Film Australia

Australia's national collections by C. J Lloyd ( Book )
1 edition published in 1980 in English and held by 83 libraries worldwide
This film reveals the many lives of flamboyant design pioneer, Florence Broadhurst. Born in outback Australia in 1899, Florence was a singer and dancer in Shanghai in the 20s and ran her own fashion boutique in London in the 30s before sweeping into Sydney society as a painter and charity queen. But it was in her last incarnation that she really made her mark, shaking up conservative Australia with her bold, exotic wallpaper designs. Now, with her prints in huge demand internationally, the times have finally caught up with this glamorous, complicated, unconventional woman, whose brutal murder in 1977 has never been solved.

Federation a three-part journey to nationhood ( Visual )
3 editions published in 1999 in English and held by 75 libraries worldwide
The Land looks at the period 1889-1891 and tracks the first attempts at federation. The People covers 1891-1897 dealing with the revival of the federation movement after the 1890s Depression. The Nation covers the 1897 Premiers' Conference and the 1898 Constitutional Convention.

Bush mechanics the series ( Visual )
2 editions published in 2001 in English and held by 74 libraries worldwide
Off-beat, humourous series which provides anecdotes of life in the bush, and sheds light on Warlpiri life, from gathering bush tucker and living in a humpy, to football and rock an roll. In each episode, the five bush mechanics from the remote community of Yuendumu are presented with a new set of challenges - catching a car thief, getting a nephew out of jail, racing to an outback rock concert, and travelling thousands of miles to gather pearl shells for a rainmaking ceremony.

Rats in the ranks ( Visual )
8 editions published between 1996 and 2006 in English and held by 73 libraries worldwide
Every September Sydney's Leichhardt Council elects a new mayor. Filmmakers Bob Connolly and Robin Anderson gained access to the incumbent, Larry Hand, and the other councillors during the 1994 struggle for the mayoralty to produce this portrait of how politics really works. Arms are twisted, favours called in, people are doublecrossed, damaging stories are leaked to the media and deals are done, in an attempt to ensure the numbers will stick when it comes to the crucial vote.

Malaysia ( Visual )
4 editions published between 1976 and 1993 in English and held by 71 libraries worldwide
Politicians are striving to industrialize Malaysia by the year 2020, while simultaneously working to keep the country's divisions, primarily between the wealthy Chinese and native Malays from tearing it apart.

Troubled minds the lithium revolution ( Visual )
5 editions published between 2004 and 2005 in English and held by 66 libraries worldwide
In the 1940s, an Australian doctor discovered an astonishing treatment for what was then known as manic depression. Lithium changed the way the medical establishment thought about mental illness and neuroscience and initiated the era of psychopharmacology.

Where the forest meets the sea ( Visual )
3 editions published between 1987 and 2006 in English and held by 63 libraries worldwide
On a camping trip in an ancient Australian coastal rainforest with his father, a young boy thinks about the history of the plant and animal life around him and wonders about their future. An animated film using a unique relief collage artform. Suggested audience: junior, primary.

Cane toads an unnatural history ( Visual )
9 editions published between 1987 and 2000 in English and held by 61 libraries worldwide
This unique blend of personal anecdote and absurd fact exposes one of the most bizarre biological blunders of all time. In 1935, in a strategic operation designed to save the nation's sugar cane crop from destruction by the Greyback beetle, the Queensland Government imported a sackload of Bufo Marinus, the Cane Toad, from Hawaii. The Cane Toad adapted beautifully to its new surroundings and proceeded to breed so rapidly that it fast became a pest of plague proportions. They spread everywhere and ate everything - except the Greyback beetle. Presents the whole story - warts and all.

The Story of rosy dock ( Visual )
3 editions published between 1995 and 2006 in English and held by 57 libraries worldwide
An animated film about a woman who goes to live in the Australian desert and tries to establish a garden, ignoring the natural beauty around her and endangering the environment.

Admission impossible ( Visual )
5 editions published between 1992 and 2006 in English and held by 56 libraries worldwide
This documentary reveals how anti-immigration sentiments have had a long history in Australia and how this antipathy has been exploited and manipulated by politicians who ignore the voters' genuine fears. The story of the behind-the-scenes political forces and propaganda campaigns that attempted to populate Australia with "pure white" migrants - known as The White Australia Policy. Uses eyewitness accounts, old film clips and recently discovered confidential documents.