Australian Encounters

First Australians

2026

First Australians is an Australian historical documentary series produced by Blackfella Films over the course of six years, and first aired in October 2008. The documentary is part of a greater project that further consists of a hard-cover book, a community outreach program and a substantial website featuring over 200 mini-documentaries. The series chronicles the history of contemporary Australia, from the perspective of its first people, or Aborigines. The series is essentially a synthesis of well documented historical information. It relies heavily on archival documents and interpretations from historians and members of both the Indigenous and European community and leaders. The story begins in 1788 in Sydney, with the arrival of the First Fleet and ends in 1993 with Koiki Mabo's legal challenge to the foundation of Australia. The series comprises seven episodes in which it explores what unfolded when the oldest living culture in the world was confronted by the British Empire. It explores the lives of particular individuals and uses their stories as a vehicle to explain the larger situations of the time. It explains violent aspects of European settlement of Australia, such as killings, battles, wars, as well as acts of friendship and decency between the early European settlers and Indigenous Australians. Indigenous Australian history has until recently been clouded by the "great Australian silence" where ignorance of the real history of Australia can be seen as a way for non-Indigenous to hide shame for their own history. In this respect it has been controversial in that many of these stories have not been portrayed on Australian television before and the Indigenous Australian perspective of European settlement is confrontational for many.

The Explorers

2026

Bill Peach explains the stories of the great 18th and 19th century explorers of Australia, complete with full-cast re-enactments.

The Secret River

2026

In 1806, William Thornhill is sentenced to New South Wales for life where he is drawn into a terrifying conflict that will leave a bloody and indelible stain.

Bastard Boys

2026

Bastard Boys is an Australian television miniseries broadcast on the ABC in 2007. It tells the story of the 1998 Australian waterfront dispute. The script, published by Currency Press, won the 2007 Queensland Premier's Literary Award for Best Television Script.

Drunk History: Australia

2026

An Australian educational comedy television series based on the American series (and earlier web series) of the same name. In each episode, an inebriated celebrity struggles to recount a historical event, while actors reconstruct and enact the narrator's anecdotes while lip syncing the dialogue.

The True Believers

2026

The True Believers is a 1988 Australian mini series which looks at the history of the Australian Labor Party from the end of World War Two up to the Australian Labor Party split of 1955. It was co-written by Bob Ellis who focused on three characters "Chifley, the unlettered man of great dignity; Menzies, who used to stand for something but eventually stood only for Menzies; and Evatt, the grand idealist... It's almost like Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1. It's a chunk of national history during Australia's great era of change after the war."

Dinofroz

2026

The series depicts the adventures of Tom, a 12-year-old boy and his friends who, after playing a board game, are transported to a world where they can transform into dinosaurs using stones called Rockfroz.

World War 2 From Above

2026

In this six-part series, battlefield historians and military experts utilise cutting edge, drone mounted technology to re-examine some of the second world war’s most iconic sites. Aerial footage of different theatres and battle scenes from World War Two.

Rainbow Woman

2026

Hello you, For the last twenty-five years, we’ve been on an amazing journey together. I want to share something from my heart... something real, something I hope will inspire. Rainbow Woman is my love letter to you. It’s sharing our spirit. I’m taking you on a girl power adventure of discovery. Together, we go up a mountain, down the river and back in time... and with music I wrote, it’ll be a 360 experience, for you, for us, for everybody. Thank you for being there for me. I want to be here with you... for all the Rainbow People. With love, Geri x

Monty Don's Paradise Gardens

2026

Monty Don travels the Islamic world and beyond, from Morocco to India and Iran, in search of paradise gardens, and uncovers the influence they have had back home.

The Heroic Legend of Arslan: Age of Heroes

2026

As an unnaturally heavy mist descends on the battlefield, King Andragoras and his most valued officers confer among the bodies of dead and dying soldiers. When Daryoon, a young but highly skilled officer, voices his reluctance to send men into battle under these conditions, the king, unstable and enraged, banishes him. Now, Daryoon's new mission is to insure the safety of the King's only son, Prince Arislan. Daryoon and Prince Arislan set off on a quest of their own, but they can't succeed alone. They must convince both the Lord Narsus and his companion, the archer Elam, to join them in their quest to somehow help the soldiers win the war. Now a group of only six they must somehow overcome an enemy of 300,000 soldiers! These unlikely soldiers have fate on their side, so anything can happen!

Robot Carnival

2026

An anthology of various tales with robots being the one common element among them. It consists of nine shorts by different well-known directors, many of whom started out as animators with little to no directing experience. Each has a distinctive animation style and story ranging from comedic to dramatic story lines.

Ma'abarot: The Israeli Transit Camps

2026

A four episodes documentary series that unveils one of the most controversial topics in the history of the Israeli state. Rare archival materials and testimonials of former residents tell the stories of the 'Ma'abrot' (refugee absorption camps meant to provide accommodation for the large influx of Jewish refugees in Israel in the 1950s), and the institutional discrimination towards its inhabitants — Jewish immigrants from North Africa and Middle East.

Larga vida al teatro

2026

YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of This World

2026

Arima Takuya is a young student whose father, a historian who has conducted various researches, disappeared recently. During a summer vacation Takuya receives a peculiar package from his missing father, along with a letter containing information about the existence of various parallel worlds. At first Takuya doesn't take it seriously, but soon he realizes that he possesses a device that allows him to travel to alternate dimensions. Is his father alive, after all? If so, where is he?