Cirrus@Austlit

'Len is a Surf Lifesaving champion, a legend in the cloistered surf club just like his father. But when the younger, faster, fitter Phil arrives at the club, Len’s legendary status starts to crumble. Then Len sees Phil arriving in the company of another man; a man Phil gives a farewell kiss too. Phil is gay. Over the summer season, Len starts to form unexpected, confusing feelings for Phil. It’s something Len cannot accept and after the annual awards dinner, Len explodes. He finds Phil in the Club House locker room and violently attacks him. But to Len’s surprise, Phil remains loyal to the mateship pack and refuses to rat on Len about the beating in the Club House locker Room. Len stays in the Club and is free to compete in the annual Surf Lifesaving competition; a competition Len has won five times but Phil wins and Len’s defeat is final. Broken, Len refuses to die and with his best mate Meat he takes Phil on a victory bender through the seedy city in an attempt to secure an intoxicated oblivion. Arriving back at the beach where Phil won his victory the day before, Len sets upon Phil. And in a series of humiliating acts, Len finally comes face to face with a fundamental question, can he accept the truth about his sexuality and identity or will he succumb to complete oblivion.'

Source: Screen Australia.

'The only rule they broke was liking each other.

'Milly and Brian are in Grade 7. They are going to high school soon and everything seems to be changing. They’re not sure about anything anymore – least of all their first kiss. How do you do it? Who do you do it with? Why has it turned into such a big deal anyway? Their friends think the school fancy dress dance is the perfect place for them to figure it out!

'But things at the dance don’t go to plan. A rumoured kiss sparks a little lie that turns into a huge mass media event. And trying to clear their names only makes it more complicated.

'When did the transition from primary to high school become more complicated than figuring out how to kiss?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Set in the canyons of the Blue Mountains, Monkey Puzzle is the story of a journey. Dylan takes his best friend Carl and three others on a trip to find the world's rarest tree. As they descend into the harsh ravines and canyons, the wilderness closes in on them. They come face to face with haunted pasts, unrequited love and fear of intimacy. They learn hard truths of friendship and find that letting go of the past can have devastating and liberating consequences.'

Source: www.afc.gov.au/ (Sighted 30/09/2008).

Animated adaptation of Blinky Bill, an original Australian bush (koala) character conceived by Dorothy Wall. Though often considered the third series of The Adventures of Blinky Bill, this series was televised with the title Blinky Bill's Extraordinary Balloon Adventure.

In this series, Blinky, Nutsy, and Flap travel around the world in a hot-air balloon, returning rescued circus animals to their natural environment and trying to avoid the pursuit of the angry circus owners.

Fifteen-year-old Kate and her two younger siblings, Nicholas and Sarah, are accidentally zapped inside Kate's current video-gaming obsession: Pirate Islands, a swashbuckling action-adventure game. Now the children--and the island's existing population of castaway children, led by the fearless Mars--must battle the fearsome Captain Blackheart if they wish to get back to their own world.

The program is structured around the generic conventions of video gaming: the protagonists must find a powerful object (the Golden Idol) in order to exit the game; the islands contain 'power ups', namely a jet-pack and magic boots, that give the protagonists super-human powers; and the location is divided into several distinct environments that the protagonists can explore (Castaway Island, Haunted Island, Plant Island, Main Island, and Secret Island).

The program has never been released on DVD in its entirety, but was cut down and released as two films.

'Every year in Australia, more than 70,000 school leavers head for the sun-drenched beaches of the Gold Coast to celebrate their release from the secondary school system. BLURRED is not about being there - it's about a bunch of kids trying to get there. It shows the potential of young people, their resilience and their humour as the innocence of childhood is burned away in a blaze of alcohol and drugs, sexual confusion and the severing of the bonds of the schoolyard.'

Source: Screen Australia.

Crimes are being committed within fairy tales. And this means that the fairy tales in our world are losing their happy (or unhappy) endings. Two police officers (no-nonsense Christine Anderson and bumbling Johnny Legend) are sent inside fairy tales to establish the Fairy Tale Police Department and restore the happy endings.

Australian Screen says of Fairy Tale Police Department, 'Despite the title, which suggests a sweet little cartoon, this is a robust and very original series and loads of fun for all ages. Fairytale Police Department is a zany cross between Twisted Tales and the X Files for kids. Female detective Chris Anderson, like X Files cop Dana Scully ..., is strong, capable and ambitious, while her bumbling, vain metrosexual partner Johnny Legend is always getting into in trouble. Other characters are also terrific with strong characterisations and great scripts.'

Source: Australian Screen (http://aso.gov.au/titles/tv/fairytale-police-black/notes/). (Sighted: 12/9/2012)

'Finishing school is one of life’s defining moments. A deluge of exams, career choices, life changing decisions and, of course, Schoolies Week! A wild week of alcohol, sex, and rock and roll on the Gold Coast to farewell life at high school. But with all the fun and hype, come the pitfalls…

'Accompanying the script is a collection of critical essays from leaders in arts education, performance practice, and psychology. The essays explore the creative process of building performance for young people, and providing opportunities for cross-arts practice including drama, music, movement and media.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Stacey and Dom are wet dogs — unashamed misfits — they don't belong to any particular clique or group and they don't particularly care. For the other kids at their high school, the end of year graduation party is a time to celebrate with friends, but for Stacey and Dom it’s a chance to make a statement about who they are and show everyone exactly what a wet dog is capable of.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'It is the end of Grade Ten. Fifteen-year-old Rodney and a group of friends decide to celebrate by throwing a paddock party. With the help of two casks of cheap wine, a telling game of truth or dare, and a dead canary, the group eagerly relinquish their childhood only to be confronted with the realities of adulthood.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.