In the early ‘70s, founding member of Australian surf magazine Tracks, Albert Falzon, began filming off the North Coast of New South Wales, Hawaii, and Indonesia. He set out to make a film “that was a reflection of the spirit of surfing at the time” and the end result, Morning of the Earth, proved its worth as a vital document of surf culture and a powerful nature film.
Tracks (2013)
Accompanied only by her faithful dog and four camels, an Australian satisfies her craving for solitude by embarking on a solo trip across the desert from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean.
In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
In the winter of 1820, the New England whaling ship Essex is assaulted by something no one could believe—a whale of mammoth size and will, and an almost human sense of vengeance.
Crossing the Line (2018)
Relive the highly controversial 2018 Australian cricket tour to South Africa; five weeks that rocked the gentleman’s game and captivated the globe.
Mudflat (1980)
Years ago, artists would walk around the muck at the edge of the San Francisco Bay in Emeryville, and build loads of sculptures out there on the flats, created from driftwood and found objects that drivers would enjoy as they motored south on the old Highway 17 (known in numerous radio ads as 'Highway 17, The Nimitz'). Grabbing material off someone else’s work was considered fair game and part of the fun, and contributed a kinetic dynamic to the ongoing display. Now the place is a park, and the sculptures are gone, but you can see what it used to be like in this neat and funny documentary by Ric Reynolds, augmented by Erich Seibert’s wonderful musique-concrète/time-lapse sequences. The flashback circus sequence includes Scott Beach and Bill Irwin. Sculptors interviewed include Walt Zucker, Tony Puccio, Robert Sommer, Ron & Mary Bradden, and Bob Kaminsky.
Mermaids Against Plastic (2020)
Tamara is from the ocean and water runs in her veins. Born in a fishing village on the Mexican coast, she became a full-time scuba instructor. When she discovers plastic in her beloved ocean, she sets out to get the diving industry to stop using single-use plastic.
Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky (2020)
A new songline for 21st century Australia - a fresh look at the Cook legend from a First Nations' perspective - the songline tells of connection to country, resistance and survival and features the cheeky, acerbic and heartfelt showman - Steven Oliver and a host of outstanding, political Indigenous singer/songwriters.
Looking for Modern Art: Rethinking Art History (2018)
Many twentieth century European artists, such as Paul Gauguin or Pablo Picasso, were influenced by art brought to Europe from African and Asian colonies. How to frame these Modernist works today when the idea of the primitive in art is problematic?
Kingdom of the Oceans (2011)
Diving into the planet’s waters, Kingdom Of The Oceans features astonishing footage that showcases the majesty of the underwater world. Shot at over 50 locations around the world and with eighty different species, this breath-taking four-part special offers a deeper insight into the aquatic side of nature, from the coastal shores to the open sea. 1) Giants Of The Deep: The voyages of blue whales and hordes of tuna through the vast, blue, liquid expanse of the oceans. 2) Sand Wars:The sandy plains of the seabed can appear to be empty, but hide multitudes of moving creatures. 3) Predator's Paradise: Coral polyps are tiny animals that construct underwater mountains, sheltering an extraordinarily diverse group of species. 4) Fire & Ice: Whales, penguins, iguanas and dolphins have all inherited a burdensome air-breathing legacy from their land-dwelling ancestors.
Shimajiro and the Song of the Whale (2014)
Shimajiro, who helped an injured baby whale Kuu-chan, takes care of Kuu-chan who wants to return to her mother and keeps her in touch. In order to return Ku-chan, who was about to be sent to the aquarium, to her mother, Shimajiro rides on her back and sets out on a journey toward the southern sea.
Sonic Sea (2016)
The devastating impact of industrial and military ocean noise on whales and other marine life.
Last Breath (2019)
A commercial diver is stranded on the seabed with only five minutes of oxygen supply, but with no chance of rescue for more than 30 minutes. With access to amazing archival footage, this is the true story of one man’s impossible fight for survival.
No More to Say & Nothing to Weep For: An Elegy for Allen Ginsberg (1997)
Witness the last days of the Beat poet whose works would capture the very essence of the 1960 counter-cultural movement in an informative documentary featuring Allan Ginsburg's final television interview as well as remarkable deathbed footage shot by underground cinema icon Jonas Mekas.
Big vs. Small (2020)
Big vs. Small is a small, artful film about the curious relationship between a tiny woman who dreams of surfing a 30-metre wave. It tells the story of Joana Andrade (39) from Portugal, currently one of only two women in Europe surfing the biggest waves in the world.
The Coelacanth, a dive into our origins (2013)
Gombessa Expedition 1 To dive for the Coelacanth is to go back in time. In 1938, when it was known only as a fossil, a Coelacanth was discovered in South Africa in a fisherman's net. This species bears witness to an evolutionary bifurcation 380 million years ago, and bears the marks of a great event: the day the fish left the ocean for the open air. Does it hold the secret to the transition to walking on land? In 2010, a marine biologist and outstanding diver, Laurent Ballesta, took the first photographs of the Coelacanth in its ecosystem. In April 2013, divers and researchers set down their equipment at the Sodwana base camp in South Africa, in the club founded by Peter Timm (who died in 2014). Six weeks of extreme diving at depths of over 120 meters, in an attempt to film the Coelacanth with a double-headed camera, collect its DNA and tag a subject with a satellite-linked beacon...
Brazen Hussies (2020)
Reveals a revolutionary chapter in Australian history, the Women’s Liberation Movement (1965 -1975). Interweaves fresh archival footage, personal photographs, memorabilia, and personal accounts from activists all around Australia to show how a daring and diverse group of women joined forces to defy the status quo, demand equality, and create profound social change. These women defined one of the greatest social movements of the 20th century, sometimes at great personal cost.
Undone (2021)
It is a remarkable story of personal endeavour following professional surfer, Laura Enever who leaves a comfortable place on the WSL Championship Tour to explore the unpredictable world of big-wave surfing.
Girls Can't Surf (2021)
It’s the 1980s and the world of professional surfing is a circus of fluorescent colors, peroxide hair and radical male egos. "Girls Can't Surf" follows the journey of a band of renegade surfers who took on the male-dominated professional surfing world to achieve equality and change the sport forever. Featuring surfing greats Jodie Cooper, Frieda Zamba, Pauline Menczer, Lisa Andersen, Pam Burridge, Wendy Botha, Layne Beachley and more, "Girls Can't Surf" is a wild ride of clashing personalities, sexism, adventure and heartbreak, with each woman fighting against the odds to make their dreams of competing a reality.
Judy in a Land Called Oz (1992)
Ian Stahlhut's 1992 documentary of Judy Garland's 1964 Australian Tour.
Atlantic Salmon: Lost at Sea (2018)
An epic journey through the oceanic kingdom of the Atlantic Salmon in an attempt to unravel the mystery of their life at sea. Salmon are plummeting to critical levels. The cause is mortality at sea. For the 1st time, using the latest DNA technology, scientists are tracking the salmon from the rivers into the vast North Atlantic and back again, in hopes of finding an answer before it's too late.