Journey back in time with screen legend and two-time Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook, Animal Kingdom) to uncover a forgotten vault of 1970s films in compelling new SBS series Australia: An Unofficial History, premiering on Wednesday 5 March at 7.30pm on SBS and .
Weaver is joined by an all-star cast of commentators who react to each film through a contemporary lens, including filmmaker Phillip Noyce AO (Rabbit Proof Fence), cultural critics Benjamin Law and Jan Fran, comedian Zoë Coombs Marr, broadcaster Leila Gurruwiwi, actress Rachael Maza and pioneering Indigenous activist Dr Gary Foley. The series also features many of the films’ original subjects, including Weaver herself.
Through archival footage, made available by the National Film and Sound Archive, the three-part documentary series gives viewers unprecedented access to never-been-seen productions by renegade filmmakers that tackled taboo topics, amplified marginalised voices, and lifted the lid on the emerging social issues of the '70s.
From ground-breaking documentaries on post-natal depression and Australia’s hidden Valium addiction epidemic to interviews with pioneering LGBTI activists and gloriously daggy films made to sell a vision of Australia to the world – this is the '70s that history forgot.
The series also explores the profound social change that defined the era, including the abolishment of the “White Australia” policy, the acceptance of multiculturalism at a level, and the rise of Indigenous rights, feminist and gay liberation movements.
'Australia: An Unofficial History'. Credit: SBS
Australia: An Unofficial History draws from the archives of Film Australia, a government organisation that was tasked with creating an ‘official portrait’ of Australia and inadvertently documented the transformation of a nation.
Bethan Arwel-Lewis, SBS Commissioning Editor for Documentaries, says: "As SBS celebrates its 50th year, Australia: An Unofficial History comes as a hugely timely exploration of the moments that have shaped our national identity. National treasure Jacki Weaver is the perfect guide to take us on a deeply nostalgic journey through the '70s.”
“Featuring never seen before archival footage that will shock, entertain and move audiences, this extraordinary series challenges what we thought we knew about the '70s and embodies SBS's commitment to uncovering the stories that define our nation."
Dr Gary Foley is amongst those bringing their experience and knowledge to the documentary series. Credit: Narelle Portanier
Australia: An Unofficial History is a Stranger Than Fiction production for SBS.
“In this series through largely unseen archive, we clearly see what has and has not changed in Australia in the past 50 years. The wins and the losses. It’s a powerful reflection on who we were then, and who we are now, ” says producer and Stranger Than Fiction co-founder Jo-Anne McGowan.
Screen Australia’s Head of Documentary, Richard Huddleston, says: “Australia: An Unofficial History opens up a treasure chest of archival gold that the government created to sell ‘brand’ Australia. This rich tapestry is a roller coaster ride; funny and jaw dropping in places but contentious and provocative in others. This cultural crash course in our collective history has all the hallmarks of a Stranger Than Fiction beautifully-crafted documentary.”
Australia: An Unofficial History will be subtitled on SBS On Demand in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean.
Australia: An Unofficial History is a Stranger Than Fiction production for SBS. Major production investment funding was provided by Screen Australia and SBS, with the assistance of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia in association with Screen NSW.
Three-part series Australia: An Unofficial History airs Wednesdays from 5 March at 7.30pm on SBS and SBS On Demand.
