# Australia: An Unofficial History **URL:** \ **Category:** SBS\ **Tags:** sbs\ **Created:** [October 30, 2024, 2:42am UTC](https://forums.mediaspy.org/t/australia-an-unofficial-history/26169 "2024-10-30T02:42:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TV.Cynic](https://forums.mediaspy.org/user_avatar/forums.mediaspy.org/tv.cynic/32/316932_2.png) [@TV.Cynic](https://forums.mediaspy.org/u/TV.Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2024, 2:42am UTC](https://forums.mediaspy.org/t/australia-an-unofficial-history/26169/1 "2024-10-30T02:42:32Z")
## Australia: An Unofficial History ![Australia_ An Unofficial History](https://mediaspy-org-s3.s3.dualstack.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/original/4X/c/e/a/ceac000b337ed202f1720ace9ccee2e94d05b5fd.jpeg) #### TX: 2025 on SBS and SBS On Demand #### Number of Episodes: 3 x 60 mins In this 3-part series, presented by screen icon Jacki Weaver, we crack open a forgotten vault of Australian government films - now stored in the National Film and Sound Archive - that unearth a kaleidoscopic vision of Australia in the 1970s. Featuring an all-star cast of commentators including Benjamin Law, Jan Fran and Zoe Coombs Marr, and behind-the- scenes insights from the people who made and featured in these revealing films like Phillip Noyce, Dr Gary Foley and Jacki herself, the series offers a fun, insightful, and nostalgic exploration of a decade of political and social change when the idea of Australia was completely reimagined and the modern nation we know today came kicking and screaming into existence. _Australia: An Unofficial History_ is a Stranger Than Fiction Films production. Major production investment from Screen Australia in association with SBS. Financed with support from The Post Lounge and Screen NSW who also supported post, digital, and visual effects. ---
**Author:** ![TV.Cynic](https://forums.mediaspy.org/user_avatar/forums.mediaspy.org/tv.cynic/32/316932_2.png) [@TV.Cynic](https://forums.mediaspy.org/u/TV.Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2025, 10:13pm UTC](https://forums.mediaspy.org/t/australia-an-unofficial-history/26169/2 "2025-02-04T22:13:22Z")
### ‘Australia: An Unofficial History’: Jacki Weaver tears back the curtain on our most outrageous decade #### The powerful new three-part series unveils lost ‘70s films and untold stories of social upheaval and radical transformation. ![image](https://mediaspy-org-s3.s3.dualstack.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/original/4X/d/2/3/d23f92e4b6b45b221c84476d6a4db32d2cfc1084.jpeg) > 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 [SBS on Demand](https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/). > > 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. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/az4ts6PvTaE/maxresdefault.jpg "Australia: An Unofficial History | Official Trailer | Premieres 5 March | SBS & SBS On Demand") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az4ts6PvTaE) > 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. > > ![10207_Australia_AUH-Keyart_Primary-Landscape-CLEAN-1920x1080.jpg](https://images.sbs.com.au/ce/74/20b2468140888fc1c02363b9725d/10207-australia-auh-keyart-primary-landscape-clean-1920x1080.jpg?imwidth=1280) > _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." ![Australia_An_Unofficial_History__ Dr Gary FoleyPicNarellePortanier_0285.jpg](https://images.sbs.com.au/e0/c2/2dc08ac348f192a232725551f5a5/australia-an-unofficial-history-dr-gary-foleypicnarelleportanier-0285.jpg?imwidth=1280) _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.** ---
**Author:** ![TV.Cynic](https://forums.mediaspy.org/user_avatar/forums.mediaspy.org/tv.cynic/32/316932_2.png) [@TV.Cynic](https://forums.mediaspy.org/u/TV.Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 6:46am UTC](https://forums.mediaspy.org/t/australia-an-unofficial-history/26169/3 "2025-02-20T06:46:49Z")
### Episode 1 ![image](https://mediaspy-org-s3.s3.dualstack.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/original/4X/b/d/7/bd73f92c6c3dda2b8a94500b4f70bc67ad59c46e.jpeg) **Wednesday, 5 March at 7.30pm** > In the early 1970s, the Government Film Unit promoted a white, beach-focused Australia – but as the country’s culture and population began to change, so did the stories the Unit started to tell. ---
**Author:** ![TV.Cynic](https://forums.mediaspy.org/user_avatar/forums.mediaspy.org/tv.cynic/32/316932_2.png) [@TV.Cynic](https://forums.mediaspy.org/u/TV.Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2025, 7:20am UTC](https://forums.mediaspy.org/t/australia-an-unofficial-history/26169/4 "2025-02-27T07:20:55Z")
### Episode 2: Between Hope and Reality ![image](https://mediaspy-org-s3.s3.dualstack.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/original/4X/9/0/6/906b7726fa1573e6b5fd4242e67a6edf7da26c35.jpeg) **Wednesday 12 March at 7:30pm** > Amid a period of significant political and social change, Australian filmmakers uncovered a stark contrast between the nation’s progressive aspirations and the real lives of its people. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/12H298Cp8ww/maxresdefault.jpg "Australia's first Indigenous Voice to Parliament | Australia: An Unofficial History") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12H298Cp8ww) ---
**Author:** ![TV.Cynic](https://forums.mediaspy.org/user_avatar/forums.mediaspy.org/tv.cynic/32/316932_2.png) [@TV.Cynic](https://forums.mediaspy.org/u/TV.Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2025, 3:53am UTC](https://forums.mediaspy.org/t/australia-an-unofficial-history/26169/5 "2025-02-28T03:53:41Z")
> **[Jacki Weaver is the perfect guide for 'Australia: An Unofficial History'](https://www.sbs.com.au/whats-on/article/jacki-weaver-is-the-perfect-guide-for-australia-an-unofficial-history/57t5mkvto)** > > Through films and stories, the three-part documentary series dives back into a nation-changing decade: the tumultuous '70s. ---
**Author:** ![JohnsonTV](https://forums.mediaspy.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/9dc877/32.png) [@JohnsonTV](https://forums.mediaspy.org/u/JohnsonTV)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 8:26pm UTC](https://forums.mediaspy.org/t/australia-an-unofficial-history/26169/6 "2025-03-04T20:26:19Z")
Jacki Weaver had a Zoom chat with Dave O’Neil on ABC Radio Melbourne breakfast today about the SBS documentary. Jacki went to the Oscars on Sunday to support nominee Adam Elliot, who produced Memoir of a Snail which Jacki was a voice character in. ---
**Author:** ![JohnsonTV](https://forums.mediaspy.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/9dc877/32.png) [@JohnsonTV](https://forums.mediaspy.org/u/JohnsonTV)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 12:17pm UTC](https://forums.mediaspy.org/t/australia-an-unofficial-history/26169/7 "2025-03-11T12:17:50Z")
ABC Commercial is the distributor of this documentary outside Australia. The SBS trailer above has been posted on the Marketplace page of the C21 website for overseas buyers. ---
**Author:** ![JohnsonTV](https://forums.mediaspy.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/9dc877/32.png) [@JohnsonTV](https://forums.mediaspy.org/u/JohnsonTV)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 4:15am UTC](https://forums.mediaspy.org/t/australia-an-unofficial-history/26169/8 "2025-03-18T04:15:36Z")
### Episode 3 (season final) > **[Australia: An Unofficial History: March 19 | TV Tonight](https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/03/australia-an-unofficial-history-march-19.html)** > > At the close of the 1970s, the ‘official’ vision of the country was much more colourful, complicated and diverse than it had been at the beginning. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/tTyPRYrADUY/maxresdefault.jpg "Corporal punishment in Australian schools | Australia: An Unofficial History") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTyPRYrADUY)