List of Australian sports films

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This is a compilation of Australian films in the genre covering sports activities. Films may cover issues in sport as World Series Cricket, 1968 Olympics Black Power salute, personalities Dawn Fraser and Phar Lap, sporting events and tours and satire. Films provide an insight into the importance of sport into Australian society. [1] Films include fictional and non-fictional stories.

SportTitleDateGentreComments
Athletics Salute 2008Documentary Peter Norman role in the 1968 Olympics Black Power salute.
Athletics The Four Minute Mile 1988DramaMini-series about the race to run the Four-minute mile, focusing on the rivalry between Roger Bannister and John Landy.
Athletics Cliffy2013TelemovieStory of ultra marathoner Cliff Young.
Australian football The Club 1980ComedyBased on satirical play by David Williamson. Inspired by the backroom dealings and antics of the Victorian Football League's Collingwood Football Club.
Australian football Australian Rules 2002Drama
Australian football The Great Macarthy 1975ComedyAdaptation of the novel A Salute to the Great Macarthy by Barry Oakley. and about a local footballer who is signed up (or more appropriately, kidnapped) by the South Melbourne Football Club (now Sydney Swans).
Australian football Year of the Dogs 1997DocumentaryFollows the 1996 season of the Footscray Football Club (now Western Bulldogs).
Australian football Valentine's Day 2008ComedyStory about famous Aussie Rules footballer fallen on hard times that is required to coach "no-hoper" football team as part of a community service order.
Australian football Blinder 2013DramaStory about aspiring football star who fled Australia following a local scandal.
Australian football Joffa: The Movie 2010ComedyStory of Australia's best known sports fan, Joffa Corfe.
Australian football Aussie Rules the World 2014Documentary
Australian football War Without Weapons1980DocumentaryBehind-the-scenes look at the North Melbourne Football Club and its head coach Ron Barassi during the 1979 Victorian Football League season.
Australian football Life of the Town2009DocumentaryThirteen half-hour episodes of grassroots football ' tracking the fortunes of the Ongerup Football Club through the 2008 season.
Australian football The Warriors 2017TV seriesExplores the elite world of professional sport through the eyes of recruits and established players living in a share house.
Australian football League of Their Own [2] 2017DocumentaryHistoric story behind the Women's Australian Football League and the athletes and trailblazers who made it happen.
Australian football The Merger 2018ComedyFilm explores the decline of a cash-strapped Aussie Rules rural footy club and the recruitment of refugees to keep the club viable.
Australian football The Final Quarter 2019DocumentaryThe final stages of the Australian football career of Adam Goodes, during which he was the target of repeated booing by opposition fans.
Australian football The Australian Dream2019DocumentaryDocumentary that uses the remarkable and inspirational story of AFL legend Adam Goodes as the prism through which to tell a deeper and more powerful story about race, identity and belonging.
Australian football Collingwood: From the Inside Out2019Documentary Collingwood Football Club's journey to rebuild itself through the 2018 AFL season.
Boxing Rose Against the Odds 1991DramaMini-series about world boxing champion Lionel Rose.
Boxing Lionel2008DocumentaryInterviews with Lionel Rose, his family and friends.
Boxing Two Fists, One Heart 2008Drama
Cricket Save Your Legs! 2012Comedy
Cricket Bodyline 1984DramaMini-series about English cricket team in Australia in 1932–33 and its bodyline bowling tactic.
Cricket Bradman1991DocumentaryDefinitive video of Sir Donald Bradman's life, from his youth and unsurpassed cricketing career, through to his time as Chairman of the Australian Cricket Board.
Cricket Backyard Ashes 2013Comedy
Cricket Howzat! Kerry Packer's War 2012DramaMini-series about World Series Cricket (WSC),a break away professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979.
Cricket How McDougall Topped the Score 1924Drama
Cricket Prince Ranjitsinhji Practising Batting in the Nets 1897DocumentaryOne of the earliest surviving cricket films.
Cricket Warnie 2017TV Mini-seriesLife of Australian spin bowler Shane Warne.
Cycling BMX Bandits 1983Drama
Cycling Tracks of Glory 1992TV mini-seriesVisit of Major Taylor to Australian and his rivalry with Australian cycler Don Walker in 1903.
Greyhound racing Gone to the Dogs 1939Comedy
Horse racing Ride Like a Girl 2019DramaThe story of Michelle Payne, the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup.
Horse racing The Cup 2011Drama
Horse racing Phar Lap 1983DramaStory of Phar Lap, a champion Australian racehorse during The Great Depression.
Horse racing Thoroughbred 1936Drama
Horse racing A Rough Passage 1922Drama
Horse racing Silks and Saddles 1921Drama
Horse racing Desert Gold 1919Drama
Horse racing Won on the Post 1912Drama
Horse racing The Double Event 1911Drama
Horse racing The Cup Winner 1911Drama
Horse racing A Ticket in Tatts 1911Comedy
Horse racing Keane of Kalgoorlie 1911DramaAustralian silent film set in the racing and gambling circles of Sydney, based on a popular play by Edward William O'Sullivan and Arthur Wright, adapted from the novel by Wright.
Horse racing The Melbourne Cup 1896DocumentarySeries of Australian silent films being the first time the Melbourne Cup Carnival was filmed.
Lawn bowls Crackerjack 2002Comedy
Motor sport Brock 2016TV seriesChronicles the life of Australian driver Peter Brock.
Netball The Last Great Amateurs2004Documentary Melbourne Phoenix players, coach and administrators are followed through a season.
Rowing Paris or the Bush : the story of the Cods2015DocumentaryThe story of the men's eight rowing team from Murray Bridge, South Australia that overcame multiple hurdles to qualify for the 1924 Paris Olympics. [3]
Rugby league Chasing Comets 2018DramaFollows the onfield and offield life of Chase who is following his dream of playing National Rugby League.
Rugby league Broke 2015DramaStory about a professional rugby league footballer at the end of his career with a gambling addiction and he is able to win back the respect.
Rugby league The Final Winter 2007Drama
Rugby league Footy Legends 2006Comedy
Rugby league Fibros and the Silvertail 2008DocumentaryThe feud between two football teams - Fibros (Western Suburbs Magpies) and Silvertails (Manly Warringah Sea Eagles).
Rugby league The First Kangaroos 1988DramaThe 1908–09 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain, the first-ever such tour by the Australia national rugby league team
Soccer Offside2009Comedy
Soccer Johnny Warren's Football Mission2006DocumentaryChronicles the life of Johnny Warren.
Skating Deck Dogz 2005Drama
Freestyle skiing The Will To Fly 2016DocumentaryOlympic aerial skiing champion Lydia Lassila returns to the sport as a mother to perform the most complex acrobatic manoeuvre ever performed by a woman.
Surf life saving the Coolangatta Gold 1984DramaFilm which led to the establishment of the iron man race The Coolangatta Gold.
Surfing Fighting Fear 2013Documentary
Surfing Bra Boys: Blood is Thicker than Water 2007Documentary
Surfing The Endless Summer 1966Documentary
Surfing The Endless Summer II 1994Documentary
Surfing Drift 2013Drama
Surfing Palm Beach 1980Drama
Surfing Puberty Blues 1981Drama
Surfing Women in surf1986Documentary
Surfing Puberty Blues (TV series) 2012TV series
Swimming The Dawn Fraser Story 1964DocumentaryHistory of women's surfing in Australia from 1915, through the big board era to 1986.
Swimming Dawn! 1979DramaThe film deals with Dawn Fraser's rise to fame as a champion Olympic swimmer, her anti-authoritarian clashes with Australian Swimming officials, her triumphs, marriage and eventual divorce.
Swimming Swimming Upstream 2003DramaYoung male swimmer overcomes family dysfunction to become a world-class athlete.
Swimming Barracuda 2016TV series
Swimming Streamline 2021DramaStory of a teenage swimmer who faces problems after his father leaves jail.
Windsurfing Windrider 1986Drama
Women's sportThe Game is Up!1993DocumentaryHistorical look at women in sport in Australia between 1896 and 1956.
Yachting Aussie Assault 1984DocumentaryStory of Australia II winning the 1983 America's Cup.
Yachting The Challenge 1986TV Mini-seriesStory of Australia II winning the 1983 America's Cup
Yachting Kay Cottee : First Lady1989DocumentaryThe story of Kay Cottee, the first woman in history to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world.
Yachting Lionheart : the Jesse Martin story2001DocumentaryIn 1991, Jesse Martin b circumnavigating the world in his 34-foot yacht, Lionheart became the youngest person in history to sail around the world solo, non stop and unassisted.
Yachting 210 days: around the world with Jessica Watson2010DocumentaryIn May 2010, 16 year old young Australian Jessica Watson sailed into Sydney Harbour and became the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world.

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References

  1. Oxford Companion to Australian sport (2nd ed.). Melbourne: Oxford Uni Press. 1994. pp. 163–165.
  2. "Telling The Historic Story Behind The Women's AFL". Premier of Victoria website. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  3. Sexton, Mile (22 April 2016). "Paris or the Bush doco about 1924 Olympic rowing team The Cods premieres in Murray Bridge". ABC News. Retrieved 3 December 2016.

Further reading