The Welcome

Nothing Can Stop The Radiance

January 2024 •English

Filmmakers Sam and Amy journey into rural Australia to explore how the legacy of an American legend has transmitted and warped itself over time, and across the globe, resulting in the 30th annual Parkes Elvis Festival.

Look Closer: The Rise and Fall of Robert Benfer

December 2018 •English

In 2013, online clay animator Robert Benfer scammed hundreds of fans out of thousands of dollars and has continued to become less of the independent film icon he used to be, though his unique influence on video creators remains to this day. This film not only sheds light on how Benfer's films impacted young filmmakers, but also how a talented independent artist can fall from grace no matter how obscure they are.

Packed Lunch

January 2005 •English

What is it about Speedos? Well here Australian director Tim Hunter is on a mission to find the answer to the question of why so many gay men can't seem to get enough of hunks in tight fitting trunks? Although somehow I think the answer can be found in the question! Anyway in a bid to discover the truth, Hunter has carried out a series of interviews with men who have more than a passing interest in this briefest of garment, including that of Speedo designer Peter Travis, who here relates his part in the history of 'the male equivalent of the Wonder Bra.'

VVe Being Donna: The Light, the Dark

August 2020 •English

"VVe Being Donna: The Light, The Dark," is a documentary that revolves around the life of Lt. Smt. Dr. Veerbala focusing on the painful moments and the happy ones.

Servant or Slave

August 2016 •English

During the time of the Stolen Generations, thousands upon thousands of Aboriginal girls were taken from their families and pressed into domestic servitude by the Australian Government. They were supposedly employed as servants, but with total control over their movements, wages and living conditions, their lives all too frequently became an inescapable cycle of abuse, rape and enslavement, with consequences that echo powerfully to this day. Recounting the stories of five of these women – Rita, Violet and the three Wenberg sisters – Servant or Slave is a commanding piece of first-person testimony to a dark and unacknowledged corner of Australian history. Shot with admirable craft and humanity by documentarian Steven McGregor (Croker Island Exodus, MIFF 2012), Servant or Slave is a work of great sadness and urgency, bringing to forceful life the human tragedy of Australia's Indigenous history in the unadorned words of those who lived it.

Pauline Hanson: Please Explain!

July 2016 •English

Director Anna Broinowski explores how Pauline Hanson's speech in 1996 and the decades of debate that followed has influenced Australia today; the impact of her political career on modern multicultural Australia, and the people who have helped her transition from local fish shop owner to Member for Oxley. Featuring many of Hanson's critics, opponents, advisors and commentators, from former Prime Minister John Howard, to current members of the media, including Margo Kingston and Alan Jones; and leading Indigenous commentator, Professor Marcia Langton.

Utopia

November 2013 •English

Documentary by John Pilger looks at the awful truth behind white Australia's dysfunctional relationship with Indigenous Australians

Detainment

May 2018 •English

Two ten year-old boys are detained by police under suspicion of abducting and murdering a toddler.

Looking for Modern Art: Rethinking Art History

November 2018 •German

Many twentieth century European artists, such as Paul Gauguin or Pablo Picasso, were influenced by art brought to Europe from African and Asian colonies. How to frame these Modernist works today when the idea of the primitive in art is problematic?

The Family

July 2016 •English

Anne Hamilton-Byrne was beautiful, charismatic and delusional. She was also incredibly dangerous. Convinced she was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, Hamilton-Byrne headed an apocalyptic sect called The Family, which was prominent in Melbourne from the 1960s through to the 1990s. With her husband Bill, she acquired numerous children – some through adoption scams, some born to cult members – and raised them as her own. Isolated from the outside world, the children were dressed in matching outfits, had identical dyed blonde hair, and were allegedly beaten, starved and injected with LSD. Taught that Hamilton-Byrne was both their mother and the messiah, the children were eventually rescued during a police raid in 1987, but their trauma had only just begun.

The World of the Seekers

April 1968 •English

While flying to the first stop on their latest tour, the four members of the Australian music group The Seekers recall in flashback the origins of the group and their rise to success.

Discovering Heaven

September 2017 •English

A documentary about Captain Dale Black, a pilot who died in a famous airplane crash in Burbank, California which was covered by the LA Times. After coming back to life, Black shares his near death experience as the sole survivor of a non-survivable plane wreck.

Brazen Hussies

November 2020 •English

Reveals a revolutionary chapter in Australian history, the Women’s Liberation Movement (1965 -1975). Interweaves fresh archival footage, personal photographs, memorabilia, and personal accounts from activists all around Australia to show how a daring and diverse group of women joined forces to defy the status quo, demand equality, and create profound social change. These women defined one of the greatest social movements of the 20th century, sometimes at great personal cost.

Touching the Void

September 2003 •English

The true story of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates' disastrous and nearly-fatal mountain climb of 6,344m Siula Grande in the Cordillera Huayhuash in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.

Dead on Their Feet

January 1958 •English

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

Under Stress

January 1964 •English

Shows new methods in treating those afflicted with mental health issues. Contrasts past treatment regimes where people were locked away out of sight with the new, 1960s, psychiatric ideas of "group therapy" and talking therapy. Also shows practical behaviours aimed at returning patients to productive lives in society and outpatient services.

The Case For Books

January 1966 •English

This film about Library services in Australia shows some of the work of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Library, the National Library with its varied resources and examples of State, University, special and public services suggesting their value in meeting needs for information at all levels. The library movement has become a vital part of Australian life. How libraries have fitted into society all over Australia, from the bustle of Sydney's Kings Cross to the remote outback.

La tragique histoire de l'incendie du Bazar de la Charité

November 2019 •French

Black Cockatoo Crisis

November 2022 •English

Western Australia's iconic black cockatoos are in crisis. Their numbers have fallen dramatically over the past few decades and all three species in the south west of WA could become extinct in just 20 years unless something is done to protect their habitats. With the loss of the banksia woodlands on the Swan Coastal Plain to housing, Carnaby's Black Cockatoos have come to depend on the once vast exotic pine plantations on Perth's northern fringe.

The Mission of Herman Stern

November 2017 •English

This is the true story how one person made a difference in the lives of over 125 people by rescuing them from Nazi Germany. In 1903 Herman Stern arrived in America at the age of 15. He could not have imagined, 30 years later, he would be helping others come to America to escape persecution from his home country of Germany. There has been very little written about Herman Stern and his goal to save relatives, extended family and even strangers from possible death and persecution in the 1930’s in Nazi Germany. This project focuses on Herman Stern’s leadership skills and desire to help all in society as well as his civic and economic contributions to North Dakota. Video Arts Studios has produced an award winning video documentary as well as an accompanying lesson plan for schools, which have been distributed electronically to North Dakota schools via the ND University Systems. The video has also been made available to North Dakota libraries, museums and service organizations.