Australia

  • Roger Scholes – The Tale of Ruby Rose (1987)

    Drama1981-1990AustraliaHorrorRoger Scholes

    During the 1930s in the remote highlands of Australian Tasmania, Ruby Rose (Melita Jurisic – Mad Max: Fury Road) lives with her husband, Henry (Chris Haywood – Muriel’s Wedding), and stepson, Gem (Rod Zuanic – Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome).
    Ruby is alone for much of the time and, afraid of night’s darkness, she concocts elaborate mythical stories to survive, retreating into a private world. Eventually, she sets out to reconnect with her estranged father, and in the process recovers her past, and transcends the fear that had gripped her so tightly.Read More »

  • Wilfred Lucas – The Man from Kangaroo (1920)

    1911-1920AustraliaDramaWilfred Lucas

    “The Man From Kangaroo” was the first film of Australian athlete Rex “Snowy” Baker (1884-1953). It was filmed in September-October 1919 on location in the Kangaroo Valley and at Gunnedah, with interior shots filmed at Sydney’s Theatre Royal. It opened at the Lyceum and Lyric Theatres in Sydney on Saturday 24 January 1920, It appears to have escaped a detailed review in “The Sydney Morning Herald”, but the Adelaide newspaper “The Register” of 28 April 1920 enthused about it in the following terms:Read More »

  • John D. Lamond – Felicity (1978)

    1971-1980AustraliaDramaEroticaJohn D. Lamond 

    Young Felicity lives in a monastic school. The only way to live out her sexual fantasies is together with her girlfriend Jenny. But then she receives an invitation to her sister in Hong-Kong and can’t wait to finally do the real thing.Read More »

  • John Hillcoat – Ghosts… of the Civil Dead (1988)

    John Hillcoat1981-1990AsianAustraliaQueer Cinema(s)Thriller

    Quote:
    Central Industrial Prison is set in the middle of the desert. It’s the future of maximum-security containment and it’s been “locked down” after an explosion of violence. A Committee’s been appointed to report on the events that led to the violence but their findings are in stark contrast to the reality we see with our own eyes.. “Ghosts.. of the Civil Dead” is a powerful drama on modern methods of social control.Read More »

  • Kriv Stenders – Boxing Day (2007)

    Kriv Stenders2001-2010AustraliaDrama

    Kriv Stenders’ Boxing Day is a harrowing film, with moments of absolute release and relief.

    It is a low-budget work, filmed on digital video – with Stenders behind the camera – in a single location, with a cast of six. It takes place in real time, and it’s shot in long, sometimes relentless scenes that give the appearance of being a single, continuous take. It’s a film that puts its characters under pressure, and in some ways, its audience too. But it’s also a rewarding work to watch, a raw, vivid, risky movie that juggles intensity and excess, yet shows moments of restraint and grace.Read More »

  • Paul Cox – Lust and Revenge (1996)

    Paul Cox1991-2000AustraliaComedyDrama

    Once upon a time there was a spoilt, directionless woman called Georgina Oliphant (Claudia Karvan).

    To relieve the boredom associated with being an heiress, Georgina has commissioned a sculpture using her father’s money. Foreseeing a healthy tax deduction and a chance to honour his dead wife with a new wing in the state gallery, her father George (Chris Haywood) indulges her. Georgina’s friend, Lily Carmichael (Victoria Eagger), is engaged to create the work.Read More »

  • Paul Cox – Kostas (1979)

    Paul Cox1971-1980AustraliaDrama

    “Paul Cox (“My First Wife”/”A Man of Flowers”/”The Golden Braid “) helms an interesting romantic drama about diverse cultures meeting on equal terms. It’s set in Melbourne, Australia, where the earthy Kostas (Takis Emmanuel), a journalist in the old country but who is now forced to drive a cab to survive. Kostas is depicted as a sensitive man of hot Greek passions, well-educated and of a good upbringing who currently lives in a dumpy boarding-house. The exile lives a peaceful but depressing existence, but things perk up when he picks up one of his fares. Carol (Wendy Hughes) is a native born pretty divorcee of the upper-crust, who despite embarrassed by Kosta’s vulgarity is still attracted to him. How the couple manage to relate to each other makes up the heart of the film and gives the viewer a chance to look at the clash over cultures through their eyes.Read More »

  • Jeffrey Walker – Riot (2018)

    2011-2020AustraliaDramaJeffrey WalkerRomance

    A group of people are stuck in a fight against the law who has paused the decision to decriminalize homosexuality. They decide to protest against the authority and bring in a change.Read More »

  • Granaz Moussavi – When Pomegranates Howl (2020)

    2011-2020AustraliaDramaGranaz MoussaviWar

    Hewad is a nine-year-old boy who supports his family by selling goods from a cart on the harsh streets of Kabul after the death of his father. At home he is also facing the challenge of the forced marriage of his mother to his uncle. He dreams of escaping his war-torn poverty existence by becoming a rich and famous actor, taking care of his mum himself and buying his family a fancy new house. An Australian photojournalist befriends Hewad and starts documenting his life in order to depict an empathetic image of the children of this war-torn society. Inspired by this, Hewad sets out to enlist his friends to help him create an imaginary Hollywood style action film.Read More »

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