“What I saw through cinema was magic, and to think I could one day do that myself planted the seed for everything I’ve pursued since.” by Matthew Eeles Benn Wintle’s filmmaking journey began the way it did for most aspiring filmmakers growing up in the early 2000s: by stumbling across the iconic Apple app,…
An unexpected friendship, sparked by a vintage ’90s leopard print shirt, has led to the emergence of one of Australia’s most exciting new filmmaking duos. “It was my mum’s shirt,” Lily Lunder tells Cinema Australia. “Koko [Crozier] and I were both studying Film and Television at the Victorian College of the Arts, and I vividly…
Welcome to the latest episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast. Proclivitas writer and director Miley Tennecliffe is my guest on this episode, which was recorded with a live audience as part of the WA Made Film Festival, where Proclivitas recently celebrated its WA premiere. This was a really fun episode to record, and I’d like…
Welcome to the Cinema Australia Podcast. In this episode, I’m joined by Floodland director Jordan Giusti to discuss this very topical documentary set in flood-prone Lismore, where residents face life-changing decisions after devastating floods. A man copes pragmatically, his friend turns activist, and an Indigenous social worker builds a healing centre. Jordan is an award-winning…
UPDATE (Monday, 1 June 2026): This interview was originally published on January 28, 2026. Addition will screen at the upcoming Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival on Wednesday, 1 July. Details here. Welcome to the latest episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast. In this episode I’m joined by actor Teresa Palmer, and director Marcelle Lunam to…
Welcome to the very first episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast for 2026! It’s great to be back. It wasn’t until the back end of 2025 that I realised how few episodes of this Podcast I recorded last year with a focus on more written interviews. I’m going to make it a priority in 2026…
It’s hard to believe that Kostadinos Hatzivalsamis’ new film Tracy is the first narrative feature made about Cyclone Tracy — the tragic and devastating natural disaster that struck Darwin on Christmas Day in 1974. Considering Australia’s adoration for films based on true events (Chopper, Red Dog and Rabbit-Proof Fence come to mind), and considering the…
Melbourne-based actor and filmmaker Sarah Nicolazzo makes a powerful feature lead debut in Adrian Ortega’s family drama Westgate. Set in 1999, the film follows Netta, a mother whose world is crumbling as she struggles to keep her promises and confront her past. It’s a raw and emotional story about love, loss, and resilience in which…
Welcome to the latest episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast. This episode is a little different from usual, as it features two interviews originally recorded for my radio segment on 2RRR and the Community Radio Network. I thought I’d also publish them here for your listening pleasure. It’s also worth mentioning that I’ve been quite…
There’s no other way to say it: in terms of quality, 2025 has been a lacklustre year for bigger-budget, government-funded feature films in Australia. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve seen some great commercial films in general release and on the festival circuit, like Birthright, We Bury the Dead, Ellis Park and Beast of War, which…
Cinema Australia 