Australian Commonwealth Film Unit Movies

An anthology of Australian short films by directors Brian Hannant ("Judy"), Oliver Howes ("Toula") and Peter Weir ("Michael"), each presenting a...

This film about Library services in Australia shows some of the work of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Library, the National Library with its varied...

Shows new methods in treating those afflicted with mental health issues. Contrasts past treatment regimes where people were locked away out of sight...

Traces the life and artistic development of the Aboriginal painter, the late Albert Namatjira. His environment, his introduction to painting, his...

A working day at the open cut coal mine and power station at Yallourn, Victoria, as experienced by four employees. A dredge operator, a train...

George Reynolds, recently discharged from the army, tells his father of his plans to marry and relax. Reynolds Snr tells his son that if Australia is...

‘Bring Out a Briton’ was a short appeal for Australians to help the Immigration Department in its plan to form and assist a ‘Bring...

A road safety film for pedestrians in city traffic. Demonstrates typical unsafe practices.

This film takes the form of a psychiatric session, using the metaphor as a way to explore the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef.

Take in Sydney from the rooftops in this gently surreal, wordless short. With a cheeky animated interlude and sweeping harbour views, this is 1970s...

Part 1 of the History of Australian Cinema series. Australian cinema from the very beginning, from the newsreels, ethnographic and actuality films,...

Part 2 of the History of Australian Cinema series. Covering the 1920s and 30s. From an origin that promised so much, the Australian film production...

A picture of life in the West Australian capital of Perth in the mid 1960s. The social, business, sporting and other activities of an average...

Canberra, the National Capital of Australia, is a city which has been planned; a place where modern living is enriched by a lovely setting. But the...

Two Aboriginal families live like their ancestors have for centuries in this anthropological documentary. The gathering of food is the main focus as...

This short film documents Australian composer Richard Meale’s homage to the young French poet, Arthur Rimbaud. Meale composed a music piece for...

The way of life for people living along the tropic of Capricorn in Queensland 1965. Farming and mining are the main industries in this area of...

This film showcases an idealised version of life in the Victorian regional city of Geelong — complete with stable jobs, family homes, bustling...

A travel film with a poetic narration and orchestral soundtrack on Tasmania: '...set like a scenic tapestry in the Southern Ocean'.

Bored during the summer holidays and escaping the heat, a group of kids (and their joey!) from Cook, on the Nullarbor Plain, discover a limestone...