DECEMBER 2010

ADVANCE AUSTRALIA FAIR!

MATTHEW HAYDEN’S HOME GROUND

If the current state of Australia’s cricket team makes you want to pack up and move to Pakistan, don’t despair! This Australia Day – instead of reliving the torment of The Ashes – it might be wiser to spend time with one of this country’s finest sportsmen, Matthew Hayden, on his own home ground.

This unique and intimate six-part series goes beyond growing produce, cooking and interviews, it’s a story about a world-class cricketer choosing a new life… the country life. Passionate about his family, the outdoors and food, this is Matthew Hayden’s journey back to his home town, exploring what home means to him as he works to make his ideal a reality.

Available now.

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? – SERIES 3

On the most patriotic of public holidays, Australia Day, perhaps it is the time to find out exactly how Australian you really are? But before you jump feet first into your own genealogy (ouch!), check out WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? This fascinating series follows well-known Australians – including Jack Thompson, Cathy Freeman, Ben Mendelsohn, Maggie Beer, Paul Mercurio and Magda Szubanski – as they embark on the search for their  true lineage, often with surprising, heart-warming and entertaining results.

Available now: WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? – Series 1 & Series 2.

Available: 12th January, 2011

ANIMAL KINGDOM

One of the finest and most talked about films to come out of our Great Southern Land this year, ANIMAL KINGDOM is a jaw-dropping thriller from first-time feature film director David Michôd, who proves that style and confidence does not necessarily come from experience.

In ANIMAL KINGDOM we are plunged into the Melbourne underworld: When J’s druggie mother overdoses, the teenager is left with little choice but to move in with his grandmother, “Smurf”, the cold-hearted matriarch of a notorious crime family. As J becomes more and more ingrained in the family’s ruthless culture, tensions between the family and the police explode, placing J at the centre of a dangerous investigation for which there is no happy outcome.

Available now.

ART + SOUL

The vibrant artistic life of the original custodians of Australia, our indigenous population, is explored in ART + SOUL, a groundbreaking series which endeavours to give us a richer understanding of Aboriginal culture.

In ART + SOUL, Hetti Perkins, senior curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, shares her knowledge and passion for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art. As we criss-cross the land with her – meeting artists remote, rural and urban – she shares her insights and their extraordinary art, and encourages the artists to tell the stories behind their works. Her journey not only enhances our knowledge and appreciation of Aboriginal art, but encourages us to see the world from an Aboriginal perspective.

Available now.

LOVE THE BEAST – SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION TIN

One of Australia’s most respected actors, Eric Bana, gets personal in LOVE THE BEAST, his directorial debut and an intimate ode to friends, family and his 25-year-long love affair with the symbol of his upbringing, a Ford GT Falcon Coupe.

Filmed over 2 years, we follow Eric on an – unexpectedly – emotional journey from inside the race car to the surreal world of the red carpet as Eric considers the importance of family, friends and what it means to keep your dreams alive. LOVE THE BEAST is as full of heart and the defining moments in life as it is about driving fast… really fast.Available now.

ITALIAN FOOD SAFARI

Imagine if Australia had not been so open to immigrants following the devastation of Europe after World War I: the impact on our language, culture and community notwithstanding, can you imagine the impact on Australia’s cuisine?? This Australia Day, perhaps it is important that we spend a few hours in front of ITALIAN FOOD SAFARI, giving thanks to the culinary gods for the magnificence of Mediterranean gastronomy.

Presented by food explorer Maeve O’Meara and legendary Melbourne chef Guy Grossi, ITALIAN FOOD SAFARI is a celebration of the incredible breadth and hard work of the Italians who came and settled in Australia over a generation ago and have kept their food traditions intact. Mercifully, they’ve shared their food and culture with the rest of us – and we’ve been delighted to embrace everything from classic dishes to the most rustic home-style food.

Available now.

WILFRED – THE SECOND SERIES

A boy, a girl and a bong smoking dog who thinks he’s human – WILFRED is a barking mad series that bridges the gap between stoner comedy and out and out surrealism. Wilfred is not a bad dog… he’s just very protective of Sarah and very wary of Adam, and the three of them share a relationship that can be warm and wonderful but also fractious and fragile.

WILFRED profiles three individuals struggling to find heart and home in the modern world. Wilfred the ultimate flawed character… we are charmed by his arrogance and self righteousness, his falsehoods and misguided passions. Insecure and manipulative, he will stop at nothing to win the love and affection he desires. Wilfred is a mess of different things but one thing’s for sure – ‘Snoopy’, he ain’t!

Also Available: WILFRED – THE FIRST SERIES

Available now.

STONE BROS.

The first Aboriginal stoner comedy ever made, STONE BROS. is as hilarious as it is unique. City based Eddie sets off to reconnect with his roots by taking a sacred stone back to his hometown. But when wild-boy Charlie forces himself along for the ride, Eddie’s spiritual journey takes a sharp turn off-track and becomes a riotous trip through outback Australia. STONE BROS. combines a touching story about the vicissitudes of friendship and family with a road trip through the stunning Australian outback that you’ll never forget.

Available now.

BALIBO

East Timor, 1975. As Indonesia prepares to invade the tiny coastal nation, five Australian-based journalists go missing. Four weeks later, veteran foreign correspondent Roger East is lured to East Timor by the young and charismatic José Ramos-Horta to tell the story of his country and investigate the fate of the missing men. As East’s determination to uncover the truth grows, the threat of invasion intensifies and an unlikely friendship develops between the last foreign correspondent in East Timor and the man who will become President. Telling the true story of crimes that have been covered up for over thirty years, BALIBO is an absolute must-see.

Available now.

SAMSON & DELILAH

This Australia Day, do yourself a favour and pick up Warwick Thornton’s thought-provokingand wistfully romantic drama, SAMSON & DELILAH. Samson and Delilah’s world is small – an isolated community in the Central Australian desert. When tragedy strikes, they turn their backs on home and embark on a journey of survival. Lost, unwanted and alone, they discover that life isn’t always fair, but love never judges. This quiet Aussie stunner deserves to be seen again and again.

Available now.

WAKE IN FRIGHT

The surreal baroque hyper-fantasy that is Ted Kotcheff’s spectacular WAKE IN FRIGHT captures an Australia most hope does not exist. From ultra-violent roo-shoots to misogynist booze-swilling sessions, our Aussie character is torn apart from the inside out. But what a film!

John Grant, a teacher at a remote rural school, is looking forward to his Xmas break in Sydney. Staging overnight in Bundanyabba, a rough mining town, Grant decides to enter the smoky, crowded pub… entered decision he will soon live to regret. Five days later Grant finds himself a confused and broken man, roaming the harsh outback with a single bullet left in his gun…

Available now.