A Nation is Built

Siege of the South is a 1931 Australian documentary film by Frank Hurley. It featured Douglas Mawson. It was based on footage taken on the BANZ Expedition to Antarctica in 1930–31. The film debuted in Brisbane in 1931.

Frank Hurley (1885-1962) was firmly established by 1925 as Australia's most famous photographer. After World War 1, having filled the position as the first official photographer of the Australian war effort, Hurley became interested in Papua New Guinea. In December 1920, he left Australia to record the work of Anglican missions in Papua and to make "travelogue entertainment". The result was this documentary, "Pearls and Savages" which was released in Sydney, in December 1921. Following its initial success, the film was modularly expanded for subsequent theatrical re-releases including the 1923 edition, 'With the Headhunters of Unknown Papua' incorporating new expedition footage that features Hurley and ichthyologist Allan McCulloch on screen.

Frank Hurley (1885-1962) was firmly established by 1925 as Australia's most famous photographer. An artist interested less in expressing human experiences than the grandeur of nature and the romance of exotic lands, his work was known to Australians through books, newspaper features and documentary films. His journeys began in December, 1911 when he joined Mawson's expedition to Antarctica as official photographer; his stills of the Expedition were widely published around the world and this documentary "Home of the Blizzard" was released in 1913.

A story of rival sheep stations and of the strong-willed squatter’s daughter who wants to unite them.

The story of the 1914-1916 Antarctic exploration mission of Sir Ernest Shackleton.

To claim his inheritance, John Strong travels to Thursday Island with an ultimatum to locate a valuable pearl within two years. If he fails, his late uncle's pearling station will be forfeited to a rival pearler, "Black" Darley.

A young forestry graduate, Jim Thornton, is involved in a race between timber companies to fill a major contract. Jim has joined the crew of a genial timber baron, Burbridge, and foils attempts by a rival, Blake, to sabotage their work. J. Alan Kenyon's special effects are the highlights of the film with comic relief provided by Joe Valli as a Scottish timber-train driver amorously pursued by a shrill-voiced maid of the Burbridge's country house.

In a small coastal town, young clergyman Cyril Maitland is involved in a tragedy that could ruin his rising career. After secretly impregnating his lover, Alma Lee, a violent struggle ensues with her enraged father, leaving the older man dead. Maitland denies responsibility and allows his close friend, Dr. Henry Everard, to be found guilty on false evidence and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Two decades later, as Maitland rises to prominence in the church, a bitter Everard is finally released, forcing the church leader to confront his decades of silence and guilt as his old friend seeks ultimate revenge.

Sagebrush and Silver is a 1941 American short documentary film enjoying the beautiful scenery of Nevada in the United States and directed by Frank Hurley. It was nominated for an Academy Award at the 14th Academy Awards for Best Short Subject.

Charles Chauvel's 1940 cinematic tribute to the mounted troops of the Australian Light Horse regiments is a rousing call to arms, giving life to the heroic tales of mateship during the Great War.

‘Mo’ McIsaac and his sidekick Donald try to find work to support a young orphan girl he finds dancing for pennies in the street, Miriam, unaware she is really the missing daughter of rich aristocrat, Major Burnett. Gangster Al Baloney and Mae West impersonator Kate kidnap the girl and Mo is blamed for her disappearance.

A detailed historical account of the major campaigns fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. Compiled from the archives of the Australian War Memorial, this film utilizes rare battlefield footage from the Middle East and Europe to trace the journey of the ANZAC troops from their initial departure to the frontline conflicts in Egypt, the Somme, and Cambrai.

Compiled from authentic wartime footage shot by official AIF photographers, this film documents Australia's role in the First World War. The historical footage is edited and narrated by decorated veteran Captain G.D. Mitchell.

Presented by explorer Frank Hurley in his final film appearance, this documentary chronicles Australia's role in the scientific exploration of Antarctica and the hardships the pioneers endured. Using archival footage, this film spans from 1911, following Sir Douglas Mawson's first expedition, to Phillip Law establishing the continent's first permanent research station in 1954.

This silent travelogue chronicles Francis Birtles' and Frank Hurley's 6,000-mile motorized expedition through the unmapped Australian wilderness. Filmed over four months in 1914, it serves as a historic natural and ethological study across Central Queensland, the Gulf of Carpentaria, and the Northern Territory. The surviving written records detail outback landscapes, swamps, and water-lily lagoons. In addition to flora, it extensively records fauna including crocodiles, alligators, snakes, wallabies, wild boars, camel teams, lizards, pelicans, and various bird species. This documentary also provides footage of Indigenous people and their practices, capturing ceremonial dances, fish spearing, hunting methods, traditional corroborees and a native tree burial. This film is considered entirely lost.

A silent documentary showing the pilots, mechanics and operations of the Australian Flying Corps. It highlights military aviation activities across France, Palestine and England during and immediately after the First World War.