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Health (2/4)
Health, well-being and disease in Australian society and internationally, ranging from the after-effects of the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam, issues relating to health in Australian Indigenous communities, the marketing of drugs by pharmaceutical companies, alzheimers disease and research on well-being and health affecting young people.
FIRST MISSION
1999 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 54 min
Each year the Australian Red Cross recruits new people for its overseas postings. This film follows three successful applicants from their training in Melbourne to their first missions in Africa – a refugee camp in Western Tanzania, a field hospital in north Kenya, dealing with wounded from the war in the Sudan. more
FOLLOWING THE FENCELINE
1996 (PG) 50 min
A documentary about breast cancer and an innovative approach to public awareness taken by 14 remarkable women. more
FOR ALL THE WORLD TO SEE
1992 (PG) 73 min
A portrait of Professor Fred Hollows whose eye health programs in Eritrea, Nepal and outback Australia offer a model for Third World countries where millions suffer from curable blindness. A bold, wry, intimate and ultimately very moving tribute to an extraordinary life more
GREEN CHAIN, THE
2011 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 52 min
For 30 years, a Maori community fights for truth and justice after industrial chemical poisoning afflicts its land and people. In the process, many Maori workers affected by the poison learn new skills of leadership and become powerful spokespeople for their cause. more
HANDLING THE HEART
2022 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 27 min
An exploration of patient experiences following major heart surgery - how to understand them and live with them: a story of existential crises and transformative experiences, told by four ex-patients. Adapted from the feature-length documentary, PUMPHEAD. more
HANDMAIDENS AND BATTLEAXES
1989 (PG) 55 min
This remarkable award-winning documentary by the late Rosalind Gillespie (filmmaker and Registered Nurse) traces the role of nurses from pre-industrial times to the modern era. more
HOLDING TIGHTLY - Custom and Healing in Timor-Leste
2021 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 30 min
Holding Tightly observes seven approaches to healing in remote, rural and urban parts of the Baucau municipality in Timor-Leste, spanning contexts and experiences from the armed resistance era to the independence period. A film by Lisa Palmer and Susanna Barnes. more
HONEYMOON IN KABUL
2009 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 71 min
A powerful documentary about Afghanistan and the difficulties of delivering aid to a country that is suffering from "aid fatigue" and prolonged exposure to Western misunderstanding. The psychological and physical damage caused by war, exacerbated by mistrust of foreigners, is at the heart of this honest and challenging... more
HUNDREDTH ROOM, THE
2004 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 18 min
THE HUNDREDTH ROOM follows the personal journey undertaken by the filmmaker in the twelve months following her partner Caroline's death. We enter into the landscape of grief to discover what death says about life. more
KEEN AS MUSTARD
1989 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 46 min
Re-release of an important documentary that explores little known experiments in chemical warfare conducted in Australia from 1942 to 1945. more
LANGUAGE OF LIGHT, THE
2023 (M) 171 min
Intimate portraits of seven ground-breaking Australian photographers, each with a significant body of work and each with a different photographic style. more
LIGHTING A CANDLE
2010 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 56 min
Dr Catherine Hamlin's 50 year journey for the destitute women of Ethiopia. EXTRA FEATURES include 3 additional short films: A COMPASSIONATE VISION, HEAVEN SENT and LABOUR OF LOVE. more
![LIVING COUNTRY [from the CAAMA Collection]](/images/small/4483.jpg)
LIVING COUNTRY [from the CAAMA Collection]
2005 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 22 min
Traditional owners of proposed nuclear waste dump sites in central Australia show us what's at stake if the unthinkable happens. A film by David Tranter. more
LONG GOODBYE, THE
2010 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 55 min
THE LONG GOODBYE follows the journeys of three families living with dementia as they struggle to maintain the identity and dignity of those they love. Filmed over a 3 year period, the documentary celebrates the capacity of the human spirit to search for meaning and hope when the end is known and inescapable. more
MEN DON'T CRY
2015 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 26 min
A mother's concern for her son and his abuse of alcohol takes her on a journey of her own self-discovery. The film observes the pain and hardship of alcohol abuse on families, and the internal pain of a mother feeling 'useless' as she observes the self-destruction of her child as he tries to become 'a man'. more
MICROBES TO MACROBES: The Story of Frank Fenner
2011 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: G) 63 min
Frank Fenner was one of Australia's greatest scientists. He helped save Australia's troops from malaria in World War II; charted the course of myxomatosis as it decimated Australia's feral rabbit population; was one of the leading figures in the global campaign which eliminated smallpox; and was a pioneering environmentalist. more
MIDWIVES, LULLABIES AND MOTHER EARTH
1993 (Classification Exempt - Ronin Recommends: PG) 53 min
Pioneer advocate of natural childbirth, Michel Odent is a French doctor who believes that separating the mother and baby at birth has a profound significance for them both and for society as a whole. Odent believes that "if we can transform the birth, we can transform the world". 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
![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
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
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
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
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