As we enter the final quarter of 2024, a number of fresh Australian documentaries, family films, comedies and dramas will premiere at festivals. Now they’re branching out into movie theaters.
Here’s what we’re looking forward to as we head into the final quarter of 2024 and the end-of-year holiday season. We’ve listed the release date, distributor, and some important details. More Australian films will be added as schedules become available.
Highlights we can expect include director Ian Darling’s documentary on the blue Bondi Icebergs, The Pool, Adam Elliott’s critically acclaimed animation Memoir of a Snail, family-friendly Runt, Magic Beach, and the interesting Robbie Williams biopic Better Man.
Australian movie coming to theaters
september
Kid Snow (Madman, September 12th)
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kid snow
Drama special feature
Director: Paul Goldman
Screenplay: John Brampton, Stephen Cleary, Shane Danielsen
Producer: Lisette Atkins, Bruno Charlesworth, Megan Wynn
Starring: Billy Howle, Tom Bateman, Phoebe Tonkin, Mark Coles-Smith
Synopsis: 1971, Australian outback. Kid Snow, a 30-year-old Irish fighter who washes up at a raucous traveling tent boxing show, is offered a rematch with the man he fought 10 years ago. It’s a chance to turn the page on a tragedy that changed his life forever. But when Sunny, a feisty single mother, crosses Snow’s path, he is forced to ponder a future beyond a life on the streets. Featuring an original score by Peter Knight and renowned musician Warren Ellis.
Runt (StudioCanal, September 19)
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runt
family drama comedy
Director: John Sheedy
Author: Craig Silvey
Producer: Jamie Hilton, Craig Silvey
Starring: Jai Courtney, Lily LaTorre, Celeste Barber, Deborah Mailman, Jack Thompson, Genevieve Lemmon, Matt Day, Jack LaTorre
Synopsis: Craig Silvey’s beloved bestselling novel comes to our screens in a charming new Australian family film. Runt is the heartwarming and hilarious story of 11-year-old Annie Shearer and her best friend, Runt, an adopted stray dog with amazing abilities. To save their family farm, the pair overcome hurdles, obstacles and vicious villains as they aim to compete in the agility course championship at the prestigious Clampetts Dog Show in London.
ScreenHub: Runt Review – Fun for the whole family
October
Memoirs of a Snail (Madman, October 17)
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Memoirs of a snail
Animation feature
Screenplay/Director: Adam Elliott
Producer: Adam Elliott, Liz Carney, Robert Connolly, Robert Patterson
Cast: Sarah Snook, Eric Bana, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jacki Weaver, Magda Szubanski, Dominique Pinon, Tony Armstrong.
Synopsis: From Academy Award®-winning animator Adam Elliott, comes the bittersweet memoir of Grace Puddle, a depressed woman who hoards snails, romance novels, and guinea pigs. Grace’s life is plagued by misfortune and loss until she befriends an eccentric older woman called Pinky. Through a long and colorful friendship, Pinky teaches Grace many life lessons and ultimately the courage to let go of what disturbs her home and heart.
ScreenHub: Snail Memoirs MIFF Review: The Triumph of the Human Thumbprint
Like My Brother (Madman, October 17th)
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like my brother
documentary
Director: Daniel McClain, Sal Balharry
Producer: Tony Wright and Sal Balharry
Synopsis: This coming-of-age story follows Lina, Frieda, Juliana and Jess as they journey from Tiwi to Melbourne and back again, trying to take advantage of the opportunity given to them and fulfill their dreams of playing football at an elite level. I am drawing a picture of myself doing this. Each girl has her own aspirations: to have fun, to be a leader, to be a teacher, to make her father proud, but their obstacles are the tyranny of distance, the tyranny of young motherhood. environmental and psychological, such as addiction to sugar, addiction to drugs and alcohol. , gambling, homesickness, and balancing family expectations. And while the offers from Big Smoke are great and the powers-that-be in the South think the girls should jump on planes and be hungry for success, the people back home are worried about the girls’ insecurities. , shared with the girls.
He Ain’t Heavy (Bonsai, October 17th)
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he is not heavy
drama
Screenplay/Director: David Vincent Smith
Producer: Jess Parker
Starring: Leila George, Sam Corlett, Greta Scacchi
Synopsis: A desperate woman kidnaps her violent brother and forces him into rehab in a last-ditch effort to save their lives. The feature film grew out of Vincent Smith’s proof-of-concept short I’m Not Hurting You, which premiered at the Sydney Film Festival and screened at numerous local and international film festivals.
Mugai (Causeway Films, October 31st)
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Mugai
horror, indigenous
Screenplay/Director: John Bell
Producer: Christina Seiton, Samantha Jennings, Mitchell Stanley
Starring: Shari Sebbens, Maine Wyatt, Tessa Rose
Plot: When a malevolent spirit invades the home of a young indigenous couple with their newborn baby, the mother must protect them at all costs. Based on the award-winning short story of the same name, writer/director John Bell’s explosive feature debut arrives from SXSW, Sundance, SFF, and MIFF.
ScreenHub: Mugai SFF Review: Beware of the Boogieman
Audrey (Rialto, November 7)
Audrey’s Jackie Van Beek. Image: SXSW Sydney.
audrey
comedy drama
Director: Natalie Bailey
Screenplay: Lou Sands
Producer: Diya Eid, Dan Lake, Shannon Wilson-McClinton, Michael Wren
Starring: Jackie Van Beek, Jeremy Lindsay Taylor, Josephine Brazier, Hannah Divigny
Synopsis: A drama that follows Ronnie Lipsick, who has been named “Mother of the Year.” She is living the life she never wanted, with a career derailed, a husband who has lost his love for life, and two daughters she struggles to connect with. When an accident leaves his eldest daughter Audrey in a coma, Ronnie gets a second chance at life by assuming her daughter’s identity. But she’s not the only one in the family who sees Audrey’s coma as an opportunity.
november
The Pool (Madman, November 7th)
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Documentary feature
Director: Ian Darling
Producer: Ian Darling, Mary McRae
Pool Overview: Bondi Icebergs is the most photographed pool in the world. For almost a century, this spectacular 50m stretch of blue shoreline at the southern end of Bondi Beach has held a special place in the hearts of millions of people. Iceberg is a place of meeting, resting, training, and at the same time a place of romance and ritual. We come to understand that for those who seek it out and return, it is a symbol of inclusivity, healing, and resilience.
Aquarius (Madman, November 14th)
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Documentary feature
Director: Wendy Champagne
Producer: Sam Griffin
Synopsis: The story of a radical 10-day festival held in the northern New South Wales town of Nimbin in 1973. There, participants battle police intervention, domestic turmoil, drugs and personal drama to create a living blueprint for survival on Earth.
december
Betterman (December 26th Roadshow)
Johnno Davies and Robbie Williams as Robbie Williams in Better Man Image: Paramount Pictures/Village Roadshow
betterman
musical biopic
Director: Michael Gracey
Screenplay: Oliver Cole, Simon Gleeson, Michael Gracey
Producer: Jules Daly, Michael Gracey, Craig McMahon, Paul Curry
Starring: Robbie Williams, Jonno Davies, Damon Herriman, Kate Mulvaney, Anthony Hayes, Steve Pemberton, Alison Steadman.
Synopsis: Better Man is an introspective look at the experiences that shaped Robbie Williams on and off stage.
Correspondent (Maslow Entertainment, December 26)
Julian Maroon, Rahel Roman, and Richard Roxburgh in The Correspondent. Photo by John Platt
correspondent
True story/political drama
Director: Clive Stenders
Screenplay: Peter Duncan
Producer: Carmel Travers
Starring: Richard Roxburgh, Rahel Roman, Julian Maroon, Mojan Arias, Faisal Bazzi, Yael Stone, John Bell and Anna Worska as Lois and Julis Greste.
Plot: Award-winning journalist Peter Greste reports on the Arab Spring uprisings while being caught up in a dangerous game of conflict. Despite his innocence, he was imprisoned for seven years and only survived on his wits until his release in 2015.
January 2025
Magic Beach (Madman, January 16, 2025)
magic beach Image: MIFF/Madman.
magic beach
Animation family feature
Director: Robert Connolly
Producer: Robert Connolly
Animators: Susan Danta, Pierce Davison, Jake Dudzinski, Emma Kelly, Anthony Lucas, Simon Rippingale, Marika Walsh, Eddie White, Lee Whitmore, Kathy Sarpi.
Synopsis: Alison Lester’s popular picture book Magic Beach has been reinterpreted for the screen with a unique combination of extraordinary animated storytelling and live action by ten of Australia’s leading animators.
ScreenHub: Everything we know about Australian movies in 2024 so far
Other Australian films on your radar (dates TBA)
In Vitro (Madman)
The Surfer (Madman)
Wolf Creek 3 (Roadshow)
spit (send)
The Fox (Causeway Films)
To be added to this list, send schedule updates and hot Australian film tips to our editors (at) screenhub.com.
