Published Tuesday 16 July 2024
True crime and mystery, compelling postwar stories and early films from some of Australia’s greatest screen artists come together in the National Film and Sound Archive’s latest offer on its on-demand platform NFSA Player.
Featuring introductions and commentary by critic Wenlei Ma and filmmaker and broadcaster Patrick Abboud, 34 titles are available to rent individually via player.nfsa.gov.au from 16 July.
NFSA Player explores some of Australia’s most intriguing creative minds, with the Hugo Weaving-narrated portrait of author Tim Winton, The Edge of the World (2008), the powerful two-header documentary An Unstoppable Force – Betty Churcher with John Ohlsen (2008) and the acclaimed documentary about musician and composer Anne Boyd’s battle to save her university music department Facing the Music (2001).
NFSA Player also dives into the lives of postwar Australian migrants, with Australian Diary: Tomorrow’s Australians, which looks at the education and training provided by the government to new Australians, Mike and Stefani, a moving 1951 docudrama about a young Ukrainian couple making their way to Australia from a refugee camp, and The Helping Hand, a documentary about the Good Neighbour Movement, which welcomed migrants to Australia.
‘There is so much incredible content in the national audiovisual collection, and NFSA Player is an important new way to help get whole titles out there – as opposed to the popular clip-based content on our website,’ said Patrick McIntyre, the NFSA’s CEO. ‘This new release includes films going back to the mid ‘50s and early ‘70s, as well as more recent content, and they paint a fascinating picture of the way our nation has changed – and continues to. They’re entertaining, surprising and inspiring, but also offer great opportunities to reflect on how far we’ve come and perhaps how far we have to go. There are definitely some conversation starters in there.’
Other highlights of the new content offer include a true crime/mystery strand featuring investigative factual titles such as The Prime Minister is Missing about the disappearance of Harold Holt, Unfolding Florence, Gillian Armstrong’s exploration of the mysterious death of designer Florence Broadhurst, and the hit 2006 documentary Who Killed Dr Bogle and Mrs Chandler?
A young Charles ‘Bud’ Tingwell features with Chips Rafferty and future Hollywood star Rod Taylor in the gripping drama King of the Coral Sea while Peter Weir’s early directorial feature Michael is part of the acclaimed 1971 3 to Go series, comprising three mini-films about young Australians on the brink of life changes.
Audiences can enjoy a historical perspective on the construction of two Sydney icons: The Fifth Façade (1973) shines a light on the construction of the Sydney Opera House and is narrated by architect Jørn Utzon and actor Sam Wanamaker, while Constructing Australia: The Bridge (2006) examines the personal conflicts and the political intrigue behind the Sydney Harbour Bridge. And Their Ghosts May be Heard (1975) casts a dramatic lens on the true story of 200 Australian workers who sailed to Paraguay in 1893 to establish utopia. 2008’s extraordinary Roller Derby Dolls is the story of women with a dream, who inspire others to strap on the skates.
Selected titles from NFSA Player’s 2023 launch collection Buwindja will remain on the platform. Content pricing is $2.99 / $4.99 per title. Audiences can view their content as many times as they want in a 30-day window following rental.
Images and vision available here on Dropbox.
Media enquiries and interview requests:
Louise Alley | Communications Manager | 0422 348 652 | louise.alley@nfsa.gov.au
Jacqui Douglas | Communications Specialist | 0417 738 434 | jacqui.douglas@nfsa.gov.au
