75 classic films preserved

The NFSA together with our sponsors Deluxe Sydney and Kodak (Australasia) have preserved and made available 75 classic Australian films in the Kodak/Atlab Collection (2000-2005) and the Deluxe/Kodak Collection (2006-2011).

In all preservation work, the NFSA's goal is to represent the look and sound of the original film as faithfully as possible. By working closely with the filmmakers and skilled film technicians, new prints are produced that are acceptable to contemporary audiences while maintaining the original intention and integrity of the film. The new prints are colour re-graded, with soundtracks remastered to Dolby® Digital, and scratches and flaws removed.

Praise rolls in for the Kodak/Atlab collection

Australian cinema luminaries, including Peter Weir (Picnic at Hanging Rock), Dr George Millar (Mad Max), and David Stratton (At the Movies) have talked about the importance of this new collection:

Peter Weir (director - Picnic at Hanging Rock, Gallipoli): "There’s nothing more distressing than watching a scratched and faded print of a much loved film. Many prints donated in the past to the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia were old release prints already in poor condition. The plan to create new prints of key Australian feature films with the help of Kodak and Atlab is to be applauded."

Dr George Miller (director/producer/writer - Mad Max, Happy Feet, Babe): "The existing colour film prints of many recent classic Australian features are in a very degraded state, scratched, faded or cut about from damage. This has happened to most of my early films. The actions of the NFSA, Kodak and Atlab in making prints of 50 colour films over the next five years will ensure that recent Australian films can be appreciated by the world’s filmgoers in the decades to come."

Patricia Lovell (producer - Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith): "I congratulate both the government and the NFSA on this initiative. Many of the feature films that put the industry back on its feet in the 1970s have not been available in a mint condition print. I think this will give greater access and understanding of our film history not only of the 70s but those wonderful early film classics. It is a great step forward for our film culture."

David Stratton (Critic, At the Movies): "When I teach history of world cinema as part of the Continuing Education programme I’m constantly saddened by the loss of so many films – films which no longer exist, or are unscreenable today. Some of these films were highly regarded in their time, others not. But we must remember that tastes change, and that some of the less regarded films of the past may be of much greater interest today. That’s why film preservation is so vitally important, preservation of as much as possible of our cinema past. This Kodak/Atlab Cinema Collection is of paramount importance in allowing future generations of Australians to see the films of an earlier time."

Phillip Noyce (director - Rabbit-Proof Fence, Dead Calm): "Some parts of our cultural heritage are able to withstand the passage of time. Unfortunately color film prints can simply disappear before our eyes, fading to ghost-like images that bear no resemblance to their original form, as I discovered for myself last year when screening a print of my 1977 film Backroads. The NFSA, Kodak and Atlab have all taken a significant step towards preserving Australia’s vanishing past for future generations to see."

Baz Luhrmann (director/producer/writer - Strictly Ballroom, Moulin Rouge): "It is hard to believe that in a country that is so internationally noted for its film output that a lot of our early, and in some cases recent, film work has been lost because we have not adequately looked after it. Clearly, it is a matter of urgency that this matter is rectified."

Nadia Tass (director/producer - Malcolm, The Big Steal): "We need to preserve our history of filmmaking for the sake of our future as a nation with a unique film culture, and a population that embraces it. Thank you NFSA. You are invaluable."

John Seale (cinematographer - Picnic at Hanging Rock, Caddie, The English Patient): "I was genuinely thrilled to learn that the visual history of Australia over the last half of the 20th Century, as represented in the dramas of feature films of that period, is to be acquired, enhanced, catalogued and maintained by the NFSA for the joy, reference and education of future generations. We must celebrate that Australia is fortunate in having a National Archive for film and sound, and organisations such as Atlab and Kodak who are prepared to instigate and support this very important venture. Congratulations to all involved."

Fred Schepisi (director/producer/writer - The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Evil Angels): "A valuable and essential service to the Australian film culture."

Bryan Brown (actor - Breaker Morant, A Town like Alice): "As a pioneer in the art of film making, Australia has a responsibility to preserve the films it produces. Our history needs to be chronicled for us to take pride in our achievements and to understand the opportunities provided to each new generation of film makers. This new initiative is a major step forward in undertaking that responsibility and I can only say … 'Bewdy’."

The titles from the Deluxe/Kodak collection

• A Street To Die (Bill Bennett, 1984)
• Burke & Wills (Graeme Clifford, 1985)
• Caddie (Donald Crombie, 1976)
• Dingo (Rolf de Heer, 1991)
• Father (John Power, 1990)
• First Contact (Bob Connolly and Robyn Anderson, 1986)
• Fran (Glenda Hambly, 1985)
• Gallipoli (Peter Weir, 1981)
• Kangaroo (Tim Burstall, 1986)
• Long Weekend (Colin Eggleston, 1978)
• Love Serenade (Shirley Barrett, 1996)
• Malcolm (Nadia Tass, 1986)
• Man of Flowers (Paul Cox, 1983)
• Manganinnie (John Honey, 1980)
• Monkey Grip (Ken Cameron, 1982)
• My First Wife (Paul Cox, 1984)
• No Worries (David Elfick, 1992)
• Proof (Jocelyn Moorhouse, 1990)
• Shame (Steve Jodrell, 1988)
• The Clinic (David Stevens, 1982)
• The Coca Cola Kid (Dusan Makavejev, 1985)
• The Fringe Dwellers (Bruce Beresford, 1986)
• The Last Days of Chez Nous (Gillian Armstrong, 1992)
• The Piano (Jane Campion, 1993)
• The Tale of Ruby Rose (Roger Scholes, 1987)

The titles from the Kodak/Atlab collection

• 27A
• The Adventures of Barry McKenzie
• Alvin Purple
• Backroads
• The Big Steal
• Breaker Morant
• Buddies
• The Cars That Ate Paris
• The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith
• The Club
• Crocodile Dundee
• Crystal Voyager
• The Devil’s Playground
• Don’s Party
• The FJ Holden
• The Getting of Wisdom
• Goodbye Paradise
• Greetings From Wollongong
• Jedda
• Journey Among Women
• The Killing of Angel Street
• Lonely Hearts
• Love Letters From Teralba Road
• Mad Dog Morgan
• The Man From Hong Kong
• The Man From Snowy River
• Money Movers
• Morning of the Earth
• My Brilliant Career
• Newsfront
• The Night The Prowler
• Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy
• The Odd Angry Shot
• Oz – A Rock 'n’ Roll Road Movie
• Palm Beach
• Petersen
• The Picture Show Man
• Pure S
• Return Home
• The Singer and the Dancer
• Stir
• Storm Boy
• Sunday Too Far Away
• Sweetie
• They’re A Weird Mob
• The Year My Voice Broke
• Walk into Paradise
• We of the Never Never
• Wrong Side of the Road
• You Can’t See 'Round Corners

Please note:

• The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia must be acknowledged as the source of the print on loan for screenings in any publicity/promotion of the screening(s).
• For films that are part of the Deluxe/Kodak Collection, the sponsors, Deluxe Sydney and Kodak (Australasia) Pty Ltd, must also be acknowledged for their generous support in developing a major collection of new prints for screenings.
• For films that are part of the Kodak/Atlab Cinema Collection, the sponsors, Kodak (Australasia) and Atlab Australia, must also be acknowledged for their generous support in developing a major collection of new prints for screenings.
• The logos for the NFSA, Deluxe/Kodak, Kodak/Atlab or any other logo leaders supplied at the head of a print must be included in a prints’ screening to your audience.