Best Australian history movies

The Furnace (2020)

To escape the outback, a young Afghan cameleer falls in with a mysterious bushman on the run with stolen Crown gold.

The Lighthorsemen (1987)

In 1917 when the British forces are bogged down in front of the Turkish and German lines in Palestine they rely on the Australian light horse regiment to break the deadlock.

The Tracker (2002)

Somewhere in Australia in the early 20th century outback, an Aboriginal man is accused of murdering a white woman. Three white men are on a mission to capture him with the help of an experienced Indigenous man.

Lucky Country (2009)

1902....the Australian Federation is a year old. Twelve year-old Tom's father, Nat, has dragged him and his sister, Sarah, to an isolated farm at the edge of the woods. But Nat's dream of living off the land has died and he is losing his grip on sanity. When three ex-soldiers arrive at their cabin one night Tom, like his father, believes they are providence.

Sisters of War (2010)

An army nurse and a Catholic nun find their friendship and beliefs tested when Japanese forces arrive in Papua New Guinea.

Robbery Under Arms (1985)

Fourth adaptation and first made for television of the classic Australian bushranger novel "Robbery Under Arms" by Rolf Boldrewood. Made by the South Australian Film Corporation during the mini-series boom of the 1980s and lensed in the Flinders Ranges, it stars Sam Neill as the infamous Captain Starlight.

The Cup (2011)

At the heart of this true story is Damien Oliver, a young jockey who loses his only brother in a tragic racing accident, hauntingly reflecting of the way their father died 27 years earlier. After suffering through a series of discouraging defeats, Damien teams with Irish trainer Dermot Weld, and triumphs at the 2002 Melbourne Cup in one of the most thrilling finales in sporting history.

Battle of Long Tan (2006)

In the gathering dusk of 18 August 1966, 108 young, inexperienced Australian and NZ soldiers are separated and surrounded, fighting for their lives, holding off an overwhelming force of 2,500 battle-hardened Viet Cong and North Vietnamese soldiers. And, in the pouring rain, amid the mud and shattered trees of a rubber plantation called Long Tan, with their ammunition running out and another Vietnamese battalion massing for the final assault, the digger's situation seemed hopeless. Long Tan is the true story of ordinary boys who became extraordinary men.

Pacific Adventure (1946)

An Australian biopic about the life of pioneering aviator Charles "Smithy" Kingsford-Smith. The film is unusually frank about the controversies that occasionally dogged him. PG Taylor and Billy Hughes both make appearances playing themselves.

Callas Assoluta (2007)

This revealing documentary from director Philippe Kohly examines the storied life of renowned soprano Maria Callas, from her troubled childhood in New York City to her scandal-laden but triumphant international career in opera. Featuring archival interviews with Callas herself and footage of contemporaries such as her lover Aristotle Onassis, this celebration of "La Divina" pays tribute to her enduring legacy some three decades after her death.

Mabo (2012)

The remarkable life story of Eddie 'Koiki' Mabo; a Torres Strait Islander who left school at the age of 15, yet spearheaded the High Court challenge that overthrew the fiction of terra nullius.

The 10 Conditions of Love (2009)

The 10 Conditions of Love follows the personal and political struggle of Rebiya Kadeer, the most galvanizing leader of the Uyghur people in 60 years. The Uyghur are China's Muslim minority. From poverty to wealth, protest to imprisonment, Rebiya now lives in exile in the United States. Here she is quickly gaining influential friends and media coverage to help her campaign for her people's human rights. As a result, her children are in prison in China This is a story about the ruthless oppression of 20-million people; of Super Power politicking; and of the pain of a deeply loving family torn violently apart.

The Path of the Dragon (1998)

Produced and directed by Walt Missingham who, in 1983, became the first non-Chinese to practice Kung Fu at the Shaolin Temple, this authoritative and informative programme uses rarely seen archive footage to trace both the history of martial arts and the phenomenal impact Bruce Lee had on this culture. Narrated by Lee's daughter, Shannon Lee Keasler.

Hawke (2010)

The story of Bob Hawke - Australia's most loved Prime Minister as he faces his greatest challenge: a battle within his own party. As he fights for his life, we discover his incredible transformation from a hard-drinking womanising trade union leader into a visionary world leader. For a man who once sacrificed his family to his job, he must now rely solely on his friendships and allegiances to defeat his challenger and remain in power.

Remembering the Man (2016)

At an exclusive Catholic boys school in Melbourne 1976, Tim Conigrave and John Caleo fell madly in love. Their passionate, tempestuous, operatic romance lasted for 16 years, facing disapproval, temptation, separation, and the looming shadow of the Grim Reaper. Their relationship has been immortalised in Conigrave's posthumous autobiography Holding the Man (now a major Australian film directed by Neil Armfield). This is the true story of how Romeo met Romeo and how first love can not only last but endure.

The Fall of 76 (2019)

A 27 minute documentary of the unbelievable controversies surrounding the game Fallout 76.

The Flood (2020)

When Jarah loses her husband, her child, her land and her innocence she embarks on a brutal journey of of retribution and revenge that transforms into redemption and reconciliation.

Demonic (2018)

During the 1980s, claims of satanic ritual abuse ran rife throughout the western world, uncovered by hypnotic therapists and perpetuated throughout the media, including high-rating television talk shows. In Demonic, filmmaker Pia Borg delves into this bizarre chapter of history, examining the elusive line between fact, fiction and the persuasive power of the media.

Beatriz's War (2013)

Beatriz’s young husband disappears during the brutal Kraras massacre by occupying Indonesian forces, sixteen years later she is troubled by his return; is this mysterious stranger her husband, an impostor, or a spirit?

The Dunera Boys (1985)

At the start of WWII the British Government decided to arrest all Germans in the UK no matter how long they had been there. Among those arrested were many Jewish refugees and many who were fully assimilated. This film records the story of a group who were sent to a POW camp in Australia aboard the Dunera.

Freeman (2020)

The story of a nation coming together around Indigenous athlete Cathy Freeman who delivered when it mattered on the greatest stage on earth. 20 years on, Freeman sheds light on one of Australia's proudest moments. In 49.11 seconds, Cathy Freeman's win at the 2000 Sydney Olympics brought Australia together as a nation.

Little Tornadoes (2022)

A poignant drama set in 1970s Australia about a newly-single father’s efforts to weather the turbulence of change – in his life and in the world around him – while a new immigrant endeavours to find her place in a foreign land.

Still Standing (2023)

Discover the untold story of Pinball and Arcade in Australia in this heart-warming, and at times heart-breaking, nostalgic journey through the golden era of gaming.

Wuthering Harlots (2022)

In the Eighteenth Century, London was the biggest city in the world - a global centre for trade, manufacturing and industry. Bigger and richer than ever before there was money to spend - and much of that money was spent on sex. The capital was a hotbed of prostitution and promiscuity upon which tens of thousands of women and girls worked. This docudrama offers a scholarly yet sensational romp through the brothels, bordellos, bath-houses, and baronial bed chambers of the capital, with eye-opening accounts, from the time, anecdotes, rich and vivid illustrations and rousing dramatic reconstructions with a narrative featuring recurring characters. We unveil a world in which tens of thousands of women (and men) were used for sexual pleasure.

Rats in the Ranks (1996)

Every September Sydney's inner-suburban Leichhardt Council re-elects it mayor. Incumbent Larry Hand was popular with the citizenry but they don't vote for mayor - the 12 councillors do - and after three years of Larry, at least four councillors were after his job. When film-makers Bob Connolly and Robin Anderson settled in at Leichhardt Council in early 1994 the knives were already being sharpened. A battle royal was in the making, and so it came to pass. By the end of September Larry had fought the fight of his life, with Connolly and Anderson documenting every bit of it on film. Ambition, courage, envy, hatred, loyalty, betrayal, disaster, triumph... in other words, a classic study in politics.

Mawson: Life and Death in Antarctica (2008)

The Douglas Mawson Antarctic Expedition of 1912 is considered one of the most amazing feats of endurance of all time. Although his two companions perished, Douglas Mawson survived, but how? In a bold historical experiment, scientist and adventurer Tim Jarvis is retracing the gruelling experience, with the same meagre rations, primitive clothing and equipment to uncover what happened to Mawson physically — and mentally — as a man hanging on the precipice of life and death.

Burning Sky (2020)

The Bizarre Trial of Doctor victor Frankenstien (2025)

In the aftermath of World War II, the Nuremberg trials unveil a chilling drama, "The Bizarre Trial of Doctor Victor Frankenstein." Four scientists, Edward Klause, Stephan Maxis, Igor Fritz, and Victor Von Frankenstein, face judgment for their role in Hitler's covert "Project Iron Sight." Through flashbacks, Victor reveals their macabre attempts to create superhuman soldiers. The trial becomes a stage for ethical debates, exploring the fine line between scientific inquiry and culpability. The narrative exposes the moral ambiguity of each scientist, offering a poignant reflection on the consequences when intellect collides with wartime horrors, making it a riveting exploration of human nature.

Final Rendezvous (2020)

During the nuclear-charged 1960s, the KGB was active in sleepy Australian suburbia. For two years, the country’s security service, ASIO, secretly filmed meetings between a senior KGB officer, Ivan Skripov, and his British-born agent. Unknown to Skripov, she was a double agent - code name "Sylvia".​ Sylvia’s final rendezvous with an unknown "KGB illegal" operative held the promise of exposing a network of Soviet spies that had infiltrated the British atomic and rocketry facilities in South Australia.

The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce (2009)

Eight men escape from the most isolated prison on earth. Only one man survives and the story he recounts shocks the British establishment to the core. This story is the last confession of Alexander Pearce.