Cirrus@Austlit

'Director/actor Paul Fenech comes back to the big screen with a mash-up of his two TV shows: Fat Pizza and Housos.

'When the Government decides that Housos would only receive a quarter of their pensions in cash in order to keep them from spending them on cigarettes, alcohol and drugs, the Fat Pizza crew sees an opportunity to expand their business. But things don't quite go according to plan, and Houso Shazza (Elle Dawe) decides to lead a revolution against Fat Pizza.

'Meanwhile, Inspector Cox (Gary Who) has an inkling about the shifty business and launches an investigation.' (Publication summary)

'Housos tells the not-so-epic stories of Shazza, Dazza, Franky and Kylie - four best mates from down on the block. Sure, they drink away their problems, they might even have frequent domestics but down on the block it's all for one and one for all.

Follow the adventures of the residents of the Sunnyvale Housing Commission in every-town Australia. They battle cops and they scam Centerlink, they even have the occasional threesome and swingers party, but once you're down with the crew in the hood then it's " Sunnyvale for life".' (Source: http://www.sbs.com.au/shows/housos)

'Frances Djulibing is a 42 year old mother of three who comes from the remote community of Ramingining in North East Arnhem land. Like many young girls, Frances always dreamed of being a movie star. Her journey from traditional tribal life to red carpets and awards ceremonies is unlike any other. It's a fascinating and unique story as Frances fights to overcome huge personal and cultural challenges. Yappa's Story is a story of change and transformation as Frances learns to move between the ancient life of the Yolgnu and modern world of the balanda.' Source:www.nfsa.gov.au (Sighted 28/07/2008)

'They came from worlds apart to live together to find love on Wog Street. Miki Mavros, a 26-year-old Greek, alternative arty type, is on a serious losing streak and has to retreat back home to Wog Street. There she meets Doctor Joe, a 25 year old Maori with a straight girlfriend and a yuppie dream. Miki and Joe are living proof that opposites attract. Will Miki answer the call of the road or will she be able to commit to the love she gradually discovers in the old neighbourhood?'

Source: Australian Television Information Archive. (Sighted: 11/10/2012)

'Sleepy West village, population 350, host to the annual Fun Festival culminating in the Line Dancing Championship, is rocked to its core. A biker is killed. A construction worker is killed. A sailor is killed. A cowboy and an indian are killed. It has become evident to the hapless cops in West that a serial killer is knocking off 'members' of the Village People. One piece remains to complete this sick puzzle ... a dead cop. With the help of a city detective, who is unwillingly sent to investigate the murders, our rescuers race to save their town and their own lives. A comedy thriller …'

Source: Australian Film Commission (http://afcarchive.screenaustralia.gov.au/filmsandawards/recentfilms/0203/feature_57.aspx). (Sighted: 19/8/2013)

'I am homeless, I am without a country, without a place, without a family. I'm nothing.'

Since the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979, millions of Afghan people have died and millions have fled. The Taliban promised hope, but brought violent oppression and a regime of discipline that saw more people escaping to save their lives. A tiny proportion of these people have found themselves in Australia and these are some of their stories.

An adaptation of a physical theatre show that tells the story of performer/writer Anna Yen's grandmother, mother and herself. Blending storytelling, performance, archival footage, and poetic cinematography, Chinese Take Away reveals the story of three generations. The stories are anchored by Anna's desire to understand her mother's life and death.

Source: 'Synopsis' Documentary Australia Foundation

'Dressed in stiff Edwardian attire, a 60-year-old woman pitches a small white tent in the scorching sandhills on the edge of the Nullarbor. She reigns in the desert, as a self appointed Queen, and adopts the Aborigines as her subjects. She is known as "kabbarli" (grandmother).

'Daisy Bates died in 1951, an Australian legend. She was a ground-breaking anthropologist, and exceptional linguist and a woman who defied convention. She was also a devout royalist, a fervent believer in the British Empire, and an outrageous snob. Some looked upon her as a saint; a tireless worker for Aboriginal welfare. Others saw her as a manipulative and self-serving do-gooder. She was cantankerous. She was charming ...

'She was also a shameless liar. Masquerading as an immigrant of aristocratic Anglo-Irish descent, a respectable Victorian lady and a journalist for The Times newspaper, she constantly reinvented herself. Recently, it has been revealed that she was a poor child o the Irish potato famine and a bigamist who married the drover, Jack Bates, while she was also secretly married to the infamous Breaker Morant.'

Source: Ronan Films blurb. (Sighted: 31/1/2014)

Black Chicks Talking investigates what it means to be Black in Australia today. Over dinners of Indigenous gourmet cuisine, Purcell turns the camera on five Indigenous women, allowing them to speak candidly about the issues that have affected their lives, exploring themes of culture, identity, and denial.

The five women are Rosanna Angus, a community warden and cultural tour guide in her traditional Western Australian community of One Arm Point; Kathryn Hay, from Tasmania, who became the first Aboriginal Miss Australia; Deborah Mailman, an award-winning actress who was born and raised in Mount Isa; Cilla Malone, a mother of six who lives in Cherbourg (an Aboriginal settlement in southeast Queensland); and Tammy Williams from Gympie, a lawyer who aims to be the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

'Archie Roach was about three years old when he was taken from his family. He talks about the value of 'joining the circle' - his metaphor for the recovery that can be achieved by those who have been separated from their families, as they link up again. We meet Jean in Cootamundra who was taken with her four siblings from La Perouse while her mother begged for more time with her children. When Sam Murray was taken as a young boy he was too young to remember his name. Alec Kruger tells stories of the institution he was sent to as a child. His only escape was to join the army.

We meet Archie's partner, Ruby Hunter, also a musician. She returns to her childhood home for the first time and tells the story of how her brothers and sisters were in the care of her grandmother. One day they were offered a trip to the circus by a couple of government officials. Ruby recounts how they were so excited, all dressed up in their Sunday best, expecting to return home to nanna full of wonderful stories. They never returned. Nanna never saw them again and was never told where they went. On her death bed she still cried for her little ones.' (Source: Ronin Films website www.roninfilms.com.au)

'Susan moves to a new home, a new school, a new suburb. It's a place without her father. At the same time girls are going missing. Susan starts to wonder where 'missing' is. It must be somewhere better, more romantic than "here".'

Source: Screen Australia. (Sighted: 11/10/2012)