As the AFL Players Association celebrates 50 years, key players in the industry look back at how the game and the players have changed.
Social & External
Self
They didn’t drop a game throughout the 2024 home and away season, but the Kangaroos had to face their demons to win the Grand Final.
Gavin Wanganeen blazed into football with a flurry of premierships and medals. By the age of 20 he was one of the superstars of the Australian Football League. He was the back pocket star who dared to be different. Incredibly skilled, totally professional and the epitome of the humble champion. Gavin Wanganeen's story is a must for every young player with his sights on the stars.
Through the lens of sport, AFL legend Michael O'Loughlin shines a light on the history and experience of the Indigenous Australian people. Current AFL players, Michael Walters and Tarryn Thomas, join O'Loughlin to unpack racism, discrimination and the unbreakable bond they each share with their indigenous communities.
This is a story of a legend within a legend. Ron Barassi, Australian football's most famous name and most famous face. For more than half a century he has towered over the game whether as a player, a captain, a coach and, now, a legend.
An intimate and important story that demands to be told, Revealed - Danielle Laidley: Two Tribes this must-see documentary is an in-depth journey of a remarkable woman who has endured some difficult bumps in the road while achieving countless plaudits along the way. Utilising personal archival material including photos, journals and videos, audiences will witness Danielle’s early childhood in a working-class suburb of Perth, to her career as an elite athlete and as a renowned senior AFL coach. Cameras also capture the emotional moments as Danielle faces her family and friends for the first time.
In 1967 a group of Victorian AFL (VFL) stars jetted off to challenge the All-Ireland champions, County Meath, at their own game. The players were, and are, household names – Barassi, Skilton, Jesaulenko, Davis, Hart, Nicholls, Mann, Dugdale, Fraser. Most didn’t own passports. Most had barely been out of Victoria. Ex-umpire and media juggernaut Harry Beitzel was the man who made it happen. He mortgaged his house. He organised the opponent. He flew his team of champions on a milk run to Darwin, Hong Kong, Paris, Dublin, London, New York and beyond to plant the seed of international competition. The Galahs is a rare feature film that reconnects fans with all time greats of both VFL and GAA football.
THE SAINTS FROM 1897 TO 2003 St Kilda – the name alone brings to mind the very passion of the game. This is a club that has tasted just a brief touch of heaven and more than its fair share of hell. From the glory of that famous 1966 premiership through to years in turmoil, Heaven and Hell traces the story of one of the AFL’s great football clubs. On field heroes, off field battles. The great players like Baldock, Stewart, Ditterich, Smith, Barker, Lockett and Harvey playing against a backdrop of political tension. Originally released in 1997, this is an updated version produced for DVD. It now contains Harvey’s Brownlows, the 1997 finals campaign and the coaching crisis that saw Stan Alves, Tim Watson and Malcolm Blight leave the club.
Heritier Lumumba, formerly known as Harry O'Brien, was in the middle of his best season of AFL when his club president, Eddie McGuire, made a racist on-air comment, suggesting that Sydney Swans player Adam Goodes could be used to promote a King Kong musical. As a man of colour and strong supporter of equality, Lumumba chose to speak out against his high-profile boss. What followed was a media storm and an on-air showdown with McGuire which painted Lumumba as an overly PC, hyper-sensitive villain. Through exclusive access to Lumumba, his friends and family, AFL legends Mick Malthouse, former Collingwood Captain Nick Maxwell and sports journalists, Fair Game uncovers the personal and professional journey of a man who at the top of his game, dared to hold a mirror to a nation that didn't like what it saw.
The Ripple Effect is a powerful documentary primarily centred around St Kilda legend and proud Noongar Nicky Winmar's generation-defining stand against racism at Victoria Park in 1993.
A new tell-all documentary follows the life of controversial Australian Rules footballer Ben Cousins. Such Is Life: The Troubled Times of Ben Cousins includes footage of the Richmond footballer admitting he's a drug addict, and emotional scenes as his family struggle to cope. The end result is deeply emotional and compelling. It's a cautionary tale - the inside story of a superstar footballer who made some bad choices along the way and ended up in a titanic struggle with drug addiction.
AFL legend Adam Goodes shares the story of his life and career to offer a deeper insight into race, identity, and belonging.
Australian documentary filmmaker Ian Darling re-examines the incidents that marked the final 3 years of Indigenous footballer Adam Goodes' playing career. Made entirely from archival footage, photos and interviews sourced from television, radio and newspapers, the film reviews the national conversation that took place over this period.
Mike Sheahan looks at the Tigers' premiership drought and why they went from a powerhouse in the 70s to playing just 6 finals matches in the last 32 years.
An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the Greater Western Sydney Giants.
Getting drafted is an exciting, nerve-racking, anxious, long, fun and tension-inducing experience for teenagers around the country every year. Sharing the journey with some of your closest friends, however, makes it a whole lot more enjoyable.
Australia’s national game is under threat from all world sports. Now the AFL must find new ways to survive in this global market. AUSSIE RULES THE WORLD follows AFL superstar Brett Kirk on an international mission to save the game. Narrated by award winning actor David Wenham- this film uncovers people’s passion for footy in unexpected corners of the globe. Footy will never be the same!
Unveiling the lives and careers of AFL Head coaches, The Chosen Few includes interviews from some of the game's greatest coaches, both past and present.
The Kids follows the lives of five draft hopefuls and their families as they inch towards their dream of making it onto an AFL list.
This raw and moving documentary charts former AFL footballer Jim Stynes' journey, from arriving in Australia at 18 to be coming one of the AFL's most celebrated players, and onto his diagnosis and struggle with cancer.
Based on the book published the same year, 100 Years of Australian Football explores the 100 year past of Australia's national game. Covering the history of the Victorian/Australian Football League covering the period 1897 to 1996, the documentary is an exhilarating chronicle, including lively reporting and analysis of the big issues and stirring accounts of the legendary players, teams and coaches.
A detailing of the rise to prominence and global sporting superstardom of six supremely talented young Manchester United football players (David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil and Gary Neville). The film covers the period 1992-1999, culminating in Manchester United's European Cup triumph.
A feature length, theatrical documentary on the life of Paul Gascoigne, one of the greatest footballers that ever lived: delving deep into his psyche, vulnerabilities, fears and triumphs.
The most comprehensive retrospective of the '80s action film genre ever made.
A documentary that explores the downloading revolution; the kids that created it, the bands and the businesses that were affected by it, and its impact on the world at large.
JB Smoove and Martin Starr host a celebration of 20 years of "Spider-Man" movies, from the Sam Raimi trilogy to Marc Webb's movies and the trio from Jon Watts.
A compilation of over 30 years of private home movie footage shot by Lithuanian-American avant-garde director Jonas Mekas, assembled by Mekas "purely by chance", without concern for chronological order.
A documentary about the making of season five of the acclaimed AMC series Breaking Bad.
Behind-the-scenes documentary about how Lionel Messi succeeded in lifting the World Cup – the only trophy to have eluded him in an incredible career.
A heartfelt documentary focusing on the day-to-day lives of professional wrestlers, some on the rise, some on the wane, and others fighting for their lives.
Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and complex woman.
Filmmakers discuss the legacy of Alfred Hitchcock and the book “Hitchcock/Truffaut” (“Le cinéma selon Hitchcock”), written by François Truffaut and published in 1966.
A chronological account of the influential late 1970s English rock band.
This revealing documentary honors the legendary Sidney Poitier—iconic actor, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Featuring interviews with Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Halle Berry, and more.
A documentary detailing the epic Rogues' Gallery of DC Comics from The Joker and Lex Luthor, Sinestro, Darkseid and more, this documentary will explore the Super Villains of DC Comics.
SEDUCED AND ABANDONED combines acting legend Alec Baldwin with director James Toback as they lead us on a troublesome and often hilarious journey of raising financing for their next feature film. Moving from director to financier to star actor, the two players provide us with a unique look behind the curtain at the world's biggest and most glamourous film festival, shining a light on the bitter-sweet relationship filmmakers have with Cannes and the film business. Featuring insights from directors Martin Scorsese, 'Bernando Bertolucci' and Roman Polanski; actors Ryan Gosling and Jessica Chastain and a host of film distribution luminaries.
Various MGM stars from yesterday present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50 year history.
Brilliant, long in-the-works story of the life and art of the world's greatest comedian and the cinema's first genius, Charlie Chaplin. Produced, written and directed by renowned film critic Richard Schickel.
Ten of Muhammad Ali's former rivals pay tribute to the three-time world heavyweight champion.
From the heights of her modeling fame to her tragic death, this documentary reveals Anna Nicole Smith through the eyes of the people closest to her.
Filmed over 14 months with unprecedented access into the inner circle of the man and the sport, this is the first official and fully authorised film of one of the most celebrated figures in football. For the first time ever, the world gets vividly candid and un-paralleled, behind-closed-doors access to the footballer, father, family-man and friend in this moving & fascinating documentary. Through in-depth conversations, state of the art football footage and never before seen archival footage, the film gives an astonishing insight into the sporting and personal life of triple Ballon D'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo at the peak of his career. From the makers of ‘Senna’ and ‘Amy’, Ronaldo takes audiences on an intimate and revealing journey of what it’s like to live as an iconic athlete in the eye of the storm.