The Pictures That Moved: Australian Cinema 1896-1920

Westall

In 1966, over one hundred school kids became witness to one of the biggest UFO sightings in history. What they all have in common are five words… "I know what I saw." It still remains a mystery to this day.

The Most Australian Band Ever!

Three ethnic school kids from Sydney's western suburbs form a punk band in the 80s. The Hard-Ons fight racism, the music industry and the rise of grunge with their pop punk noise, irreverent humour and absolute commitment to just being themselves.

Anniversary of the Revolution

A chronicle of the Russian Revolution of 1917, from the bourgeois democratic February Revolution to the great socialist October Revolution and the final triumph.

Tommy Tucker's Tooth

Tommy Tucker's Tooth is a live-action short film by Walt Disney at his short-lived Laugh-O-Grams studio in Kansas City from 1922. The film was one of two commissioned by Kansas City Dentist Thomas B. McCrum. It earned the Laugh-O-Gram studio $500.

The Trick Cyclist

A comic short in which a tramp attempts to ride a bicycle, tumbling repeatedly before giving up in despair. A skilled rider then takes the stage, performing rope-jumping tricks while balanced on the wheel. Often attributed to British film pioneer R.W. Paul. Although Thomas Edison has sometimes been mistakenly named as director, he was never credited as director on any films.

A Switchback Railway

The Switchback Railway was the forerunner of the roller coaster. Passengers sit in a small car which trundles up a swooping railway track then performs a 180 degree turn at its summit before swooping back down on a parallel track.

Tetherball, or Do-Do

Four men of different ranks play a game of tetherball on a ship's deck.

The Deonzo Brothers

The famous acrobats in the above title appear in a marvellous acrobatic act. There are three barrels arranged on the stage. The boys, blindfolded, stand on opposite sides of the stage, and jump from one barrel into the other until they both land in the same barrel at the same time. They then jump backwards onto the stage over the two barrels. One table is then mounted upon another and the center barrel is placed on top. The brothers still blindfolded jump one each into a barrel and from them to the first to the second table and from the second table into the barrel on top of the second table. They then jump backwards onto the stage. This is pronounced by show people to be the most marvellous acrobatic feat that has ever been introduced. (Edison Catalog)

Hammerfest

A panorama shot of the Norwegian town and harbour of Hammerfest. Believed to be the earliest surviving film of Norway.

Comic Costume Race

Three athletes make their way to wicker baskets that contain a mishmash of wacky costumes. They need to dress up as quickly as they can, and make their way back on the running track.

Shackleton South Georgia Birds

Sir Ernest Shackleton is a poignant absence in this fragment from the closing chapter in the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. The Shackleton-Rowett Expedition and their ship the Quest docked at the old whaling station at Grytviken, South Georgia, on 4 January 1922; Shackleton died of a heart attack on board in the early hours of 5 January. These scenes of wildlife on the remote island – including skewers, fulmars, penguins and seals – were shot before the Quest departed on 18 January.

Cronulla Riots: The Day That Shocked the Nation

On Sunday December 4, 2005, 3 Cronulla lifesavers were coming off duty when they passed a group of 8 Lebanese young men. They stared at each other, a heated verbal exchange turned quickly into a violent brawl, resulting in 3 lifesavers being beaten up. This event was to spark 10 days of violent mob attacks and retaliations, the likes of which Australia had never witnessed. This is the story of the dramatic events covering the lead up to and the 10 days between 4th and 13th December 2005 known as the Cronulla Riots.

The Koalas

The film tells stories of the resilience of this iconic species in the face of threatened extinction in the wild. Highlighting the need for better land management solutions, it calls for an end to habitat destruction to save the species.

The Meeting of President Taft and President Díaz at El Paso, Texas

The first meeting of a U.S. president and a Mexican president took place when William Howard Taft met Porfirio Díaz on 16 October 1909, in El Paso. The meeting was celebrated in both El Paso and Juárez with parades, elaborate receptions, lavish gifts and large crowds. Shot by the pioneers of Mexican Cinema the brothers Alva. This is a typical example of newsreel material prior to the Mexican revolution. By hemerographical references we know that this footage was presented to the then president of Mexico General Porfirio Díaz in the Castle of Chapultepec, then residence of the president.

Lady Cyclists

A two-wheeled convoy of Victorian gentlewomen in a charming early film enigma.

Italian Naval Maneuvers

Smile

A heartwarming exploration of a community art project by photographer Tawfik Elgazzar providing free portraits for locals and passers-by in Sydney, Australia's Inner West. The film explores the nature of individuality, cultural diversity and the positive joy for the photographer of seeing his subjects smile.

The Platypus Guardian

Pete Walsh is a Tasmanian obsessed with one of nature’s least understood creatures, the platypus: an egg-laying, duck-billed, venom-spined, furry-coated underwater mammal. The natural environment of the platypus is in danger from urban development in the capital city of Hobart. With the help of experts, Pete embarks on a mission to rally his community and save the species before it is too late.

Growing Old Disgracefully

In the tradition of the 20th century classic novel 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance', Growing Old Disgracefully is a biker documentary about a son's struggle to understand his father five years after a family break-up. Riding with his dad and the Ulysses club, we trace a motorcycle adventure across the southern Australian landscape, and the emotional terrain of family relationships.

Tree Kangaroos: Ghosts of the Forest

Seldom seen and very rarely filmed in their natural environment, Lumholtz tree kangaroos are the ghosts of the north Queensland forests. This film follows the intimate lives of these tree-climbing specialists in the wilderness of the Atherton Tableland.