Oral history program

The NFSA is building a major collection of oral histories to capture the personal histories and narratives of individuals who have been part of Australia’s audiovisual history.

The aim of the Oral History (OH) program is to provide personal, first hand recollections of careers in film, TV or sound that may be otherwise completely lost to future generations.

These are contemporary oral history interviews with key professionals, practitioners, established and emerging artists in the Australian audiovisual industry. The program includes interviews with ‘behind the scenes’ personnel such as producers, writers, cinematographers, musicians, designers and audio engineers. It also provides administrative, technical and training support to staff and commissioned interviewers.

The collection of interviews is a massive resource for researchers and program makers but in the context of the NFSA’s overall collection, it is something of a hidden treasure.

Selected interviews from the Oral History Collection

Geoffrey Atherden interviewed by Susan Lever
Tony Morphett interviewed by Susan Lever
Grace Gibson interviewed by Jacqueline Kent
George Golla interviewed by John Sharpe
Frank Ifield interviewed by Lorraine Pfitzner
Raymond Menmuir interviewed by Tom Jeffrey
Ross Wilson interviewed by Nick Weare

Nominate a potential interviewee

If you know of someone who has told you a story (or two!) about working in radio, television, or film it’s possible we’d like to hear his/her story. If you are unsure or would like more information, please telephone +61 2 6248 2022

Donate an interview and other material

If you have already recorded an oral history interview with someone from the screen and sound industries and you would like to add your work to the collection, please telephone +61 2 6248 2022

People who have recorded an oral history interview have on occasions also been willing to donate to the NFSA material such as films and sound recordings in various formats. The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia also collects documentation items, such as photographs, posters, scrapbooks, and scripts etc, which relate to the film, television, radio and sound recording industries.

The Film and Broadcast Industries Oral History Group

Founded in 1991, the FBIOHG is a Sydney-based organisation of industry professionals who meet on a quarterly basis and generously volunteer their time to support and provide independent advice to NFSA on the conduct of its Oral History Program. Members of FBIOHG also from time to time conduct interviews for the Oral History Program, as well as making recommendations for further interviews, according to agreed selection procedures, and helping establish or maintain relationships with potential interviewees (and other interviewers).