australian history
23 movies and shows
Shares in Murder
Wed, 01 Jan 1964
Beth Tyson is murdered in her mansion. Chief Inspector Fields, Inspector Bramell and Detective Philbert present three different versions of this crime.
Dan Morgan
Mon, 22 May 1911
From the life and criminal career of bushranger Dan Morgan, leading up to his violent death at the hands of police.
The Ripple Effect
Sat, 05 Jun 2021
The Ripple Effect is a powerful documentary primarily centred around St Kilda legend and proud Noongar Nicky Winmar's generation-defining stand against racism at Victoria Park in 1993.
For the Honour of Australia
Wed, 01 Mar 1916
For the Honour of Australia is a 1916 film composed of footage from two 1915 Australian silent films, For Australia and How We Beat the Emden, plus the documentary How We Fought the Emden.
First Warrior
Invalid Date
Australia was colonized in the late 1700s. Pemulwuy, a man of the Bidjigal tribes — from the region that is today modern-day Sydney — led a 12-year resistance against British settlers moving into his people’s traditional lands.
Island Home Country
Sat, 02 Aug 2008
A poetic cine-essay about race and Australia’s colonised history and how it impacts into the present offering insights into how various individuals deal with the traumatic legacies of British colonialism and its race-based policies. The film’s consultative process, with ‘Respecting Cultures’ (Tasmanian Aboriginal Protocols), offers an evolving shift in Australian historical narratives from the frontier wars, to one of diverse peoples working through historical trauma in a process of decolonisation.
Sydney in Time
Sat, 08 Apr 2006
Sydney in Time is a rich and powerful story that charts the evolution of Sydney from its early years as a colonial outpost through to its emergence as a dynamic world city. The one-hour documentary looks back at the people, places and front page stories that have shaped a great city and helped define Australia.
Nazi Supergrass
Wed, 21 Jul 1993
This documentary explores the life and times of Russell Dean Willey, a neo-Nazi supergrass, in order to explain the presence of Jack Van Tongeren's Australian Nationalists Movement in Australia, and its spread, especially in difficult economic times.
Blood on the Coal
Wed, 12 Aug 2015
A story of struggle and tragedy, the film features harrowing underground disasters, heroic rescues and traces a history of strikes, industrial turmoil and the current push by global mining giants to destroy regional communities and replace local mineworkers with a subservient itinerant workforce.
The Skin of Others
Wed, 10 Jun 2020
A compelling portrait of an extraordinary figure, Aboriginal WWI soldier Douglas Grant, featuring acclaimed Indigenous actor Balang Tom E. Lewis (in his final performance). Grant (c.1885-1951) was extraordinarily famous in his day, an intellectual, a journalist, a soldier, a reader of Shakespeare and a bagpipe player who could put on a fine Scottish accent. His life story connects Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Adolf Hitler, and Henry Lawson among other famous figures as he moved from Australia to Europe, UK and back. Lewis’s thoughtful and often playful reflections on Grant’s life, along with guest appearances from Max Cullen and Archie Roach, connect to the larger story of Australia’s tragic colonial history and its troubled relationship with First Australians.
Federation
Fri, 01 Jan 1999
An epic tale about the making of Australia. This tells the stories of the founding fathers and of the people in six separate colonies in the decades leading to Federation. It's a tale of winners and losers, of great debates which unified the country, of the struggle not just to make an Australian nation, but to create Australian democracy.
The Accidental Archivist
Sun, 10 Jul 2022
Julie Peters is a legend in the trans community in Australia. She was the first person to transition at the ABC, at a time when there were no role models around her. From her early twenties, Julie started collecting anything trans or queer related to help her work out who she was. Over the years she’s collected one of the most comprehensive trans archives in the country. Including Interview with ABC MD David Anderson.
Australia Says Yes
Fri, 16 Nov 2018
Packed with drama, high emotions and cliff-hanger moments, Australia Says Yes is the intimate and personal history of struggle and perseverance that propelled Australia to say Yes to marriage equality. The film shows how a group of determined individuals fought tirelessly against unjust laws that treated LGBTIQ people as second-class citizens, creating a movement that saw them go from criminals to legally equal over the course of five decades.
WINHANGANHA
Fri, 10 Nov 2023
WINHANGANHA (Wiradjuri language: Remember, know, think) - is a lyrical journey of archival footage and sound, poetry and original composition. It is an examination of how archives and the legacies of collection affect First Nations people and wider Australia, told through the lens of acclaimed Wiradjuri artist, Jazz Money.
Jazmin
Fri, 29 Oct 2021
Jazmin Theodora, 83 is A Nimbin Local Legend and Tarot reader. Jazmin uses her physic abilities to get people in touch with who they are. Her story is about always being yourself. Own who you are and be proud of who you are, regardless of your age. A strong, passionate woman, Jazmin’s zest life shines through inspiring others to live their very best life.
Burke & Wills
Wed, 30 Oct 1985
A story based on true events about two explorers on a doomed journey trying to cross Australia on foot in the 19 century.
Too Many Captain Cooks
Sun, 01 Jan 1989
For both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians, Captain James Cook is a figure of great historical significance.
Australia's Wonder Years The Ashes At Home from 1990 to 2007
Wed, 04 Dec 2013
Over 5 red-hot summers between 1990 and 2007, Australia dominated the Ashes down under like never before: in 25 test matches, the rampant Aussies won 18 and lost just 3. It was an unforgettable era when all-time greats including Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Allan Border and Steve Waugh inflicted cricket misery upon the English. While Australia re-wrote the record books - showing the inventors of the game how to dominate it We relive unforgettable moments from this all-conquering age: Steve Waugh's career-saving last-ball century; Shane Warne's Ashes hat-trick, the first in over 90 years; Adelaide's amazing victory plucked from nowhere during the 5-nil whitewash of 2006/07. Aussie's lethal bowling artillery: while McGrath and Warne dined out on England's batsmen, Jason Gillespie, Stuart MacGill, Merv Hughes, Brett Lee and Bruce Reid delivered their own brand of merciless bowling attack. These were the wonder years when Australia made history - and England was history.
SYSTEM-Stories and Connections to Land and Country
Wed, 21 May 2025
System (2025) is a short documentary film exploring intergenerational connections to land and country. Interviews with Aunty Denise Morgan Bulled, a Yorta Yorta Elder; John Toll and his family, fourth-generation farmers in Gunbower wetlands; and two Local 10 year olds, Harry and his friend Mac. The film reflects on how the river system shapes their daily lives, impacts their quality of life, and influences their passion for country.
