Diaspora: list of Australasian films arranged by country of origin of significant ethnic, NESB character, director, actor, or setting

See also related pages: Russian, Asian, American, ethnic.

AFGHANISTAN
Back of Beyond, The (John Heyer, 1954) documentary; includes Muslim culture along Birdsville Track
Serenades (Mojgan Khadem, 2001) writer and director Mojgan Khadem was born in Iran; significant characters in the film are Afghani

BULGARIA
Excursion to the Bridge of Friendship (Christina Andreef, 1992) short; Christina Andreef was born in New Zealand to a Bulgarian father and Anglo-Irish mother. She is working on Shiver.
Soft Fruit (Christina Andreef, 2001)

CHINA/HONG KONG
See the imdb.com entries for this Chinese-Australian director: Clara Law.
BeDevil (Tracey Moffatt, 1992)
Children of the Dragon (Peter Smith, 1992) miniseries; British doctor goes to China to find cancer researcher
Floating Life (Clara Law, 1996) Hong Kong couple move to Australia with their two youngest sons
Long Lunch, The (Antony Redman, 2003) Chinese restaurant setting
Love Serenade (Shirley Barrett, 1997) John Alansu plays the Chinese restaurateur Albert Lee
Man From Hong Kong, The (Brian Trenchard Smith & Yu Wang, 1975) features Yu Wang (as Jimmy Wang Yu) and Sammo Hung Kam-Bo
Muriel’s Wedding (PJ Hogan, 1993) [Why is this here?]

CZECHOSLOVAKIA
Director Barbara Chobocky is of Czech origin.
Aussie Rules (Barbara Chobocky, 1993) documentary
Billion Dollar Crop, The (Barbara Chobocky, 1994) documentary
Capitalist Drive, The (Barbara Chobocky, 2004) documentary
Far Country, The (George Miller, 1987) mini-series; Zlinter migrates from Czechoslovakia
Island (Paul Cox, 1989) Czech-Australian emigrant comes to Greek Island
Learning the Ropes (Barbara Chobocky, 1993) documentary
Maria (Barbara Chobocky, 1991) documentary Raid, The (Barbara Chobocky, 1994) documentary
Viva la Diva: Portrait of Yvonne Kenny (Barbara Chobocky, 2001) documentary
Welcome to the Waks Family (Barbara Chobocky, 2002) documentary
Witch Hunt (Barbara Chobocky, 1986) documentary

FRANCE
Last Days of Chez Nous (Gillian Armstrong, 1993) principal male character, J-P, is French (tho played by Swiss Bruno Ganz)

GREAT BRITAIN
Adventures of Barry McKenzie, The (Bruce Beresford, 1972) Bazza travels to England
Country Life (Michael Blakemore, 1994) Australian adaptation of Uncle Vanya [Why is this here?]
Gettin' Square (Jonathan Teplitzky, 2003)
Hammers over the Anvil (Anne Turner, 1993)
Map of the Human Heart (Vincent Ward, 1993)
My Brilliant Career (Gillian Armstrong, 1979)
Oscar and Lucinda (Gillian Armstrong, 1997)
True Love and Chaos (Stavros Andonis Efthymiou, 1996)
Wolf Creek (Greg McLean, 2005)

GERMANY/HUNGARY
Beneath Clouds (Ivan Sen, 2003) the father of director Ivan Sen was German-Hungarian, his mother Aboriginal

GREECE
Acropolis Now (miniseries, 1989)
Beware Of Greeks Bearing Guns (John Tatoulis, 2000)
BeDevil (Tracey Moffatt, 1992)
Caddie (Donald Crombie, 1976) wr. Joan Long, prod. Anthony Buckley; main character (based on real-life autobiography) has relationship with Greek man
Death in Brunswick (John Ruane, 1991) Sam Neill's Anglo character, Carl, has a relationship with the Greek-Australian barmaid, Sophie (Zoe Carides); his drug dealing co-worker, Mustafa (Nick Lathouris), is Turkish (?)
Island (Paul Cox, 1989)
Head On (Ana Kokkinos, 1998) Alex Dimitriades, Paul Capsis
Heartbreak High (miniseries)
Heartbreak Kid, The (Michael Jenkins, 1993) Alex Dimitriades; Claudia Karvan is his teacher.
Kostas (Paul Cox, 1979) Takis Emmanuel, Wendy Hughes; Kostas is a refugee
Lantana (Ray Lawrence, 2001)
Mad Max (Dr George Miller, 1979)
Metal Skin (Geoffrey Wright, 1997)
Nirvana Street Murder (Aleksi Vellis, 1991) wr. Aleksi Vellis; Mark Little (Boady), Ben Mendelsohn (Luke), Mary Coustas (Helen), Sheila Florance (Molly); black comedy
Only the Brave (Ana Kokkinos, 1994) short
Three To Go (Weir, Howes, Hannant, 1971)
 Wog Boy (Aleksi Vellis, 2000) Nick Giannopoulos, Vince Colosimo

INDIA
My Mother India (Safina Uberoi, 2001) documentary about Australian woman who marries Indian professor
The Trouble with Merle (Maree Delofski, 2003) documentary; Merle Oberon was actually from Calcutta though said to have been born in Tasmania

INDONESIA/BALI
Bali Hash (John Darling, 1989) doco
Bali Triptych (John Darling, 1987) doco
Healing of Bali (John Darling, 2003) doco
Lempad of Bali (John Darling, 1980) doco
The Year of Living Dangerously (Peter Weir, 1982)

IRAN
Serenades (Mojgan Khadem, 2001) writer and director Mojgan Khadem is Ba'hai and was born in Iran

IRAQ
Message from Fallujah, A (Richard Gibson, 2005) short; an American taken hostage in Iraq

IRELAND
Craic, The (Ted Emery, 1999) comedian comedy from Irish comic Jimeoin
Ned Kelly (Gregor Jordan, 2003)

ITALY
Aussie Park Boyz (Nunzio La Bianca, 2004) director and a number of the cast are of Italian origin (Sicilian?)
Castle, The (Rob Sitch, 1997) Lawyer Dennis Denuto (Tiriel Mora) is Italian-Australian (tho the actor is not)
Fields of Fire (David Elfick & Rob Marchand, 1987, 1988, 1989) mini-series; one of the cane-workers has migrated from Italy
Fistful of Flies (Monica Pellizzari, 1996) director is Italian-Australian
Gino (Jackie McKimmie, 1994) main character is Italian-Australian
Hercules Returns (David Parker, 1994) the film revoiced, to comic effect, is an Italian epic
Just Desserts (Monica Pellizzari, 1993) short; relationship between girl's sexual maturation and food items
Love’s Brother (Jan Sardi, 2004) woman comes from Italy to marry
Looking for Alibrandi (Kate Woods, 2000) Italian-Australian community setting
Moving Out (Michael Pattinson, 1983) central character (played by Vince Colosimo) is Italian-Australian
Rabbit on the Moon (Monica Pellizzari, 1987) short; director is Italian-Australian
Spag, The (Giorgio Mangiamele, 1962) 37 min.
Spank (Ernie Clark,1999) main characters are Italian-Australian
They're a Weird Mob (Michael Powell, 1966) main character is Nino Culotta, a migrant from Italy
Velo Nero (Monica Pellizzari, 1987) director is Italian-Australian

JAPAN
Aya (Solrun Hoaas, 1990) Japanese war bride story
Blood Oath (Stephen Wallace, 1990) Second World War story
Bondi Tsunami (Rachael Lucas, 2004) "The first Japanese surfing road movie in Australia"
Cowra Breakout, The (Phillip Noyce & Chris Noonan, 1985) mini-series; Alan David Lee, Dennis Miller, Max Cullen, George Shevtsov; mass breakout of 1104 POWs, August 1944, including many Japanese, some Russians
Goddess Of 1967, The (Clara Law, 2000) Rikiya Kurokawa is JM, who comes to Oz to buy a Citroen
Heaven’s Burning (Craig Lahiff, 1997) lead actress Youki Kudoh plays Midori
Japanese Story (Sue Brooks, 2003) Tachibana Hiromitsu is played by Gotaro Tsunashima
Paradise Road (Bruce Beresford, 1997) women imprisoned by Japanese in Sumatra in 1942
Wahori Days (Joseph Wong II, 2003)

MALAYSIA
Turtle Beach (Stephen Wallace, 1992)

MIDDLE EASTERN/LEBANESE
Heaven’s Burning (Craig Lahiff, 1997)
Fat Pizza (Paul Fenech, 2003)
The Castle
Letters to Ali (doco Clara Law, 2004)

NETHERLANDS
See the imdb.com entries for these Dutch-Australian directors: Paul Cox, Rolf de Heer.

NORWAY
 Aya (Solrun Hoaas, 1991) Eri Ishida, Nicholas Eadie, Chris Haywood, Tim Robertson; Japanese war bride; director Solrun Hoaas was born in Norway, and spent significant time in China and Japan

PHILIPPINES
Mail Order Bride (Stephen Wallis, 1984) telemovie; Kevin's mail order bride is from the Philippines
Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, The (Stephan Elliott, 1994) Cynthia (Julia Cortez), Bob's (Bill Hunter) Filipina wife, has been criticised as stereotypical

PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Black Harvest (Robin Anderson, Bob Connolly, 1992) doco
Cannibal Tours (Dennis O’Rourke, 1992) doco
First Contact (Robin Anderson, Bob Connolly, 1983) doco
In a Savage Land (Bill Bennett, 1999) mostly set and filmed in the Trobriand Islands
Joe Leahy's Neighbours (Bob Connolly, 1989) doco
To Have and To Hold (John Hillcoat, 1997) the only Oz feature set in PNG

POLAND
See the imdb.com entries for these Polish-Australian directors: Jerzy Domaradzki and Sophia Turkiewicz.
Silver City (Sophia Turkiewicz, 1984) Gosia Dobrowolska, Ivar Kants, Steve Bisley
Shine (Scott Hicks, 1996) wr. Jan Sardi; young David Helfgott is traumatised by martinet father from Poland
Weekend of Shadows (Tom Jeffrey, 1978) John Waters; posse chasing a murder suspect, 'the Pole' (Michael Gawenda), Waters' character kills him to save him from their tormenting him

RUSSIA
See the imdb.com entries for these Russian-Australian actors: George Shevtsov, Alex Menglet, Natalia Novikova; this Russian-Australian director, Mark Joffe; and this Russian-Australian cinematographer, Yuri Sokol.
Children of the Revolution (Peter Duncan, 1996) Josef Stalin's Australian child
Diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky, The (Paul Cox, 2002) Nijinsky was a Russian dancer
Dunera Boys, The (Ben Lewin, 1985) mini-series; HMT Dunera took over 2,000 Jewish refugees and prisoners of war in 1940 from England to NSW for internment
A Man’s Gotta Do (Chris Kennedy, 2004) main character's daughter's fiance is Russian
The Man Who Sued God (Mark Joffe, 2001) director Mark Joffe was born in Polotsk, Russia
Spotswood (Mark Joffe, 1993) director Mark Joffe was born in Polotsk, Russia
Palace of Dreams (Denny Lawrence, Geoffrey Nottage, Graham Thorbum, David Goldie & Richard Pellizzeri, 1985) mini-series; the Mendels are a family of Russian Jews
Russian Doll (Stavros Kazantzidis, 2000) romantic comedy, David Wenham, Hugo Weaving, Natalia Novikova, Sacha Horler; 90 min. Natalia Novikova (aka Natasha Novak) plays Katia, a Russian mail-order bride; Sacha Horler plays a Russian; Natalia Novikova was born Bogorodskoye, Moscow province, Soviet Union

SLOVENIA
Sound of One Hand Clapping, The (Richard Flanagan, 1998) Slovenian migrant family in Tasmania

SPAIN
La Spagnola (Steve Jacobs, 2001)
Strictly Ballroom (Baz Luhrmann, 1992) heroine is of Spanish origin
Dead Letter Office (John Ruane, 1998)

THAILAND
Bangkok Hilton (Ken Cameron 1989) miniseries
Good Woman of Bangkok (Dennis O’Rourke, 1992)

TURKEY
The Lighthorsemen (Simon Wincer, 1987)
Gallipoli (Peter Weir, 1981)*
ANZACS (1985) *
Death in Brunswick (John Ruane, 1991)

UKRAINE
Mike and Stefani (Ron Maslyn Williams, 1952) dramatised documentary about Ukrainian refugees

USA
See also the American page.
Coca Cola Kid, The (Dusan Makaveyev, 1985) major character is American
Razorback (Russell Mulcahy, 1984)
Roadgames (Richard Franklin, 1981)
Crocodile Dundee (Peter Faiman, 1986)
Crocodile Dundee 2 (John Cornell, 1988)
Crocodile Dundee in LA (Simon Wincer, 2001)
Dallas Doll (Anne Turner, 1993)
Dingo (Rolf de Heer, 1992)
Dirty Deeds (David Caesar, 2002)
Dish, The (Rob Sitch, 2001)
Dead Calm (Phil Noyce, 1989)
Holy Smoke (Jane Campion, 2000)
Howling 3: The Marsupials (Philippe Mora, 1987)
Lantana (Ray Lawrence, 2001)
Monkey’s Mask, The (Samantha Lang, 2000)
Newsfront (Phil Noyce 1975)
Welcome to Woop Woop (Stephan Elliott, 2000)

VIETNAM
Finished People, The (Khoa Do, 2003)
Ra Choi (Michael Frank, 2005)
Romper Stomper (Geoffrey Wright, 1992)
Traps (Pauline Chan, 1994)
Little Fish (Rowan Woods, 2005)
No Worries (David Elfick, 1993) Amy Terelinck, Geoff Morell, Susan Lyons, John Hargreaves, Steven Vidler, Ray Barrett, Harold Hopkins, Ngoc Hanh Nguyen (Binh)
Khoa Do’s short film
Vietnam (miniseries john Duigan and chris Noonan, 1987)
Odd Angry Shot, The (Tom Jeffrey, 1979)

Eat Carpet (SBS-TV, 1988-) TV series
Six Pack (Kay Pavlou, Di Drew, Sue Brooks, Rodney Fisher, Megan Simpson & Karin Altmann, 1991) mini-series
Under the Skin (Film Australia, 1994) TV mini-series

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