Thomas Keneally

Charmian Clift - Life Burns High

Charmian Clift was one of the finest writers Australia has ever produced, with her popular touch which led hundreds of thousands of readers eagerly anticipating her weekly Sydney Morning Herald newspaper column. Her life imitated art with all the hallmarks of a compelling novel. She had movie star looks, a brilliant writing career and a passionate, creative and tumultuous marriage to fellow Australian writer, George Johnston. Yet the sacrifice of security for the bohemian romance of life on the Greek island of Hydra with its famous friends, including Leonard Cohen; and the parties, the drinking, the love affairs and poverty, led to her early death.

The Final Winter

Rugby league is arguably the toughest form of football on the planet played by men that play the game hard and live even harder. Set in Sydney in the 1980s, the movie is a drama about the effects upon the players, supporters and the game itself as the sport grows from being the semi-pro suburban game it's been for nearly 100 years into a fully professional international sport. Superbly written and acted by Matt Nable, a former football player along with other former players mixed in with some internationally recognised actors, the story is a realistic snapshot into the lives of people for whom the game is a weekend escape from their otherwise ordinary lives. That's all about to change as big business realises the potential the game holds leaving those clinging to the old ways in their wake.

The Accidental Hero: Oskar Schindler

A 30-minute British documentary about Oskar Schindler

The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith

The true story of a part Aboriginal man who finds the pressure of adapting to white culture intolerable, and as a result snaps in a violent and horrific manner.

M on the Bund

The last days of M on the Bund, the restaurant that reinvented fine-dining in Shanghai, and its maverick founder Michelle Garnaut. A remarkable three-decade journey in China’s global city, from the changing geo-politics of the new millennium, to the importance of food and community in challenging times.

The Devil's Playground

A powerful drama relating the intimate aspect of teenage boys and their priest/educators behind the walls of a religious institution where rigid discipline backfires natural feelings are deemed unnatural acts and human lives are controlled in the names of good intentions.