Cirrus@Austlit

'These extended conversations with David and Judith MacDougall represent an invaluable archival record and convey a wealth of ideas and information relating to their experiences as a highly influential ethnographic filmmaking team.

'The conversations cover their years with the Film Unit of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, Canberra, 1975-1987. During this time, the MacDougalls made a series of eleven documentary films, many of them acknowledged world-wide as landmark achievements in ethnographic cinema. These films included TAKEOVER (1979), THE HOUSE-OPENING (1980), THREE HORSEMEN (1982), SUNNY AND THE DARK HORSE (1987) and LINK-UP DIARY (1987). The MacDougalls discuss their approach to filmmaking and the circumstances of making each film. They also reflect on their body of work from the perspective of today, and discuss the work of other filmmakers who worked for the Film Unit, notably Kim McKenzie with films such as WAITING FOR HARRY (1980), and the work of Indigenous filmmakers Wayne Barker and Oomera (Coral) Edwards.' (Publication summary)

'Ben Chifley (1885 - 1951) was a railway engine-driver who became Australia's best-loved Prime Minister in 1945. He was a politician who lived by principles of compassion and concern for his fellow Australians. His philosophy and example have never been more relevant than in the political arena of today. As Prime Minister and Treasurer, he had a profound effect on the path of Australian history following World War Two, and many advantages enjoyed in our society that we take for granted today are the product of his vision.

'This film is an exercise in "People's History": an attempt to find and share the communal memory of Ben and his wife, Elizabeth, that lives on in their hometown of Bathurst, New South Wales. Chifley's extraordinary compassion and idealism are still treasured 50 years after his death. In Bathurst, stories about the Chifleys are treasured memories, valued almost as family heirlooms to be passed on from generation to generation. Simple, everyday artefacts - a tea cosy or an old pipe - can carry a special meaning. Similarly, places which seem "ordinary" but are associated with the Chifleys, such as their simple terrace home on Busby Street or the railway community meeting hall where Ben studied and taught, have strong meaning. In this film, the stories and memories of over 50 friends, neighbours and colleagues contribute to an emotional and eloquent portrait of a remarkable community and a national leader.'

Source: Ronin Films website, http://www.roninfilms.com.au/
Sighted: 14/05/2009

'An Australian playwright whose influences are suburbia, politics and rock music. His Ruby Moon delighted and shocked audiences. He holds a lens up to the ordinary and shows us how disturbing, how provocative it can be. Cameron talks about his themes of love, loss and the impossible and he shares his interest in comedy, his obsession with perfecting the text and his fascination with a kind of post-modern-absurdism.

'This title consists of a short filmed interview (approx 30 mins) with the playwright discussing his plays and writing methods; short "lesson starter" films about each play and about curriculum concerns; accessible and informed commentary; easy to use chapters and menus; teachers notes; the writer reading a passage from one of his plays.

'The writer discusses key literary figures; development of his ideas and themes; motivation of his characters; adaptation of the texts; dramaturgy and staging of his plays; social and historical context of his plays; inspirational sources for his plays; tips for young writers.' (Publisher's blurb)

'A prolific writer who has changed the way we view theatre. From his evocative The Golden Age through Cosi and Radiance to the Boyce Trilogy we have come to expect the Nowra stage to show us the unexpected. A master of adaptation Nowra talks frankly about his working methods, his fascination with the fall of empires and the effect his childhood accident had on his concerns for language and teaching.

'This title consists of: a short filmed interview (approx 30 mins) with the playwright discussing his plays and writing methods; short "lesson starter" films about each play and about curriculum concerns; accessible and informed commentary; easy to use chapters and menus; teachers notes; the writer reading a passage from one of his plays.

'The writer discusses key literary figures; development of his ideas and themes; motivation of his characters; adaptation of the texts; dramaturgy and staging of his plays; social and historical context of his plays; inspirational sources for his plays; tips for young writers.' (Publisher's blurb)

'Hannie Rayson engages with the national conversation and rehearses the big debates of our time. She uses family as a platform to discuss these issues. Hotel Sorrento, Inheritance, Life After George and the provocative Two Brothers make up her most influential works. She talks freely about her influences, her working methods and her urbanity.

'This title consists of a short filmed interview (approx 30 mins) with the playwright discussing her plays and writing methods; short "lesson starter" films about each play and about curriculum concerns; accessible and informed commentary; easy to use chapters and menus; teachers notes; the writer reading a passage from one of her plays.

'The writer discusses key literary figures; development of her ideas and themes; motivation of her characters; adaptation of the texts; dramaturgy and staging of her plays; social and historical context of her plays; inspirational sources for her plays; tips for young writers.' (Publisher's blurb)

'The dissident walks through Katherine Thomson's plays - the whistleblower, the unionist and the activist occupy her stage. We see them in Harbour, Mavis Goes to Timor, and Wonderlands. Katherine talks about her writing process, where the research has led her and where her ideas come from. She discusses her stagecraft and the effect of the spectacular. She talks of writing for a TV mini series and her collaboration in Answered By Fire.

'This title consists of a short filmed interview (approx 30 mins) with the playwright discussing her plays and writing methods; short "lesson starter" films about each play and about curriculum concerns; accessible and informed commentary; easy to use chapters and menus; teachers notes; the writer reading a passage from one of her plays.

'The writer discusses key literary figures; development of her ideas and themes; motivation of her characters; adaptation of the texts; dramaturgy and staging of her plays; social and historical context of her plays; inspirational sources for her plays; tips for young writers.' (Publisher's blurb)

This is the story of Mona and Kymmy, an Aboriginal mother and daughter, both victims of the stolen generation, who embark on a journey to regain custody of Kymmy's young son Rowland (Mona's grandson) - Libraries Australia