Australian filmmakers were at the forefront of cinema and film, having created what is considered the first feature-length narrative film with the release of The Story of the Kelly Gang and other early films by directors
John Gavin,
W. J. Lincoln and
Alfred Rolfe.
The Sentimental Bloke (1919) – made by
Raymond Longford and
Lottie Lyell, one of the first, best known and most successful silent era films with a first-person narrative,[1] the best-known partnership in Australian film at that time
Robbery Under Arms (1920)
Director - Kenneth Brampton.
Captain Starlight - Kenneth Brampton. Ben Marsden - Stephen Australia Fitzgerald
The mid-1900s had a slow start for Australian film, although the first Academy Award was won for an Australian film, Kokoda Front Line!. The industry picked back up during the 1970s with one of the first internationally released films, Picnic at Hanging Rock, and with the success of the series of Mad Max franchise films.
They're a Weird Mob (1966) – said to have been one factor leading to the founding of the Australian film industry; based on the novel of the same title
Concerto for Orchestra (1966) – AFI winner for Best Film
Burke & Wills (1985) – AFI nominations for Best Music Score and Best Cinematography
Crocodile Dundee (1986) – received international acclaim; nominated for an Oscar for Best Screenplay
Malcolm (1986) – AFI winner for Best Film; one of the first films starring
Colin Friels
For Love Alone (1986) – five AFI Award nominations; nominated for a Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival; starring Hugo Weaving, Sam Neill, and Naomi Watts in her first film appearance
Bad Boy Bubby (1994) – won four AFI awards: Best Director (
Rolf de Heer), Best Actor in a Leading Role (
Nicholas Hope), Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing
Metal Skin (1994) – FCCA award for best actor
Aden Young,
Ben Mendelsohn; AFI award for best achievement in sound and best achievement in production design
The 2000s in the history of Australian film have seen mixed success, including Moulin Rouge! revitalizing the musical film genre, award-winning short film Harvie Krumpet, and box office success Happy Feet.
Notable Australian films of the 2000s:
The Dish (2000) – internationally successful film which presents a somewhat fictionalised account of the Parkes Observatory's role in the Apollo 11 Moon landing
The Man Who Sued God (2001) – AFI nomination for Best Original Screenplay (Don Watson); starring
Billy Connolly, Judy Davis and Colin Friels
One Night the Moon (2001) – AFI winner and New York International Independent Film & Video Festival Genre award winner; a musical (winner, Screen Music Awards, Australia) based on the true story of a young girl who went missing in the Australian outback in 1932
WillFull (2001) – willful ghost of a parent returns
The Tracker (2002) – AFI winner for Best Actor: David Gulpilil
The Jammed (2007) – winner, Best Film, Best Music, Best Script IF Awards; 7 AFI nominations; considered by some leading critics to be the best Australian film of 2007; achieved the highest screen average opening week for any independent Australian film in history
Maya the Bee Movie (2014) – starring Jacki Weaver, Richard Roxburgh, Noah Taylor, Miriam Margolyes, Justine Clarke, Coco Jack Gillies and Kodi Smit-McPhee
Australian filmmakers were at the forefront of cinema and film, having created what is considered the first feature-length narrative film with the release of The Story of the Kelly Gang and other early films by directors
John Gavin,
W. J. Lincoln and
Alfred Rolfe.
The Sentimental Bloke (1919) – made by
Raymond Longford and
Lottie Lyell, one of the first, best known and most successful silent era films with a first-person narrative,[1] the best-known partnership in Australian film at that time
Robbery Under Arms (1920)
Director - Kenneth Brampton.
Captain Starlight - Kenneth Brampton. Ben Marsden - Stephen Australia Fitzgerald
The mid-1900s had a slow start for Australian film, although the first Academy Award was won for an Australian film, Kokoda Front Line!. The industry picked back up during the 1970s with one of the first internationally released films, Picnic at Hanging Rock, and with the success of the series of Mad Max franchise films.
They're a Weird Mob (1966) – said to have been one factor leading to the founding of the Australian film industry; based on the novel of the same title
Concerto for Orchestra (1966) – AFI winner for Best Film
Burke & Wills (1985) – AFI nominations for Best Music Score and Best Cinematography
Crocodile Dundee (1986) – received international acclaim; nominated for an Oscar for Best Screenplay
Malcolm (1986) – AFI winner for Best Film; one of the first films starring
Colin Friels
For Love Alone (1986) – five AFI Award nominations; nominated for a Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival; starring Hugo Weaving, Sam Neill, and Naomi Watts in her first film appearance
Bad Boy Bubby (1994) – won four AFI awards: Best Director (
Rolf de Heer), Best Actor in a Leading Role (
Nicholas Hope), Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing
Metal Skin (1994) – FCCA award for best actor
Aden Young,
Ben Mendelsohn; AFI award for best achievement in sound and best achievement in production design
The 2000s in the history of Australian film have seen mixed success, including Moulin Rouge! revitalizing the musical film genre, award-winning short film Harvie Krumpet, and box office success Happy Feet.
Notable Australian films of the 2000s:
The Dish (2000) – internationally successful film which presents a somewhat fictionalised account of the Parkes Observatory's role in the Apollo 11 Moon landing
The Man Who Sued God (2001) – AFI nomination for Best Original Screenplay (Don Watson); starring
Billy Connolly, Judy Davis and Colin Friels
One Night the Moon (2001) – AFI winner and New York International Independent Film & Video Festival Genre award winner; a musical (winner, Screen Music Awards, Australia) based on the true story of a young girl who went missing in the Australian outback in 1932
WillFull (2001) – willful ghost of a parent returns
The Tracker (2002) – AFI winner for Best Actor: David Gulpilil
The Jammed (2007) – winner, Best Film, Best Music, Best Script IF Awards; 7 AFI nominations; considered by some leading critics to be the best Australian film of 2007; achieved the highest screen average opening week for any independent Australian film in history
Maya the Bee Movie (2014) – starring Jacki Weaver, Richard Roxburgh, Noah Taylor, Miriam Margolyes, Justine Clarke, Coco Jack Gillies and Kodi Smit-McPhee