a series of controversial experiments on obedience. An authority orders you to inflict painful shocks on another person. Most us will obey, claimed Milgram. But will we? more
SHORT STORIES
2006 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 104 min
Filmed over two years, SHORT STORIES is a 4x26 minute documentary series [on 1 DVD] about a group of short statured people who are part of a small community in Sydney's working class western suburbs. more
SIGNED, THEO SCHOON
2021 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 100 min
A superb portrait of the Dutch émigré artist, Theo Schoon (1915 – 1985), raised in the East, trained in the West, and replanted in the South. He rocked the New Zealand cultural world and built a strong liaison with Māori communities and the landscape. more
SILENCES, THE
2015 (M) 73 min
A film about family secrets and the ties of love, loss and kinship between a mother and daughter. more
SILMA'S SCHOOL
2006 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 83 min
SILMA'S SCHOOL is a compelling observational documentary about a Muslim school in Sydney and the tumultuous struggle by its principal to keep it open. more
SINCE THE COMPANY CAME
2000 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min
A Solomon Islands community struggles with some unexpected consequences of a logging operation. The men of Rendova Island embrace the chance to be part of the modern economy; but the women are concerned for the forests and traditions that sustain their families. As Rendova's forest rapidly disappears, the loggers set their... more
SIX DAYS IN AUGUST
2006 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 52 min
This documentary juxtaposes an international AIDS Conference with the realities of "life on the ground" in South Africa. In the city of Durban, 1 in 3 people are infected with AIDS, the government's solution is to urge its people to eat beetroot and garlic, and most people just wish the problem would go away on its own. more
SKIN OF OTHERS, THE
2020 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 91 min
A story of modern Australia told through the extraordinary life of Aboriginal WW1 soldier Douglas Grant (c.1885-1951), an intellectual, a journalist, a soldier and a bagpipe player with a fine Scottish accent. Featuring the acclaimed Indigenous actor Balang Tom E. Lewis in his final performance (as Douglas Grant) and guest... more
SLEEP OF REASON, THE
1993 (PG) 50 min
A film about the end of the world: the myth that has been with us since the beginning of civilization, and the possibility made real at Hiroshima in 1945. The journey takes us from medieval paintings to 50s sci fi movies and leaves us better able to understand and deal with our destructive urges. more
SMALL HAPPINESS
1984 (G) 58 min
Part 2: THE LONG BOW TRILOGY - SMALL HAPPINESS: 'To give birth to a boy is considered a big happiness. To give birth to a girl is not exactly no happiness, but a small happiness.' more
SMALL POPPIES, THE
2002 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 60 min
A film about the staging of the play "Small Poppies" in which adult actors play 5 year olds on their first day of school. Featuring David Field, Julie Forsyth, Deborah Mailman, Rebecca Massey, Arky Michael, Geoffrey Rush more
SMARTER COUNTRY, A - creating the future
2014 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 55 min
As Australia struggles with the harsh effects of climate change, green pioneers and visionaries are working towards an ecologically sustainable future in agriculture, architecture, renewable energy, and how we live on our planet - both here and in America, China and in developing countries. more
SMUT HOUNDS - Censorship in the Sixties
2015 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: M) 9 min
Seventy-seven seconds of celluloid that scandalised a government and transformed Australian cinema. more
SNAKES AND LADDERS
1988 (PG) 59 min
Drawing on interviews and a striking selection of archival footage, this film reveals the expectations and achievements of women who have struggled to gain a tertiary education - and the reality of discrimination. The film employs the unusual device of a whimsical investigator, Sophia Whist, who pieces together the elements... more
SOHRAB AND RUSTUM
2018 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 14 min
WINNER! BEST ANIMATION, SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL! An animated film by Lee Whitmore about a charismatic teacher who stirs the imaginations of the teenage girls in her classroom. Inspired by the epic poem by Matthew Arnold. more
SOME ALIEN CREATURES
2005 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 74 min
A film about the famous experimental, co-educational boarding school in South India, the Rishi Valley School, founded by the influential Indian thinker Krishnamurti. more
SOMETHING CLOSE TO HELL
1989 (M) 55 min
The pain of severe burn is said to be greater than that of any other injury. SOMETHING CLOSE TO HELL explores the stuggle of burns survivors during their physical and emotional recovery. more
![SOMETHING OF THE TIMES [from the AIATSIS Collection]](/images/small/8895.jpg)
SOMETHING OF THE TIMES [from the AIATSIS Collection]
1985 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 41 min
The story of Aboriginal and white buffalo hunters in the remote wetlands of the Northern Territory in the 1930s. more
![SONS OF NAMATJIRA [from the AIATSIS Collection]](/images/small/9051.jpg)
SONS OF NAMATJIRA [from the AIATSIS Collection]
1975 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 47 min
A group of celebrated Aboriginal artists and their relationship with the outside world. more
![SPEAR IN THE STONE [from the AIATSIS Collection]](/images/small/12161.jpg)
SPEAR IN THE STONE [from the AIATSIS Collection]
1983 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 34 min
An age-old tradition of making spear-heads from special stones in Arnhem Land. more
SPECIAL TREATMENT- Locking Up Aboriginal Children
1991 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 56 min
Australia imprisons almost as many black children as are imprisoned in South Africa. Today 45% of all juveniles in NSW jails are Aboriginal, though they form less than 2% of the population. Made by a crew of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians, this documentary asks why police are under-using alternative procedures... more
STEPPING OUT
1981 (G) 54 min
In November 1979, forty extraordinary people took to the stage. Labelled by society as mentally handicapped, isolated and hidden away in institutions since early childhood, they came to the Sydney Opera House and gave a performance that held audiences spellbound. This film tells the joyous story of that event. more
STILL BREATHING
2002 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 26 min
Rob Fraser was born with cystic fibrosis. He can see the end of his life clearly and he's considering a lung transplant. With Rob's intimate narration, he contemplates what he is prepared to risk. more
STILL OUR COUNTRY
2015 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 88 min
A poetic celebration of country and culture, Still Our Country documents the swiftly changing lives of the Yolngu people of Ramingining in the Northern Territory. This evocative carnival of images and sounds makes a bold declaration of identity and offers a hopeful promise of a future. more
STILL POINT, THE - Photography of Robert McFarlane
2017 (PG) 27 min
The Still Point explores the life's work of one of Australia's most respected and pioneering documentary photographers: for five decades, Robert McFarlane has put a mirror up to the changing face of Australia. more
![STOCKMAN'S STRATEGY [from the AIATSIS Collection]](/images/small/7241.jpg)
STOCKMAN'S STRATEGY [from the AIATSIS Collection]
1984 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 51 min
An insight into the transfer of knowledge and experience on the Collum Collum cattle station in north-eastern New South Wales. more
STOLEN GENERATIONS
2000 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min
The removal of Aboriginal children in Australia was a deliberate government policy and forms part of the history of dispossession of the country's original inhabitants. Every Aboriginal family in Australia has directly or indirectly been affected and the effects have lasted over generations. Many have called this genocide. more
STONE COUNTRY
2006 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 26 min
Stone Country is a snapshot of a remote Indigenous community of Ngukurr in northern Australia. more
STORY OF GALLIPOLI, THE (book)
(G)
A screenplay by David Williamson * Text by Bill Gammage * Penguin Books 1981 * Paperback * 159 pages * This book provides a compelling record of the ill-fated military campaign at Gallipoli in 1915, through historical photographs and eyewitness accounts of the ANZACS who fought in it. more
STRANDED
2006 (M) 52 min
Claudia is trying to start a new life for herself after the loss of her mother. She lives and fights with her loving but inept father and psychotic little sister. When two children are dumped on the family, Claudia moves into her mother's abandoned car in the driveway. She plans to fix it and take off - that's if she can... more
STRONG MEN OF NGUIU
2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 24 min
Nguiu (known as Wurrumiyanga today) is a community on Bathurst Island, Northern Territory. There the "strong men" have been striving to restore cultural traditions among the youth on the island. Leading by example, they are steering the next generation away from substance abuse and crime to become leaders of tomorrow. more
SUBURB 4 SALE
2006 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 52 min
An observational documentary, filmed over two years, that follows what happens when a public housing estate goes under the hammer. It documents the lives of families desperate to buy in, and those desperate to get out, and the charismatic real estate agent whose job it is to turn a public housing estate into a viable property... more
![SUNNY AND THE DARK HORSE [from the AIATSIS Collection]](/images/small/7242.jpg)
SUNNY AND THE DARK HORSE [from the AIATSIS Collection]
1987 (PG) 86 min
Country folk know of pleasures that townsfolk never know ... The story of an Aboriginal stockman and his family and their growing passion for "picnic racing" on bush tracks in New South Wales. more
![SUNSET TO SUNRISE [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/4484.jpg)
SUNSET TO SUNRISE [from the CAAMA Collection]
2006 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 24 min
By the light of a comforting campfire, Rupert Max Stuart, a 77-year old Arrernte Mat-utjarra Elder and a custodian of the Alice Springs area, offers poignant words of wisdom to a younger generation. more
SURFING THE HEALING WAVE
1999 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 55 min
In this documentary, Kyle Slabb, a young Aboriginal surfer, takes us to the annual indigenous surfing contest at Fingal on the Northern New South Wales coast. Along the way, he offers us insights into traditional ways, dances and ceremonies and an understanding of his struggle to preserve those values in his modern life. more
SYDNEY AT WAR
2005 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 52 min
At midnight on Sun May 31, 1942, three Japanese midget submarines broke through Sydney Harbour's defences and launched a surprise attack on an ill-prepared city. During that night of confusion and violence, 21 Australian and 6 Japanese service personnel lost their lives. Sydney At War recounts the events of that fateful... more
TAGGED
2006 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 59 min
TAGGED is the story of four young people growing up in Sydney's notorious south-western suburbs. Reacting against the negative portrayal of young people from their area in the mainstream press, they talk about the things they love in their community, especially its diversity, its familiarity and its youthful energy. more
![TAKEOVER [from the AIATSIS Collection]](/images/small/7833.jpg)
TAKEOVER [from the AIATSIS Collection]
1979 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 87 min
The story of an Aboriginal community under threat from a distant bureaucracy. A film by David and Judith MacDougall. DIGITALLY RE-MASTERED FROM ORIGINAL FILM MATERIALS! more
TAKING PICTURES
1996 (G) 56 min
Taking Pictures focuses on several Australian film makers and the internationally renowned documentaries they made in Papua New Guinea in the 1970s-90s. Juxtaposing clips of the films with interviews of the filmmakers, it reflects upon the Western tradition of inquiring into and recording other people's lives, raising questions... more
![TALES FROM THE DALY - Nauiyu Nambiyu [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/4588.jpg)
TALES FROM THE DALY - Nauiyu Nambiyu [from the CAAMA Collection]
2010 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 20 min
A journey into the stories and spectacular landscapes of the Daly River region in the north-west of the Northern Territory. more
TALKING BROKEN
1991 (G) 76 min
'Broken' is the creole spoken by the Torres Strait Islanders in far north Australia. Although they appear to keep up with 'the system', the hidden language of the authorities will always remain a mystery. With humour and intelligence, various Islanders talk openly about subjects as wide-ranging as independence, culture,... more
![TALKING LANGUAGE with Ernie Dingo [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/10154.jpg)
TALKING LANGUAGE with Ernie Dingo [from the CAAMA Collection]
2014 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 132 min
There are around 250 languages with 600 dialects spoken on this land. Today it is estimated around 30 of those languages are still strong and spoken daily, while over a hundred are critically endangered. more
TEACH A MAN TO FISH
2018 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 80 min
Grant Leigh Saunders is an Aboriginal filmmaker, writer and musician who has secretly always wanted to be a fisherman, just like his father and grandfather before him. This fishing yarn is set against the backdrop of the beautiful Manning River in central New South Wales. more
TEA WITH MADAME CLOS
2010 (G) 90 min
TEA WITH MADAME CLOS is about an extraordinary woman in her extreme old age living in a small medieval village in South West France. Couched in the framework of a train journey, the filmmaker, Jane Oehr, remembers her many encounters over four years with Madame Clos. more
TEMPLE OF DREAMS
2007 (G) 90 min
Fadi Rahman runs the self-funded ICRA Youth Centre, operating out of a converted Masonic Temple in the heart of Sydney's Muslim community. When the Cronulla riots take place in December 2005, Fadi realises the need to accelerate and increase the programmes for Muslim youth. In the meantime, the local council has ruled... more
TEMPUS DE BARISTAS
1993 (G) 100 min
TEMPUS DE BARISTAS explores the character and prospects of three mountain shepherds of eastern Sardinia. more
TENDER HOOKS
1988 (M) 95 min
A bold debut feature by Wollongong filmmaker, Mary Callaghan: a new wave, pop cult, love story set in Sydney, starring Jo Kennedy and Nique Needles. When two young lovers discover their love has become an obsession, contact becomes a matter of survival. more
TENTMAKERS OF CAIRO, THE
2015 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 93 min
Spanning three turbulent years in Egyptian life, from the 2011 revolution to the 2014 election of Abdel Fatah Al Sisi, this intimate documentary observes these events through the eyes of artisan tentmakers in a back street in Cairo. more
TERRA NULLIUS
1992/2021 (G) 21 min
RE-RELEASE OF AN ACCLAIMED FILM FROM 1992, RE-MASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL FILM NEGATIVES. "In evoking what an Aboriginal child goes through when disconnected from family and taken into foster-care, this film is ahead of its time in its treatment." - Margo Neale, Senior Indigenous Curator and historian. more
THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH
2003 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 26 min
A film about the remarkable relationship between Indigenous cultures, the dolphin and the marine environment. We learn of remarkable signs observed between land and ocean to indicate when fish are travelling and in what numbers, and gain a clear insight into the 'yuri' or totem system and its place in contemporary culture. more
THERE'S NOTHING THAT DOESN'T TAKE TIME
1981 (G) 7 min
A mini film from Hatoma showing a 76-year-old woman weaving a basket for the fishing. During the task, which takes from morning till late afternoon, she talks about herself and her life. Available only in the collection of four films made by Solrun Hoaas on Hatoma Island: THE HATOMA FILMS. more
THESE HEATHEN DREAMS: Journey of a Cultural Bolshevik - Christopher Barnett
2014 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 53 min
Once described by the press as "one of the most controversial figures on the Australian art scene", avant-garde poet and playwright Christopher Barnett achieved a level of notoriety in the Melbourne underground theatre scene during the 70s and 80s, before self-exiling to France. more
THIS IS HOW YOU'LL MAKE YOUR BED IN PRISON
2009 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 10 min
The story of Vickie Lee Roach, an Aboriginal woman in an Australian prison who challenged the Federal government to gain the right to vote ... and won. more
THOSE WHO SAID NO
2014 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 89 min
Crimes against humanity committed by the Iranian regime in the 1980s are revealed in the Iran Tribunal, an enquiry held under the auspices of the International Court of Justice in the Hague in 2012-3. A film by Iranian filmmaker, Nima Sarvestani, co-director of NO BURQAS BEHIND BARS. more
THREE BOYS DREAMING
2011 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 85 min
A universal story about young dreams and ambitions as three Indigenous boys chase the dream of becoming football stars. more
![THREE HORSEMEN [from the AIATSIS Collection]](/images/small/7834.jpg)
THREE HORSEMEN [from the AIATSIS Collection]
1982 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 51 min
Three generations of Aboriginal stockmen on a cattle station in far north Queensland. more
![TIME BOMB [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/2514.jpg)
TIME BOMB [from the CAAMA Collection]
2005 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 25 min
TIME BOMB is a film about diabetes and its impact on one man's life. Frank Djara is a Pitjantjatjara man who developed diabetes after an active life dedicated to the health of his community. more
TIME TO DRAW THE LINE
2016 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 52 min
East Timor was born as a new nation in 2002 after 25 years of turmoil and war. Australia's peace-keeping force, INTERFET, helped with the peaceful transition to nationhood. Now, a darker story of Australia's relationship with this new nation is emerging. more
![TNORALA - BABY FALLING [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/2307.jpg)
TNORALA - BABY FALLING [from the CAAMA Collection]
2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 22 min
Tnorala, in Central Australia, is a breathtaking land formation that rises above the windswept plains fringing the edge of the Western MacDonnell Ranges. It is a place of unique and sacred importance to the Western Arrente people, who actively protect its beauty and integrity. more
![TO GET THAT COUNTRY [from the AIATSIS Collection]](/images/small/7349.jpg)
TO GET THAT COUNTRY [from the AIATSIS Collection]
1977 (G) 66 min
A record of an historic event: the inaugural meeting of the Northern Land Council, representing traditional owners of the northern part of the Northern Territory. more
TO LIVE WITH HERDS
1972 (B&W) (G) 70 min
This classic, widely acclaimed film on the Jie of Uganda, produced by the renowned ethnographic filmmaking team of David and Judith MacDougall, examines the effects of nation building in pre-Amin Uganda on the seminomadic, pastoral Jie. more
TOMBSTONE OPENING, THE
2012 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 29 min
Releasing the spirit of Ephraim Bani, a great cultural custodian, in Torres Strait's unique ritual. more
TOO MANY CAPTAIN COOKS
1988 (G) 18 min
In this film, Paddy Wainburranga of the Rembarrnga tribe from the centre of Arnhem Land in Northern Australia relates and paints the Rembarrnga history of Captain Cook. more
TO TASTE 100 HERBS
1984 (G) 58 min
Part 3: The Long Bow Trilogy - TO TASTE 100 HERBS: A rich portrait of a traditional Chinese doctor, and his special role in the community. more
TOTEM & ORE
2019 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 98 min
In Australia, British atomic bomb testing ran from 1953 to 1963 at Emu Field and Maralinga in South Australia. Indigenous communities had to live with the impact of these tests – testing that infected many with radioactive fallout. more
![TRANSFER OF POWER, A [from the AIATSIS Collection]](/images/small/7243.jpg)
TRANSFER OF POWER, A [from the AIATSIS Collection]
1986 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 21 min
Replacing the engine in an old car: the work of "bush mechanics" on a cattle station in northern New South Wales. more
TRAVELS ON MY DONKEY
2024 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 32 min
In this hand-drawn animated film by Lee Whitmore, the filmmaker travels back in time on her donkey to meet her great-great-uncle, John Reed Hill, in Egypt in 1837. She joins him on an expedition to explore the pyramids of Gizeh. For Lee the journey is the adventure of a lifetime. more
TRIAL, THE
2009 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 52 min
In February 2008 twelve Muslim men went on trial in Melbourne on terrorism charges. The trial ran for nine months, heard hundreds of hours of secretly taped conversations and presented 66,000 pages of evidence. THE TRIAL takes us inside one of the biggest court cases in Australia's history. more
TROBRIAND CRICKET
1979 (G) 52 min
"Trobriand cricket" refers to a unique version of the ball-and-bat sport cricket played by the Trobriand Islanders. They were first exposed to the game by Christian missionaries, who thought the game would discourage war among the natives. However, the game was quickly adapted to Trobriand culture by expanding the number... more
TROUBLESOME PRIEST, THE
2017 (G) 30 min
The story of Father Rod Bower, an Anglican priest from the central coast of New South Wales, whose provocative church signs go viral through social media around the world. He is committed to the belief that Australia's treatment of asylum seekers has put the soul of the nation in peril. more
TUPAIA'S ENDEAVOUR
2020 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 119 min
A first contact story, told from a Pacific point of view. Tupaia was a Polynesian high-priest, star-navigator, and artist who joined Cook's Endeavour expedition in Tahiti in 1769 as a navigator, and had a profound impact on Cook's journey and survival. This film cements Tupaia's role as a central figure in Pacific history. more
TURKANA CONVERSATIONS
1989 (G)
A trilogy of award-winning films on semi-nomadic camel herders of north-western Kenya. more
TWELVE CANOES
2008 (PG) 66 min
In the wake of the international success of TEN CANOES, Rolf de Heer has collaborated again with the Ramingining community of north Arnhem Land in making this series of twelve short documentaries that together paint a visual and audio portrait of the people, history, culture and place of the Yolngu people. more
TWO (2) DEGREES
2013 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 90 min
2 DEGREES tells two stories: first, the chaotic failure of the UN negotiations on climate change in Copenhagen; and the second takes us to the streets of Port Augusta, a small Australian town, and follows the community's passionate efforts to replace coal-fired power stations with solar thermal power. more
TWO HOMELANDS
2024 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 52 min
Fifty years after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, TWO HOMELANDS is both a commemoration of war and a celebration of community as six senior Australian Greek Cypriots - aged 70 to 102 - give emotional eyewitness accounts of the cost of war and their migration to Australia. more
UNDERCURRENTS: meditations on power
2023 (M) 19 min
A poetic essay documentary by Margot Nash, about the undercurrents of history playing out in the present: a 'song' for the dark times about repression and resistance. more
UNDER THE PALACE WALL
2014 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 53 min
An observational film by David MacDougall. A 16th century palace overlooks the Indian village of Delwara. It is now a luxury hotel, remote from the world of the villagers. more
UNFORGOTTEN ISLANDS (Chagos Ou la Memoire des Iles)
2011 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 83 min
In the 1970s, the people of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean were evicted from their homes and forced to live in shanty towns in Mauritius and the Seychelles, so that a British and USA military base could be established on their homeland to support military operations in the Middle East. more
UP IN THE SKY
1999 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 26 min
A funny, honest and revealing look into the life and work of photographic artist and filmmaker Tracey Moffatt, whose work's were exhibited at the prestigious gallery Dia Centre for the Arts in New York City. more
UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS (Family Foibles)
2001 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 27 min
A family separates and, for the sake of their relationship and own lives, works out a way to keep living and parenting together for the sake of their daughter. Architecture, alternatives, and a lot of planning and negotiating are central to this story. more
URBAN CLAN
1997 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 55 min
A documentary portrait of three brothers: choreographer Stephen Page, composer David Page, and performer Russell Page, who together form the creative core of the Bangarra Dance Theatre, one of Australia's most exciting and internationally acclaimed contemporary dance companies. more
UTOPIA: THE GENIUS OF EMILY KAME KNGWARREYE (book)
(G)
Edited by Margo Neale * Published by Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan, 1998 * Hardback * 256 pages * This beautiful volume with over 140 pages of full colour images, is the official publication of the exhibition of Emily Kame Kngwarreye's work that toured Japan in 2008. more
VACANT POSSESSION
1994 (M) 95 min
NOW RE-MASTERED FROM ORIGINAL FILM MATERIALS! A welcome re-release of the acclaimed dramatic feature film from 1994, written and directed by Margot Nash (director of The Silences, also available from Ronin). Following her mother's death, a young woman returns to the old family home, a dilapidated cottage in a coastal... more
VALENCIA DIARY
1992 (G) 108 min
Valencia Diary is the chronicle of a Southern Philippine village at a time when daily life was charged with tension at the impending collapse of the Marcos regime. more
VEILED AMBITION
2006 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 26 min
An inspiring documentary about Frida,"a little Aussie battler in a scarf," and her dream to create a fashion empire. more
VIETNAM NURSES
2005 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 52 min
The untold story of the young Australian Army nurses who served at the only Australian-run field hospital in the Vietnam War. more
VIRTUOSI
2012 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 76 min
A documentary about the drive to be an artist and the special nature of virtuosity in dance. Through exhilarating dance and stories from the heart, Virtuosi reveals intimate and outstanding portraits of eight New Zealand dance artists. more
Vis a vis TECHNO TRIBAL
2004 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min
A fascinating and emotional 4-day encounter. Ningali Lawford from the Kimberley in north-western Australia and James Luna from California meet through a satellite video link and embark on a journey into each other's world. The agenda for what would happen was entirely unknown. more
VISIONS OF PARADISE
2009 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 44 min
The story of four young idealists who thought they had found paradise on earth only to discover they were actually in mind control cults. more
VOICES OF TRANSITION
2012 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 66 min
Powered by the conviction that crisis can be a major catalyst for change, Voices of Transition present paths towards a new model of human existence: one which is fair, environmentally sound and fulfilling, with soil and people supporting each other in a balanced and sustainable system. more
VOTE YES FOR ABORIGINES - The Story of the 1967 Referendum
2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min
A documentary about the 1967 Referendum and the fight for citizenship rights for Aborigines. It marks the 40th anniversary of the occasion, celebrating its historical significance and contemporary relevance. more
VOYAGE OF BOUNTY'S CHILD, THE
1983 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 90 min
The year is 1789. In the central Pacific Ocean the crew of Her Majesty's Ship Bounty mutinied against their captain, William Bligh, and cast him adrift with 18 other men in an open boat, 150 kilometres from Tonga. This epic voyage is re-created in this remarkable documentary classic from 1983. more
![WAITING FOR HARRY [from the AIATSIS Collection]](/images/small/10159.jpg)
WAITING FOR HARRY [from the AIATSIS Collection]
1980 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 56 min
Tensions behind the scenes of a ritual event in central Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. more
WAITING FOR WATER
1981 (G) 27 min
Available only in the collection of four films made by Solrun Hoaas on Hatoma Island: THE HATOMA FILMS. more
![WALBIRI FIRE CEREMONY, A - Ngatjakula [from the AIATSIS Collection]](/images/small/10113.jpg)
WALBIRI FIRE CEREMONY, A - Ngatjakula [from the AIATSIS Collection]
1977 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 19 min
Ngatjakula is one of the most spectacular ceremonies of central Australia, employing fire, and several days of singing and dance, to resolve conflicts and re-affirm social order among the Warlpiri (Walbiri) people. more
![WALKING DANCING BELONGING [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/3326.jpg)
WALKING DANCING BELONGING [from the CAAMA Collection]
2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 22 min
Three women from the Kununurra area of Western Australia share their art and their experience of being "in country". more
WANDERING SOULS
2019 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 75 min
Wandering Souls follows the mounting of a new stage production, Bangsokol: A Requiem for Cambodia, to honour the nearly 2 million Cambodians who died during the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1979. more
WANJA
2008 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 25 min
Wanja is a documentary about 'the Block', through the eyes of Auntie Barb and the life of Wanja her blue heeler dog, recently deceased. The community on the Block's many and varied stories of Wanja reflect on the issues affecting this indigenous community in the heart of Sydney. more
![WARREN WILLIAMS - The Stories, The Songs [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/6584.jpg)
WARREN WILLIAMS - The Stories, The Songs [from the CAAMA Collection]
2000 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 24 min
A journey into the world of Warren H. Williams – his music and his Arrernte culture. more
WAYS OF THINKING
1990 (G) 29 min
A young Warlpiri Aboriginal man wants to leave his traditional community to seek work in a town. His wife is against this move; she wants to remain in the community, to be part of the traditional life of her tribe and to bring up their children in their ancient culture. She fears that the children will lose their language,... more
WEATHER DIARIES, THE
2020 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 91 min
An intimate chronicle of two simultaneous histories: on the one hand the cataclysmic impacts of climate change and the extinction crisis on the forest ecosystems, and on the other, the development of the filmmaker's daughter from child to adult. more
WEDDING CAMELS, THE
1979 (G) 108 min
This film explores the relationships between wedding negotiations, dispersed kin groups bound together by reciprocal livestock obligations, and the significance of these marital alliances in a harsh environment. Unfolding events reveal the delicate balance between the economics of the domestic groups involved and the self-respect... more
WEDDING IN RAMALLAH, A
2002 (M) 90 min
A Wedding in Ramallah is an engrossing film exploring domestic life in Palestine during a time of war, and the experiences of Palestinians who manage to emigrate overseas. more
WEDDING SARI SHOWDOWN
2006 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 26 min
WEDDING SARI SHOWDOWN follows 2 young lovers, Ramona and Anu, as they struggle to maintain their relationship and their independence against the every-increasing pressure of family obligations and cultural expectations throughout their wedding preparations. more
WEDDING SARI SHOWDOWN - Part 2
2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 25 min
Three years after they defied their families by marrying secretly in a Melbourne registry office, Sikh-Australian Ramona and her Marwari husband, Anurag are expecting their first child. While Ramona is prepared to welcome her mother-in-law into her Melbourne home prior to the birth and accept advice, there is a limit to... more
WE DON'T NEED A MAP
2017 (M) 85 min
A bold and provocative essay film by Warwick Thornton about the deeply spiritual meaning of the Southern Cross constellation for Aboriginal people. The film challenges us to consider the place of the Southern Cross in the psyche of all Australians. WINNER! Digital History Prize, NSW Premier's History Awards, 2018. more
WE OF LITTLE VOICE (NIDF series 5)
2002 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 26 min
WE OF LITTLE VOICE reveals the effects of uranium mining and nuclear testing on Indigenous communities in South Australia. more
![WESTERN DESERT WOOMERA: Fashioned With Stone Tools [from the AIATSIS Collection]](/images/small/10738.jpg)
WESTERN DESERT WOOMERA: Fashioned With Stone Tools [from the AIATSIS Collection]
1981 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 11 min
A documentary about the making of a spear-thrower by two Pintupi men of the Lake McDonald area in the central west of the Northern Territory. The film demonstrates their use of stone tools. more
WHAT I WROTE - Andrew Bovell
2009 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 111 min
Andrew Bovell talks about his use of language, story and form, his re-writing of the plays, the rehearsal process and his collaboration with other writers, actors and artists. more
WHAT I WROTE - David Williamson
2009 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 119 min
David Williamson talks about a lifetime of writing, the changing nature of Australian theatre and the rehearsal process. more
WHAT I WROTE - Debra Oswald
2009 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 115 min
Oswald talks about the stories behind the plays, her stagecraft and her passion for notebooks. more
WHAT I WROTE - Hannie Rayson
2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 60 min
Hannie Rayson engages with the national conversation and rehearses the big debates of our time. She uses family as a platform to discuss these issues. Hotel Sorrento, Inheritance, Life After George and the provocative Two Brothers make up her most influential works. She talks freely about her influences, her working methods... more
WHAT I WROTE - Joanna Murray-Smith
2009 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 125 min
Joanna Murray-Smith talks about writing first drafts, her childhood influences, her overseas productions and her working relationship with directors. more
WHAT I WROTE - Katherine Thomson
2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 60 min
The dissident walks through Katherine Thomson's plays – the whistleblower, the unionist and the activist occupy her stage. We see them in Harbour, Mavis Goes to Timor, and Wonderlands. Katherine talks about her writing process, where he research has led her and where her ideas come from. She discusses her stagecraft... more
WHAT I WROTE - Louis Nowra
2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 60 min
A prolific writer who has changed the way we view theatre. From his evocative The Golden Age through Cosi and Radiance to the Boyce Trilogy we have come to expect the Nowra stage to show us the unexpected. A master of adaptation Nowra talks frankly about his working methods, his fascination with the fall of empires and... more
WHAT I WROTE - Matt Cameron
2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 60 min
An Australian playwright whose influences are suburbia, politics and rock music. His Ruby Moon delighted and shocked audiences. He holds a lens up to the ordinary and shows us how disturbing, how provocative it can be. Cameron talks about his themes of love, loss and the impossible and he shares his interest in comedy,... more
WHAT I WROTE - Staging a Play
2010 (PG) 30 min
Five awarding-winning playwrights talk about the staging of their plays - MATT CAMERON, LOUIS NOWRA, DEBRA OSWALD, HANNIE RAYSON and DAVID WILLIAMSON more
WHAT I WROTE - Writing a Play
2010 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 42 min
Five award-winning playwrights talk about their writing processes - ANDREW BOVELL, MATT CAMERON, JOANNA MURRAY-SMITH, HANNIE RAYSON and DAVID WILLIAMSON. more
WHEN MRS HEGARTY COMES TO JAPAN
1992 (PG) 59 min
A penetrating examination of cross cultural existence and exchange. Filled with quirky juxtapositions, generational gaps, and diverse outlooks on life - sometimes hilarious, sometimes sobering. more
WHEN THE NATIVES GET RESTLESS
2007 (M) 28 min
A film about racism and inequality in a small country town. It is about life, family and the disadvantage of not having opportunities because of the colour of your skin. more
WHEN THE SNAKE BITES THE SUN
1985 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 57 min
A film by Michael Edols. Available on DVD and Vimeo-on-Demand as part of the ASPECTS OF A LIFE collection. more
WHERE THE WATER STARTS
2021 (PG) 71 min
After seeing the destruction of the fragile alpine ecology of Australia's Snowy Mountains first-hand, Richard Swain decides to speak out. A powerful new film by Amanda King and Fabio Cavadini. more
WHISPERING IN OUR HEARTS
2002 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 52 min
The story of the 1916 massacre of Aboriginal people at Mowla Bluff, Western Australia, told in interviews with surviving Nyikina, Mangala and Karajarri peoples, as well as through dramatised re-enactments of the testimonials of Aboriginal witnesses. more
WHITE WATER, BLACK GOLD
2011 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 83 min
WHITE WATER, BLACK GOLD is a riveting, multi-award-winning Canadian documentary about the controversies surrounding the Alberta Tar Sands. Martin Lukacs recently wrote in The Guardian: the Tar Sands of Alberta are "a source of oil so dirty that renowned ex-NASA climatologist James Hansen has described it as a "carbon... more
WHITEYS LIKE US
1999 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min
A group of 15 white strangers come together to participate in an eight-week Aboriginal reconciliation circle. The film follows the impact the process has on the participants' lives as they grapple with these difficult and complex issues. more
![WHO WE ARE - Brave New Clan [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/11889.jpg)
WHO WE ARE - Brave New Clan [from the CAAMA Collection]
2015 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 47 min
Six young Australians share what Indigenous culture means to them today in contemporary urban Australia. From the bustling streets of Sydney to the aquamarine vistas of the Torres Strait, their stories span a diverse population across the country and yet share common themes of resilience, courage, optimism and success. more
WHO WE ARE IN SPORT
2012 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 49 min
Six Indigenous sports stars talk about their experiences, achievements and challenges on the track, in the ring - and in life. Presented by Aaron Pedersen with Nova Peris, Mark Ella, Kyah Simon, Phil Krakouer, Des Abbott and Anthony Mundine. more
WIFE AMONG WIVES, A
1979 (G) 72 min
An investigation of how the Turkana, and especially Turkana women, view marriage. more
WILD HONEY: CARING FOR BEES IN A DIVIDED LAND
2019 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 30 min
For more than a century, the island of Timor has been divided by a colonial border. This border has displaced and separated the people of Lookeu, dividing their land, water and history. Timor's migratory wild honey bees challenge this division. more
![WILLABERTA JACK [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/3327.jpg)
WILLABERTA JACK [from the CAAMA Collection]
2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 26 min
He survived an attempted killing. He survived an unjust legal system. But can he survive white "payback"? A true story from the Northern Territory, 1929, which inspired the feature film, SWEET COUNTRY. more
WING AND A PRAYER, A
2000 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 56 min
Five women from Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, and Sudan discuss how they have embraced the Australian way of life while still maintaining a close connection with their cultural heritage. more
WINNING WORLD WAR I
2008 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 92 min
A moving adaptation of the landmark book, The Western Front Diaries, written by historian Dr Jonathan King to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the end of World War I. Dr King presents this little-known story of the role of the tough-fighting Australians in the winning of World War I. more
![WIRRIYA: Small Boy [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/2512.jpg)
WIRRIYA: Small Boy [from the CAAMA Collection]
2001 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 27 min
This moving documentary is a record of a few hours in the life of a small 7 year old boy, Ricco, from Hidden Valley, one of the many town camps on the outskirts of Alice Springs. more
WITH MORNING HEARTS
2001 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 110 min
With Morning Hearts continues David MacDougall's long-term study of an elite boys' boarding school in northern India. more
WOLF IN AUSTRALIAN ART, THE
2015 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 42 min
Danila Vassilieff was a pivotal figure in the emergence of Modernism in Australian art. He was also a Russian - a bold cossack from South Russia, and a defender of the czar. His fascinating life and profound humanity are the subject of this compelling and wide-ranging documentary. more
WOMAN WITH AN EDITING BENCH
2016 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 15 min
Inspired by the woman who edited Man with a Movie Camera (1929), Woman With An editing bench reveals the personal impact of Stalin's censorship of cinema on a woman navigating politics, bureaucracy and the impetuous outbursts of collaborators to create something beautiful despite the odds. more
WOMEN OF THE SUN
1981 (PG) 240 min
Comprising of four stand-alone one-hour episodes, this ground-breaking series from 1982 depicts events in the lives of four Aboriginal women over more than 150 years. more
WOMEN OF THE SUN ... 25 YEARS LATER
2006 (PG) 80 min
A powerful documentary about the lives of the women who played leading roles in the ground-breaking drama series, WOMEN OF THE SUN. more
WONDER BOY
2001 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 56 min
The follow-up documentary to the highly successful 1992 documentary DRIVING WITH RICHARD, the story of Richard Rook, a boy with special needs (physical and intellectual disabilities), and his parents Deirdre and Charlie. more
WOODCUTTER'S SON, THE (Family Foibles)
2001 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 27 min
Jailed for 25 years for armed robbery, Allan Martin came out of jail 8 years ago as a published poet. He hopes to renew contact with his mother and sister after a long estrangement. more
WRAP ME UP IN PAPERBARK
2007 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 28 min
This provocative documentary portrays the struggle faced by two indigenous Australians, Speedy McGinness, and his sister, Kathy Mills, to return their mother's remains from Darwin to her homelands, 600 kilometres south. more
WRONG SIDE OF THE BUS
2009 (PG) 56 min
Sidney Bloch, a professor of psychiatry, returns to South Africa from Melbourne for his medical school reunion. He's determined to resolve his guilt for colluding with Apartheid that has troubled him for forty years. He's accompanied by his teenage son, Aaron, who turns out to be his harshest critic. more
YEAR OF THE DOGS
1997 (M) 86 min
When the film was made in 1997, the "mighty" Bulldogs hadn't won a premiership since 1954. The film follows the 1996 season: it is the centenary year of the AFL and the whole of Victoria and the allied states are celebrating the meaning and tradition of Aussie Rules. more
![YELLOW FELLA [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/2299.jpg)
YELLOW FELLA [from the CAAMA Collection]
2004 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 25 min
A portrait of the late Balang Tom E. Lewis who as a young man in 1978 was chosen by director Fred Schepisi to star in THE CHANT OF JIMMY BLACKSMITH. The life of the character he played was hauntingly close to his own – a restless young man of mixed heritage, struggling between two cultures to find his own identity. more
YOLNGU HOMELAND
2015 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 58 min
Garrthalala in Arnhem Land: the story of the community's connectedness with other beings - ancestors, animals and plants. Totemic beings of significance include the saltwater crocodile, crows, dogs and dingoes, crabs, sea eagles, turtles, and yams. A film by Natasha Fijn. more
![YORKY BILLY [from the AIATSIS Collection]](/images/small/10158.jpg)
YORKY BILLY [from the AIATSIS Collection]
1980 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 17 min
A portrait of a disappearing way of life in the Northern Territory outback. more