AustLit

'Tom O’Regan, much loved scholar and author of the ground-breaking book Australian National Cinema died in July 2020 after a short illness. Tom made extraordinary contributions to media, communications and cultural studies scholarship. His range of publications and collaborations, his expert editorial eye, his mentorship and support for emerging scholars have nurtured and shaped ideas and careers for decades and will continue to do so for many years to come.' (Introduction)

'This book provides coverage of the diversity of Australian film and television production between 2000 and 2015. In this period, Australian film and television have been transformed by new international engagements, the emergence of major new talents and a movement away with earlier films’ preoccupation with what it means to be Australian. With original contributions from leading scholars in the field, the collection contains chapters on particular genres (horror, blockbusters and comedy), Indigenous Australian film and television, women’s filmmaking, queer cinema, representations of history, Australian characters in non-Australian films and films about Australians in Asia, as well as chapters on sound in Australian cinema and the distribution of screen content. The book is both scholarly and accessible to the general reader. It will be of particular relevance to students and scholars of Anglophone film and television, as well as to anyone with an interest in Australian culture and creativity.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'This article outlines how teachers curate Australian screen content for use in classrooms from pre-school to senior secondary school. It suggests teachers use their professional knowledge of curriculum and pedagogy to arrange screen resources, curriculum concepts and student experiences to promote learning. This complex curatorial process adds value to broadcaster and producer curation processes that aim to position cut-down clips and educational resources for classroom use. The article draws on a national research project that undertook interviews with 150 teachers in schools across Australia. The authors suggest the ongoing digital disruption of the school sector presents both opportunities and challenges for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, The Special Broadcasting Service and the Australian Children’s Television Foundation.'

Source: Sage Publications.

'The three articles in this subsection return to scholarly debates at the core of research into Australian horror movies and Ozploitation cinema. In terms of the former, the horror film remains under-researched in Australian film studies. This is not surprising. On the one hand, since the mid-2000s the Australian film industry has produced a handful of popular, and internationally influential horror movies such as The Babadook (2014), Daybreakers (2009), and Wolf Creek (2005). On the other hand, the majority of Australian horror films rarely receive critical acclaim, nor are they widely discussed in mainstream film criticism; and for every Wolf Creek, there is a long list of movies such as Red Billabong (2016), The Pack (2015), Me and My Mates vs. The Zombie Apocalypse (2015), and There’s Something in the Pilliga (2014) that disappear into the long-tail of the market. Few local horror movies released each year secure cinema release and the average title circulates in home video markets, and/or subscription and pay-per-download services. As a conceptual category, Australian horror movies emerge at the intersection of cult cinema; Australia-international cinema that can be difficult to evaluate on the basis of cultural value (the setting of Triangle [2009, Christopher Smith] for instance is never specified although Australian actors play characters who speak with American accents); and genre film-making long associated with Hollywood-inspired film-making. As a consequence, until quite recently the subject has rarely been central to dominant discourses in Australian film studies concerned with distinguishing Australian cinema as a national cinema.' (Introduction)

'Building on and bringing up to date the material presented in the first installment of Directory of World Cinema: Australia and New Zealand, this volume continues the exploration of the cinema produced in Australia and New Zealand since the beginning of the twentieth century. Among the additions to this volume are in-depth treatments of the locations that feature prominently in the countries' cinema. Essays by leading critics and film scholars consider the significance in films of the outback and the beach, which is evoked as a liminal space in Long Weekend and a symbol of death in Heaven's Burning, among other films. Other contributions turn the spotlight on previously unexplored genres and key filmmakers, including Jane Campion, Rolf de Heer, Charles Chauvel, and Gillian Armstrong.

'Accompanying the critical essays in this volume are more than one hundred new film reviews, complemented by full-colour film stills and significantly expanded references for further study. From The Piano to Red Dog, from Pictures to The Orator, Directory of World Cinema: Australia and New Zealand 2 completes this comprehensive treatment of two similar – but also different – consistently fascinating national cinemas.' (Publication summary)

'The first book about Australia's very own outpost of Hollywood. Hollywood films and television programs are watched all over the world. Using the Gold Coast as a case study, this important new book shows how a combination of circumstances created our own outpost of Hollywood in Australia. ' (Source: TROVE)

This addition to Intellect’s Directory of World Cinema series turns the spotlight on Australia and New Zealand, offering an in-depth and exciting look at the cinema produced in these two countries since the turn of the twentieth century. Though the two nations share considerable cultural and economic connections, their film industries remain distinct, marked by differences of scale, level of government involvement and funding, and relations with other countries and national cinemas. The volume includes essays

about prominent genres and themes, profiles of directors, and comprehensive reviews of significant titles, this user-friendly guide explores the diversity and distinctiveness of films from both countries.