Mostly driven by an obsessed media and our willingness to worship infamous antiheroes like Ned Kelly and Chopper Reid, Australia has a long-running fascination with crime and the people who commit it. Australian filmmakers have tapped into that fascination for decades, delivering some of the country’s most memorable and celebrated films along the way. From…
In an age where streaming services, smartphones and digital entertainment dominate our daily lives, the humble piano has quietly slipped from the centre of Australian homes. Yet, as filmmaker Natalia Laska reveals in her moving documentary The Piano Tuner, these instruments, and the people who own them, still have stories to tell. The film follows…
Film festival season is in full swing across Australia, with the Sydney Film Festival just weeks away. For audiences, it’s often the first glimpse at the Australian films likely to generate the most buzz over the next 12 months. This year’s program features an impressive lineup of local feature films, including Yesterday Island, one of…
I was first introduced to Dylan Randall during the selection process for the 2022 WA Made Film Festival. It was late December 2021 when a short film titled Get the Girl landed in my inbox. It was a romantic comedy set in 1985 that immediately stood out. What struck me was Randall’s ambition. Here was…
Welcome to the Cinema Australia Podcast. In this very mini episode, I’m joined by Under a Bamboo Sky filmmaker Serge Ou, to discuss his confronting and revealing new documentary which hits Netflix this week after a successful run of Q&A screenings across the country recently. A tale of human connection, hope and resilience in the…
Australian filmmaker Rafael Star is stepping into territory rarely explored on home soil with his micro-budget feature Manhunt, a tightly wound paranoia thriller that stands out in a local industry not often drawn to the genre. Set against the backdrop of sunny Queensland, the film follows Max (Harry Duckworth), a successful young property developer whose…
Welcome to the latest episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast. Straight off the bat, I need to say that this interview with Beast director Tyler Atkins is one of my favourites ever. I always appreciate openness and honesty from my guests, and Tyler delivers it in spades here. It’s one of the most real and…
Welcome to the latest episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast. This episode is a special one for me because I finally had an opportunity to interview Tilda Cobham-Hervey, an actor who I have long-admired, and whose name has been on my interview bucket list for many years. It was also special to interview James Litchfield,…
Perth filmmaker Carl King and Melbourne-based actress and producer Sophie Coleshill are bringing their hilarious and unapologetically honest new web series Scratch to audiences, with special screenings set to take place in both Perth and Melbourne this May. Created as an independently produced web series, Scratch dives headfirst into the messy realities of modern relationships, telling…
Welcome to the Cinema Australia Podcast. In this episode, I’m joined by one of my favourite Australian actors, Natalie Abbott, who gives an inspiring performance in The Deb. I think everyone will find something they can relate to with her character Tayla considering the depth and complexities of the character. Also, anyone who’s a fan…
Cinema Australia 