David Stratton's Stories of Australian Cinema

Filmmakers gained confidence with: the boldness of Picnic at Hanging Rock and Mad Max; the global success of Crocodile Dundee and Shine; the flamboyance of Strictly Ballroom; the substance and style of Samson & Delilah.

Australian cinema celebrates the endurance of outsiders: whether the newcomers in They’re a Weird Mob and Wake in Fright or locals out of step with the mainstream in Evil Angels, Muriel’s Wedding and Priscilla.

All kinds of families are given a voice: The Castle’s nuclear family; the family of faith in The Devil’s Playground; Romper Stomper’s neo-Nazis; the immigrants in Head On; and crime families like Ned Kelly’s and Animal Kingdom’s.