The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry by David Stratton
Every film listed in David Stratton’s 1991 book about the 1980s Australian moviemaking boom under the controversial 10BA tax concession.
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- DirectorDenny LawrenceStarsNique NeedlesRosey JonesGrigor TaylorOut-of-luck youth gets a lift from a girl shoplifter whose car he had planned to steal. They become involved in crime and romance together.
- DirectorGil BrealeyStarsAngela Punch McGregorDrew ForsytheLiddy ClarkDue to an ignorant misdiagnosis, a three-year-old disabled girl was institutionalized and subsequently spent her entire childhood in a hospital for the severely retarded. A caring therapist helped her to prove her intellectual capability.
- DirectorTim BurnsStarsMichael CallaghanSandy EdwardsJoy BurnsAn Anzac Day stunt intended as a political statement is viewed as an act of terrorism, forcing Ray Unit further underground, fleeing to his childhood home on the other side of Australia. An Orwellian tale of terrorism, fear, paranoia and politics.
- DirectorStephen MacLeanStarsPhilip QuastDiana DavidsonAllan PenneyMavis Davis is off around the world on a fast-motion package trip. When Dad finds out she has been joined by their hated next-door neighbour, long-dead passions begin to stir.
- DirectorBarry PeakStarsBruno LawrenceNique NeedlesRay BarrettA surfer who stops in for a bite to eat at a 1940s-type diner eventually realizes that it is not a diner at all - it is a spaceship disguised as one, and the "owners" of the diner are aliens.
- DirectorSimon HeathStarsAngry AndersonGordon ElliottJohn FarnhamA small town mayor rigs an election with hilarious and unpredictable results. A comedy extravaganza starring some of the biggest names in Australian showbiz in the most unlikely and wackiest roles.
- DirectorTim BurstallStarsJohn Phillip LawMel GibsonSam NeillA group of Australian commandos launch a secret mission against Japanese forces in World War II.
- DirectorJackie McKimmieStarsNoni HazlehurstGraeme BlundellJohn JarrattA weekend in the life of the Stubbs couple. He is a butcher campaigning for a seat in state parliament; she is a bored wife whose erotic fantasies become a disappointing reality.
- DirectorRivka HartmanStarsLyn PierseKim GyngellJan FriedlDorothy, single and one of the writers of the soap "The true world" hates living alone, but the guys she knows don't appeal to her. Her aunt Esther's attempts to match-make with random men just annoy her. Then she meets an old friend from college who he seems perfect...
- DirectorBill BennettStarsDavid ArgueGia CaridesLydia MillerTwo policemen track down and arrest a woman who has been accused of murder, and begin the trek back across the desert with her.
- DirectorJonathan HardyStarsLaura BraniganMichael AitkensNoel FerrierThe American pop singer Kate Lawrence wants a career as an actress. The only job she can find is playing the lead role in an Australian theatre production of The Green Year Passes.
- DirectorPamela GibbonsStarsDeanna JeffsMary ReganKaarin Fairfax16 year old Belinda wants to become a ballerina. To makes ends meet, she takes a job as an exotic dancer in a Sydney cabaret. Eventually, she is able to reach her goal, but not before experiencing humanity at best and worst of times.
- DirectorMichael RobertsonStarsAngela Punch McGregorGraeme BlundellRuth CracknellThe story of two best friends who have an affair one night, resulting in the woman becoming pregnant.
- DirectorBarry PeakStarsDavid BradshawLian LunsonSimon ChilversA reporter looking into the death of a research scientist finds more deaths connected to the man, including some dubious "suicides". He discovers that the scientist may have been killed to cover up a secret government plot concerning mind-control drugs that have been tested on unknowing civilians, and he becomes involved with the scientist's daughter, who is trying to clear her father's name.
- DirectorBrendan MaherStarsChris HaywoodNicole KidmanKatrina FosterThe story about a careers counselor who dreams of becoming a small-time actor.
- DirectorRay LawrenceStarsBarry OttoLynette CurranHelen JonesAfter a near-death experience, a man wonders if he actually did die and is now in Hell.
- DirectorChristopher FitchettStarsJohn FlausChrissie JamesBryan BrownA dying criminal takes his younger brother on one final job so that when the final hour comes, his brother and his brother's wife and daughter who he himself may have fathered, will be financially secured.
- DirectorMarc GracieStarsPeter AdamsJoe DolceKate GormanSet in the outback, the film explores a series of interpersonal relationships as an Italian immigrant and an Australian put aside their cultural differences to search for a runaway girl.
- DirectorBrian Trenchard-SmithStarsDavid ArgueJohn LeyNicole KidmanA trio of teen BMX enthusiasts become entangled with a group of bank robbers after discovering their cache of walkie-talkies.
- DirectorJohn PrescottStarsRay MeagherCarmen DuncanJohn GreggA detective tracking down anti-nuclear terrorists gets involved with prostitutes and rogue government agents.
- DirectorPino AmentaStarsJohn WatersPenelope StewartNicki PaullA successful Australian writer discovers he has cancer and returns home to Melbourne to be with his estranged wife and daughter.
- DirectorLex MarinosStarsWendy HughesJohn HargreavesNorman KayeSet in a township in Olwyn's Boundary, Stella lives and works in a hotel. Every year her ex-lover Andy asks her to marry him. This year, two strangers arrive.
- DirectorStephen WallaceStarsJason ConneryDiane CilentoLaura WilliamsIn '60's-era Australia, a college freshman must navigate freshman hazing, a distant mother, and a shaky relationship with his girlfriend.
- DirectorGeoff BennettStarsYves SteningJane StephensJames Fox
- DirectorJohn D. LamondStarsBarbara ParkinsRod MullinarJack LenoirFashion executive Jackie Wyatt discovers her boyfriend has been cheating on her. She flies to Paris and bumps into photographer Michael who she at first dislikes but grows to love.
- DirectorRod HayStarsPeter PhelpsVince MartinAbigailA disillusioned and directionless Australian teen who finds his life spiraling more quickly than he can handle makes an impulsive escape to the Australian coast to stay with a friend of his mother's. But it doesn't take long for him to realize that the questionable adults around him appear to be in need of a similar awakening.
- DirectorTerry BourkeStarsChard HaywardIvar KantsMargaret LaurenceNews photographer Adam and journalist Kevin, two fictional estranged brothers who witnessed the real life 1975 killing of the Balibo Five in Timor, reunite after five years only for their PTSD to resurface and tear them apart.
- DirectorArch NicholsonStarsColin FrielsHarold HopkinsKris McQuadeYoung miners Mike and Johnny (Colin Friels and Harold Hopkins) work in the gem fields of central Queensland around Emerald. Conflict arises when their pick-and-shovel operation is threatened by a large scale bulldozer operator.
- DirectorCarl SchultzStarsPaul GoddardKathryn WalkerJohn WoodIn the 1860s, two friends, Harry and Bluey, steal a thousand head of cattle and trek it across country from Queensland to Adelaide.
- DirectorGraeme CliffordStarsJack ThompsonNigel HaversGreta ScacchiA story based on true events about two explorers on a doomed journey trying to cross Australia on foot in the 19 century.
- DirectorHenri SafranStarsJohn EwartJohn HowardMark SpainIn the Australian outback a family struggles to keep its farm from foreclosure. Their only hope is that their horse, Prince, will win money in a New Year's race. But when Prince is stolen the children embark on a dangerous and exciting adventure to get him back.
- DirectorGeorge MillerStarsDee WallaceJohn WatersCharles 'Bud' TingwellIn the Australian outback, a small boy determines to see that a nasty, curmudgeonly miser gets the Christmas spirit.
- DirectorPaul CoxStarsIsabelle HuppertRobert MenziesNorman KayeA woman who injured her eyes in car accident and a young blind man fall for each other. Is sight the only way to see the world?
- DirectorJames RicketsonStarsPatsy StephenWarwick MossGary Aron CookCandy is new to the world's oldest profession. Soon after learning the ropes of the trade at Bambi's brothel, she breaks the most important rule of them all: don't fall in love with a client. Unfortunately, she can never be a part of his world - she is nothing more than one of Bambi's girls.
- DirectorAntony J. BowmanStarsJohn ClaytonRowena WallaceJeanie DrynanMax is a middle-aged unemployed actor who drives a cab in the daytime, and attempts stand-up comedy at night. His act falls flat until he discovers his talent for retelling the lives of his friends. These friends are all actors: Larry is in a TV soap, Anna is a confident older stage actress, Maggie is his ex-wife who never seems to get past an audition, and Celia is his new younger girlfriend.
- DirectorCarl SchultzStarsWendy HughesRobyn NevinNicholas GledhillHis mother dead, PS lives in Sydney with working-class Aunt Lila and Uncle George. When he's six or eight, his posh Aunt Vanessa descends from England. Named a co-guardian by PS's feckless, absent father, she asserts her rights and convinces Lila to have PS live with her weekdays. PS is happy at Lila's, playing with children, running about, speaking up. At Vanessa's, there's a regimen of private school, round vowels, piano and riding lessons, and lonely indoor play with fancy toys. He's miserable and when he objects, she sues for complete custody. Will anyone listen to him? And will he take on Vanessa's challenges to find out who he is and to love someone?
- DirectorColin EgglestonStarsTegan CharlesTessa HumphriesDylan O'NeillA young woman has eerie flashes of recovered memories of her brother committing a murder, despite her parents assurance that all is well.
- DirectorAnn TurnerStarsRebecca SmartNicholas EadieVictoria LongleyAn imaginative and somewhat disturbed young girl fantasizes about evil creatures and other oddities to mask her insecurities while growing up in rural Australia.
- DirectorTony PatersonStarsKylie FosterPaul TrahairMark WatsonThe Story of a photographer's struggle in the glamorous world of nude modeling.
- DirectorIan BarryStarsSteve BisleyArna-Maria WinchesterRoss ThompsonA holidaying couple is pursued by the thugs of a nearby nuclear storage facility's boss, who is intent on covering up an accidental leak.
- DirectorBarry PeakStarsJay HackettTim ScallyLyn SemmlerWhen the writer of a TV police show is murdered, the cast of the show try to find the killer.
- DirectorKen QuinnellStarsHugo WeavingTommy LewisShirley CameronSmall film about a young man (Weaving) who moves into a boardinghouse in a marginal part of Sydney in an effort to come to terms with his father's death and become a writer. He gets enmeshed in the lives of the boarders, including a junkie, his sister, and an aboriginal activist.
- DirectorDavid StevensStarsChris HaywoodSimon BurkeGerda NicolsonA series of humorous vignettes set in a clinic for venereal diseases. Although the film concentrates on relationships, it is also a source of instruction on safe sexual practices and STD (the script-writer worked at a clinic for three years!).
- DirectorBruce BeresfordStarsJack ThompsonGraham KennedyFrank WilsonBoardroom and dressing-room intrigues spill on to the field at the Australian Rules football club.
- DirectorDusan MakavejevStarsEric RobertsGreta ScacchiBill KerrEx-marine turned Coca-Cola marketing guru Becker is on a mission to boost sales in Australia when he discovers a dry spot in the Outback, where everyone is guzzling homegrown brew - and not a drop of his company's cola.
- DirectorCraig LahiffStarsPenny CookArna-Maria WinchesterLiddy ClarkA maniac is stalking and killing female students at a university.
- DirectorNigel BuesstStarsJeremy StanfordBruce KerrChristopher BarryAn Australian civil servant's (Jeremy Stanford) diligence offends his boss (Bruce Kerr) in a workmen's-compensation office.
- DirectorKarl ZwickyStarsJohn DoyleNicola BartlettRay BarrettA real estate agent is lured to a run-down mansion only to be trapped and tortured by ghosts.
- DirectorGeorge MillerStarsJon BlakeLisa ArmytageDeborra-Lee FurnessPark ranger Steve Mitchell is torn between Lee, a beautiful sly political aide from Melbourne who supports the government's decision to turn the local grazing areas into a national park, and his old flame Joanna, a rancher who opposes it.
- DirectorIgor AuzinsStarsJoss McWilliamNick TateColin FrielsA young Australian man sets out to prove himself, leaving behind his ballerina girlfriend to train for the Coolangatta Gold triathlon, a race once almost won by his father.
- DirectorPeter FaimanStarsPaul HoganLinda KozlowskiJohn MeillonAn American reporter goes to the Australian outback to meet an eccentric crocodile poacher and invites him to New York City.
- DirectorJohn CornellStarsPaul HoganLinda KozlowskiJohn MeillonAustralian outback expert protects his New York love from gangsters who've followed her down under.
- DirectorMark EgertonKeith SalvatStarsGary DayPenny DownieBrian McDermottA computer genius is confined to a penthouse after a car accident, with only a nurse to look after him. But the advanced computer systems designed to make his life easier appear to be taking control.
- DirectorStasch Radwanski Jr.StarsJan AdeleSean ScullyColin McEwanDaisy, a gun-toting grumpy old battle-axe, eeking out her life in a tumbledown shack in the middle of nowhere. Into her life stumbles Simon, a mild-mannered accountant. Together, they form an uneasy alliance that is hilarious to watch. Gradually he helps her rediscover her zestful youth in return for stability in his troubled life.
- DirectorStephen HopkinsDavid LewisStarsMiles BuchananMarcus GrahamSteven GrivesA computer expert and his friends manage to disable a department store's security system so they can rob it, but once inside they find themselves stalked by a killer.
- DirectorQuentin MastersStarsTom SkerrittIan GilmourGiselle MorganWhen a crummy hotel burns down in Australia, the American co-owner tries to find out whether or not the fire was deliberately set or just an accident.
- DirectorArch NicholsonStarsJohn JarrattNikki CoghillMax PhippsA park ranger is tasked with dealing with a killer crocodile that appears to have a spiritual connection with the local Aboriginals.
- DirectorPaul HarmonStarsAlan CassellAnna Maria MonticelliSvet KovichA slightly disturbed young amateur photographer finds that his father has been secretly having an affair with his co-worker. Thus begins a spiral into blackmail, stalking, and voyeurism.
- DirectorBrian Trenchard-SmithStarsEdward John StazakJohn StantonJames RichardsA martial-arts expert goes after a criminal gang and its boss, who were responsible for the death of his partner.
- DirectorPhillip NoyceStarsNicole KidmanSam NeillBilly ZaneAfter a tragedy, John Ingram and his wife Rae are spending some time isolated at sea, when they come across a stranger who has abandoned a sinking ship.
- DirectorBert DelingStarsScott BurgessRosemary PaulTim McKenzieThree young friends trying to break into the entertainment business inadvertently anger a mob boss, setting in motion a chain of events that results in their being hunted by every thug and killer in town.
- DirectorBrian Trenchard-SmithStarsNed ManningNatalie McCurryPeter WhitfordIn a dystopian future Australia, a health nut and his tag-along girlfriend become trapped in a drive-in cinema that has become a concentration camp for delinquent youths and immigrants.
- DirectorBill BennettStarsRobin RamsayJennifer CluffMarion ChirgwinA man goes a little crazy when he gets his first credit card.
- DirectorPhilippe MoraStarsJames CoburnBill HunterReb BrownBased on a true story, James Coburn portrays a military lawyer assigned to defend a confessed psychotic killer. Set in the context of WWII and the uneasy US-Australian military alliance. The accused killer claims to have killed 3 women in order to possess their voices. Despite the defense lawyer's concerns that the killer is not fit to stand trial, the US military presses forward with the case and its desire to have the killer executed in order to strengthen the shaky alliance. The real person who did this was Eddie Leonski.
- DirectorChris ThomsonStarsKylie MinogueCharlie SchlatterBruno LawrenceA small town in Australia, in the late 1950s: Brownie and Lola are deeply in love. But because they are under-age, their parents are against their relationship and try to separate them.
- DirectorChristopher FitchettStarsKim TrengoveKerry MackMarie O'LoughlinThree beautiful girls decide to escape their upper class private school for a weekend and take off to a remote resort town. Unfortunately, the town has been taken over by a group of psychopaths who stalk the girls, one by one, turning their carefree vacation into a nightmare of terror.
- DirectorScott MurrayStarsKatia CaballeroKeith SmithJohn MorrisThe sensual story of innocence lost, desire found and an obsession that would change their lives forever... She was a married woman, tone apart from her husband. He was an innocent schoolboy on the verge of manhood. While the world was at war, they found comfort in each others arms and shared an impossible love that couldn't possibly continue... and an uncontrollable passion that they could not resist.
- DirectorMaurice MurphyStarsPamela StephensonBert NewtonRichard MeikleA bunch of kids play the game of Doctors and Nurses - of the inoffensive dress-up kind - tending a bunch of adults suffering from a variety of ailments.
- DirectorRichard LowensteinStarsMichael HutchenceSaskia PostNique NeedlesTwo man are the key members of a band called 'Dogs in Space' and share a house in a Melbourne suburb with a variety of young music fans and social misfits, including a college student and a transient and apparently nameless teenage girl.
- DirectorBrian KavanaghStarsLouis JourdanAngela Punch McGregorDiane CraigWealthy Peter Sterling and his younger wife Christine have an existence of little excitement so when a stranger comes into their lives, she is intrigued. An affair turns into much more and they are soon plotting to rob Peter of a precious gemstone.
- DirectorMario AndreacchioStarsArthur DignamPenny CookGary SweetA doctor treats a sick aboriginal person, who had defied a tribal taboo and visited a sacred cave. The doctor soon finds herself having disturbing dreams and finds herself involved in a 200-year-old mystery.
- DirectorTim BurstallStarsMichael PrestonWendy HughesMichael PateA middle aged man deals with various problems. His wife is cheating on him, his own mistress wants to get married, his daughter is showing signs of drug addiction, and his business may be taken over.
- DirectorJohn RichardsonStarsBill KerrNoel TrevarthenCarol BurnsThe story of a friendship between an older Australian man and his instinctively wild dog.
- DirectorGeoffrey BrownDavid HannayBrian McDuffieStarsDiana McLeanJon BlakeJanet KingsburyA divorce investigation leads to the discovery of a corpse.
- DirectorPhillip NoyceStarsWendy HughesJohn LoneRod MullinarThe love story between an Australian woman and a Balinese dancer.
- DirectorMichael JenkinsStarsJohn HargreavesRobyn NevinChris HaywoodA couple is being tested by the temptations of a big city.
- DirectorClytie JessopStarsLee RemickMiranda OttoMark LeeAfter the start of WW2, a mother takes her children from Sydney to the countryside.
- DirectorDenny LawrenceStarsJoy SmithersMartin SacksPhilip QuastEmoh Ruo is a 1985 Australian comedy film about a young couple finally move from a caravan into their first dream home only to find they have bought a real turkey.
- DirectorChris ThomsonStarsBryan BrownAnna Maria MonticelliBelinda GiblinA down-on-his-luck P.I. is hired by a beautiful woman to find her missing husband who disappeared after receiving some tapes.
- DirectorMichael ThornhillStarsArthur DignamMark LeeHeather MitchellA beautiful, if ambitious and amoral, youth is tapped to become the lover of a powerful senator. The young man quickly realizes that he can hold this place, with all its perks, only as long as he is young. He has no other function than being young. With the help of an aged judge, the young man, referred to only as The Lover, contrives a plan to make a change in the way of the world, a plan that will take him years to realize. To succeed, he must manipulate, in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, the senator, his wife, the family chauffeur (who was, when young, a lover), and, by implication, the entire well-planned and controlling everlasting secret family.
- DirectorFred SchepisiStarsMeryl StreepSam NeillDale ReevesA mother whose child was killed in a dingo attack in the Australian Outback fights to prove her innocence when she is accused of murder.
- DirectorMario AndreacchioStarsCassandra DelaneyPeter FordDavid SandfordA young woman running an animal sanctuary in the outback takes her revenge on a trio of kangaroo hunters who terrorized her.
- DirectorJohn MeagherStarsHarold HopkinsJeanie DrynanKerry MackA man approaching a midlife crisis has a fantasy affair with a waitress.
- DirectorJohn DuiganStarsBryan BrownHelen MorseJohn BellA cynical Australian ex Nam war vet runs a sleazy bar in the Philippines. Hif old flame enters his life again asking for help since her husband, an investigative journalist is prosecuted by the junta for discovering too much.
- DirectorKen CameronStarsSteve BisleyTracy MannPeter HehirA bright young teenager from a broken home uses his quick wits and glib tongue to get out of trouble - but they also get him into it.
- DirectorMaurice MurphyStarsBen OxenbouldRebecca RiggJeremy LarssonFatty Finn raises dough for a new radio. Along the way, he encounters mishaps with a gang of bullies.
- DirectorCraig LahiffStarsBill HunterGary SweetMary ReganPoliceman (Bill Hunter) discovers a suitcase full of drug money during the normal course of his duties. The temptation to keep the money leads to an ever deepening set of circumstances.
- DirectorMichael CaulfieldStarsLewis Fitz-GeraldPaul SmithKris McQuadeFighting Back will bring you face-to-face with the unpleasant reality and disruptive consequences of a deeply disturbed young mind. A mind in adolescent turmoil; in rebellious conflict with society - unsure of it's direction, it's purpose, it's future. A destructive mind that wreaks havoc whichever way it turns. Young Paul Smith gives a remarkable performance as the trouble teen who finally gets peace in the relationship with his teacher. Great Australian film.
- DirectorRoss DimseyStarsLou BrownDavid ClendenningJennifer CluffA reporter and his girlfriend follow around a famous actor/entrepreneur and discover some dirt on him to be made public.
- DirectorBrian Trenchard-SmithStarsEdward John StazakJohn StantonRowena WallaceMartial artist and cop Jason Blade must venture into a volatile chemical plant to bring down his archenemy Jim Baxter and save his girlfriend.
- DirectorPeter MaxwellStarsJohn JarrattEmil MintyAileen BrittonWhen the small town of Minyaka suffers from a drought, a kind and mysterious stranger offers to make it rain by playing his flute; under the condition that he be paid. But after Fluteman makes it rain, and even stops it; the town council, blind by their greed and pride, refuse to pay him. Fluteman stands before the town and warns them of a curse he would bring; and so the next day the school playground fades into silence as all the children disappear into the bush... except one.
- DirectorStephen WallaceStarsHelen BudaySam NeillHugo WeavingA poor young woman in 1930's Australia falls in love with a dashing but arrogant teacher who preaches free love and watered down socialist precepts. She follows him to England, meeting a gentle banker en route. The film follows her relationships as they are transformed in England.
- DirectorArch NicholsonStarsSean GarlickRachel WardElaine CusickAfter being kidnapped for ransom by four criminals, a schoolteacher and her students flee into a cave and build fortifications in anticipation of a decisive battle with their captors.
- DirectorGlenda HamblyStarsNoni HazlehurstAnnie ByronAlan FletcherA single mother, Fran (Noni Hazlehurst) is selflessly devoted to her children. But something is lacking in her life, and that something is the love of a man her own age. Her efforts to juggle a love life with her home life are largely unsuccessful.
- DirectorScott HicksStarsJon BlakeCandy RaymondJad CapeljaRon, a young man in his late teens or early 20s, but emotionally younger, has no visible, employable assets, yet rails at his status in life -- blaming everyone for the fact that his dreams are not coming true.
- DirectorRon WayStarsTracey TainshDavid ReyneNorman KayeAn Australian woman's car breaks down in the country, and when she goes to get help, she's whisked back in time to 1944 and witnesses a murder. Returning to her car, time reverts to normal, but unable to convince anyone of her story, she investigates the crime herself.
- DirectorBruce BeresfordStarsKristina NehmJustine SaundersBob MazaStory of an aboriginal family who tries to move out of the fringe into the main white community.
- DirectorBrian Trenchard-SmithRussell HaggStarsHenry ThomasTony BarryRachel FriendA resourceful American orphan living in rural Australia finds himself caught up in the magic of a local Aboriginal myth that might be more real than anyone knows.