The long read · Australian cinema
From the Kelly Gang to Fury Road: Australian Cinema and Its Global Stars
Australia made the world’s first feature film, then reinvented itself in the 1970s with films of eerie beauty and wild energy, and its actors now lead Hollywood. Here is the story, and where to watch in Sydney.
Updated November 2026
From the Kelly Gang to the new wave
On 26 December 1906 The Story of the Kelly Gang, about the bushranger Ned Kelly, opened in Melbourne: UNESCO recognises it as the first full-length narrative feature film made anywhere. Only fragments survive. After decades in Hollywood’s shadow, government support in the 1970s sparked a new wave.
Peter Weir’s Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), Gillian Armstrong’s My Brilliant Career and George Miller’s Mad Max (both 1979) made Australian film world famous. The 1990s brought Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom, Muriel’s Wedding and Priscilla, Indigenous film-makers such as Warwick Thornton won at Cannes, and in 2016 Mad Max: Fury Road won six Oscars.
Must-watch films
To understand Australian cinema, start with these, and see our Sydney on film page for the city’s own films.
- Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975): Peter Weir’s dreamlike mystery of schoolgirls who vanish in the bush.
- Mad Max (1979): George Miller’s ferocious road movie with the young Mel Gibson.
- My Brilliant Career (1979): Gillian Armstrong’s story of a young woman who wants to write.
- Strictly Ballroom (1992): Baz Luhrmann’s joyous first film.
- Samson and Delilah (2009): Warwick Thornton’s love story, winner of the Caméra d’Or at Cannes.
- Mad Max: Fury Road (2015): Miller’s epic, winner of six Oscars.
The stars
Australia exports stars like few other countries.
- Errol Flynn (1909–1959): born in Hobart, Hollywood’s swashbuckling Robin Hood.
- David Gulpilil (1953–2021): from Walkabout to best actor at Cannes in Un Certain Regard for Charlie’s Country.
- Cate Blanchett: winner of two Oscars, for The Aviator and Blue Jasmine.
- Nicole Kidman: raised in Sydney, winner of the Oscar for The Hours.
- Heath Ledger (1979–2008): winner of the Oscar for The Dark Knight.
- Hugh Jackman and Margot Robbie: from Wolverine to Barbie.
Where to watch in Sydney
The Sydney Film Festival, held each June since 1954, is one of the oldest in the world. All year, the Golden Age Cinema and Bar in Surry Hills shows repertory and new films with a bar, and the Ritz in Randwick is a classic local cinema. In summer, open-air screens by the harbour show films under the stars.
Our advice: see an Australian classic at the Golden Age, then walk to dinner in Surry Hills.
Golden Age Cinema and Bar Ritz Cinemas Sydney on film
Australians in Hollywood
From Errol Flynn to today, Australians have thrived in Hollywood. Peter Weir directed Witness and The Truman Show, George Miller won an Oscar for the animated Happy Feet, Baz Luhrmann made Moulin Rouge! and Elvis, and Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Chris Hemsworth and Margot Robbie are among the biggest names in film.
Questions and answers
What was the world’s first feature film?
The Story of the Kelly Gang, first shown in Melbourne on 26 December 1906, is recognised by UNESCO as the first full-length narrative feature film.
When is the Sydney Film Festival?
Every June. It has been held since 1954.
Join the conversation
Which Australian film or star do you love most? Share your favourite scenes and the films we should add.
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Sources: the National Film and Sound Archive, UNESCO’s Memory of the World register, the Sydney Film Festival, the Festival de Cannes and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, checked on 6 November 2026. The trailers are from Janus Films’, Warner Bros.’ and Madman Films’ official channels.