Catch these Documentary Australia Foundation supported films screening around Australia

Backtrack Boys | National Release

Catherine Scott's award-winning film follows Bernie Shakeshaft, the rule-breaking jackaroo, who takes a chance on three boys and brings them aboard his legendary dog-jumping team. When Shakeshaft recruits Zach, Alfie and Rusty it’s the last chance for the boys to halt a quick journey to jail and prove to the world that they are more than just delinquents with no future.

In cinemas from 25 October
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Festivals
Brisbane International Film Festival 15, 20 October
Adelaide Film Festival 15, 20 October
Heart Of Gold, Gympie 6 October
Byron Bay Film Festival 13, 15, 21 October

Ghosthunter | Theatrical Release

Long-hidden family secrets converge with a true crime investigation in Ben Lawrence's portrayal of Jason King, a part-time security guard, part-time ghosthunter, and his two-decade search for answers in western Sydney. This search for the truth, however, brings him up close and personal with a dark legacy.

In cinemas now
Dendy Newtown (NSW)
Classic Elsternwick, Lido Cinema Hawthorn (VIC)

Undermined: Tales From The Kimberley 

Award-winning filmmakers Nicholas Wrathall and Stephanie King investigate the true costs of development in the world-famous Kimberley, where mega-mining and pastoral developments threaten not just the pristine environment but more than 200 Indigenous communities and their peoples’ sacred links to Country.

Date 14 October, 4pm, Verona Cinema
includes Q&A with dir. Nicholas Wrathall

Happy Sad Man

Consider this: if you're an Australian male between the ages of 15 and 44, you're your own biggest threat. With humour and understanding, Genevieve Bailey's I Am Eleven showed us the interior lives of 11-year-olds from all over the world. Now her Happy Sad Man does the same for the men in our midst living with mental illness. 

Date 11 October, 6.30pm, Chauvel Cinemas
includes Q&A with dir. Genevieve Bailey

The Scribe

From deep within the engine room of politics comes this beautifully-crafted film on the masterful Australian speechwriter Graham Freudenberg. Advisor, confidant, master crafter and repository, he played an essential part in the formation of policies that redefined Australia, and his powers of expression continue to inspire. The Scribe interrogates the symbiotic relationship between the speechwriter and the orator, and examines the changing landscape of the political environment, from the introduction of TV to the arrival of Trump.

Date 10 October, 7.00pm, Chauvel Cinema
includes Q&A with dir. Ruth Cullen

Dying To Live 

The controversial crusader who previously fought the coal seam gas industry in Frackman returns with another powerful display of activism; the campaign for stronger organ donor awareness. Richard Todd follows nine strangers connected by organ and tissue transplants as they share a journey through Australia’s complicated medical system.

Dates 
In cinemas On Demand from 22 October
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Adelaide Film Festival 15 October

Brisbane International Film Festival 17, 20 October

Silent Eye 

One of Australia's most innovative filmmakers captures two legends – free jazz pioneer Cecil Taylor and modern dance artist Min Tanaka – in an intimate performance piece like no other. Shot over three days in 2016 at Taylor's New York home, The Silent Eye bears witness to an intimate, wordless ballet between Taylor's improvised music and the movement of legendary Japanese dancer and butoh performer Min Tanaka.

Date 28 October, 10.45am, Art Gallery of New South Wales
Free event, including Q&A with Producer and Director, Amiel Courtin-Wilson

The Staging Post

The Staging Post follows two Afghan Hazara refugees, Muzafar and Khadim. Stuck in Indonesia after Australia 'stopped the boats' and facing many years in limbo, they built a community and started the school which inspired a refugee education revolution. A real-life, real-time, multi-platform documentary, this film is about friendship, connection and the power of community.

Dates
National Documentary Australia Foundation screenings
7 November
Sydney EVENT Cinemas, Bondi Junction, 6.30pm
Brisbane EVENT Cinemas, 6.30pm
Adelaide EVENT Cinemas, 6.30pm
14 November, Village Cinemas, Jam Factory South Yarra, 6.30pm

Tickets available via cinema websites soon

Power Meri

Power Meri follows Papua New Guinea’s first national women’s rugby league team, the PNG Orchids, on their journey to the 2017 World Cup in Australia. These trailblazers must beat not only the sporting competition, but also intense sexism, a lack of funding, and national prejudice to reach their biggest stage yet.

In select NSW & QLD cinemas 7-18 October, 26 November

Journey Beyond Fear | Premiere

Told through the eyes of a teenage girl and her refugee family in pursuit of resettlement, this emotional roller coaster takes us from despair to joy through hope, humour and love - shattering prevailing stereotypes. A character driven film, featuring three magnetic daughters. Filmed over 7 years in Malaysia and Australia, it's an extraordinary psychological study of the effects of the refugee status.

Date 25 October, 6.30pm, Cinema Nova Carlton
includes Q&A with Director Robyn Hughan, Co-Producer Steve Warne, Joyce Chia from Refugee Council of Australia + live music from Alice Platt