Museum Metadata Exchange

Names

Name PrimaryAustralian Documentary Collection

Name AlternateDocumentaries

IDs

ID LocalACMI 6

ID UriOffline Only

Descriptions

Brief DescriptionOne of the strengths of ACMI's 16mm film collection is our comprehensive collection of classic Australian documentaries from the 1940s and 1950s produced by Federal and State government agencies. There are over 500 titles in this collection and they range from short to feature length.

Full DescriptionOne of the strengths of ACMI's 16mm collection is our comprehensive collection of classic Australian documentaries from the 1940s and 1950s produced by Federal and State government agencies such as the Commonwealth Film Unit, Australian National Film Board, State Film Centre and the Victorian Ministry of Education. Many of the films produced by these agencies reflected the approach of highly influential British documentary film producer, John Grierson, who visited Australia in 1940 to advise the Commonwealth Government on the establishment of a national film board to produce documentary films in the national interest. Documentary makers such as John Heyer (Back of Beyond) and Gil Brearly (Sunday in Melbourne), R. Maslyn Williams (Mike and Stefani) and Cecil Holmes (Three in One) were also heavily influenced by the European art cinema which screened at the film societies that thrived in Melbourne during this period. ACMI holds many of the titles made by these and other filmmakers in this documentary tradition which are an integral part of the development of film culture in Melbourne and Australia. In some cases however only one or two prints are held of these significant titles and only on 16mm. There is an increasingly pressing need to undertake digitisation of these prints to ensure their accessibility in the future.

RightsMaterial is subject to copyright

AccessFree access on-site, no inter-state loans

Subjects

localAustralia; Documentaries; Melbourne; Moving Image

scotAustralian films; Documentaries; Films

person_orgAustralian National Film Board; Cecil Holmes; Commonwealth Film Unit; Gil Brearly; John Grierson; John Heyer; R. Maslyn Williams; State Film Centre; The Victorian Ministry of Education

aptFilm producers & directors; Film-making; Films

pontMovie film

Coverage Spatial

TextAustralia

Related Collections

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Dates

Date Record Updated2012-05-30 23:41

Date Created in MME2011-03-11 10:29