Sons from Afar

Salt of the Earth(en)

An Australian icon found on every supermarket shelf, and coating every game day pack of hot chips. But the story of the South Australian man who invented the famous Chicken Salt has never been told. While he sold the company in the late 70’s to the brand names you see in your cupboard today, he maintains that the original recipe, held secret for more than 40 years, tastes even better.

Too Many Captain Cooks(xx)

For both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians, Captain James Cook is a figure of great historical significance.

Bushfire Animal Rescue(en)

From the ashes of Australia’s devastating bushfires, wildlife survivors begin their long journeys to recovery. Australia’s fauna have evolved to coexist with bushfire, but these Black Summer fires are unprecedented in their scale, speed and intensity. Many native animals are unable to escape, or endure, without human help. We follow iconic species like koalas, kangaroos, wombats, and an endangered parrot through their rescue, rehabilitation and eventual release. Remarkable tales of compassion and dedication are revealed along the way – from an orphan wombat growing too attached to her carer, to audacious helicopter airdrops to feed remote rock wallabies. When the fires finally burn out, Australia looks to the science, innovation and Indigenous knowledge that will be needed to safeguard fragile wildlife in an even hotter future.

Kangaroo Valley(en)

Journey to a secret valley in Australia, where a nervous baby kangaroo named Mala faces hungry dingoes and winter snows in this coming-of-age adventure.

Kids On Ice(en)

Quiet towns across rural Australia are in the grip of an Ice epidemic. Major international drug cartels are working with local outlawed motorcycle gangs to push crystal meth to a captive market of children.

Burning(en)

Follows the deadly Australian bushfires of 2019-2020, known as ‘Black Summer’. Burning is an exploration of what happened as told from the perspective of victims of the fires, activists and scientists.

Still We Rise(en)

50 years on, the Aboriginal Tent Embassy is the oldest continuing protest occupation site in the world. Taking a fresh lens this is a bold dive into a year of protest and revolutionary change for First Nations people.

Running Wild: Australia's Camels(en)

Robyn Davidson, famous for her solo expedition across the west Australian deserts by camel in the 1970s, presents this documentary telling the story of Australia's camels and the people who brought them here.

Carlos Sainz: The Operator(es)

The Search for the Ocean's Super Predator(en)

There's a mysterious predator lurking in the depths of Australia's wild Southern Ocean, a beast that savagely devoured a great white shark in front of cinematographer David Riggs 11 years ago. Riggs's obsession to find the killer leads him to an aquatic battle zone that's remained hidden until now. Here, killer whales, colossal squid and great white sharks face off in an underwater coliseum where only the fiercest creatures of the marine world survive.

Descent Into the Maelstrom: The Untold Story of Radio Birdman(en)

Documentary that chronicles the career of the legendary Australian punk band Radio Birdman.

Voodoo Medics(en)

About trauma, resilience and post-traumatic growth in the medics who served with Australia's special forces in Afghanistan. From losing mates in the battlefield to treating horrifically injured Afghan kids in remote surgical theatres.

Mega Predators of Oz(en)

In Australia, sharks have recently been recorded with unusual prey-including other sharks. In order to figure out what has caused this shift in diet, Dr. Charlie Huvaneers and team head to shark infested waters to find out what's in the stomach of a great white - and why.

A Film for Discussion(en)

A docu-drama shot in 1970, but not completed until 1973, the film sought to encapsulate in an experimental form issues that were under discussion within the Women’s Liberation Movement at this time and to thus contribute to action for change. In its numerous community screenings, active debate was encouraged as part of the viewing experience.

Niue: This Is Your Land(en)

A third generation NZ born Niuean Female surfer, visits her Island of heritage for the first time only to discover there is no surf on Niue. But Mella's visit opens her eyes to the island's other beautiful qualities, the magical water, warm people, and clean unpolluted land. However she also discovers the low population has left the countries future hanging by a thread. This documentary is a record of Mella's journey to regaining her identity and first steps at becoming part of the solution in Niue's restoration of itself.

Tuna: A Fish with a Special Place in My Heart(en)

The director explains his love for tuna meat which was in his family for generations.

Australia: Land Beyond Time(en)

Australia: Land Beyond Time takes viewers on a breathtaking journey back in time to witness the birth and evolution of a mysterious land that harbors remnants of Earth's earliest life and many of it's strangest creatures that exist nowhere else on the planet.

After the Apology(en)

Suellyn thought the Department of Community Services (DOCS) would only remove children in extreme cases, until her own grandchildren were taken in the middle of the night. Hazel decided to take on the DOCS system after her fourth grandchild was taken into state care. Jen Swan expected to continue to care for her grandchildren but DOCS deemed her unsuitable, a shock not just to her but to her sister, Deb, who was, at the time, a DOCS worker. The rate of Indigenous child removal has actually increased since Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered the apology to the ‘stolen generations’ in 2008. These four grandmothers find each other and start a national movement to place extended families as a key solution to the rising number of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care. They are not only taking on the system; they are changing it…

Mou Piri: A Rarotongan Love Song(en)

How a South Pacific love song touched hearts around the world.

Shaping Bamboo(en)

For the 'Are'are people of the Solomon Islands, the most valued music is that of the four types of panpipe ensembles. With the exception of slit drums, all musical instruments are made of bamboo; therefore the general word for instruments and the music performed with them is "bamboo" ('au). This film shows the making of panpipes, from the cutting the bamboo in the forest to the making of the final bindings. The most important part of the work consists in shaping each tube to its necessary length. Most 'Are'are panpipe makers measure the length of old instruments before they shape new tubes. Master musician 'Irisipau, surprisingly, takes the measure using his body, and adjusts the final tuning by ear. For the first time we can see here how the instruments and their artificial equiheptatonic scale-seven equidistant degrees in an octave-are practically tuned.