BONZA - Australia & New Zealand Database

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Tom Zubrycki

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Tom Zubrycki, one of Australiaâs leading documentary filmmakers, began making documentary films while studying sociology at the University of NSW in the early 1970s. His âagit-propâ videos made for Resident Action Groups were used to document local community and political issues.

Zubrycki made several films exploring industrial disputes and institutional power, culminating in Amongst Equals (1990). This film, sponsored by the ACTU, was a historical investigation of the Australian labour movement. However, the ACTU refused to release the film, disagreeing with the filmmakerâs portrayal of their organisation.

From the early 1990s, Zubrycki began a new, personalised style of documentary filmmaking, which explore the impact on refugee and migrant families wrought by displacement, community conflict and social change. This new style of what Zubrycki calls âobservational narrativeâ (Armstrong, 99) begins with his film Homelands (1993), followed by Billal (1996), The Diplomat (2000).

In Molly and Mobarak (2003), Zubrycki tackles the contentious issue of refugees living in Australia on Temporary Protection Visas. The story evolves slowly out of the relationship between the filmmaker and his subject.

Recently, Zubrycki has shifted the focus of his lens to international politics. His latest film Vietnam Symphony (2005) is about the National Conservatoire of Music in Hanoi and how it survived the duration of the American War by operating out of a small village in an evacuation zone.

FILMOGRAPHY

Waterloo (1981, 48 mins)

Kemira â Diary of a Strike (1984, 63 mins)

Friends and Enemies (1987, 90 mins)

Marrickville (1988, 30 mins)

Strangers in Paradise (1989, 55 mins)

Amongst Equals (1990, 90 mins)

Lord of the Bush (1990, 55 mins

Bran Nue Dae (1991, 55 mins)

Homelands (1993, 79 mins)

Billal (1996, 86 mins)

The Diplomat (2000, 84 mins)

Molly & Mobarak (2003, 84 mins)

Vietnam Symphony (2005, 52 mins)

Prior to Waterloo, Zubrycki made several films in videotapes originated on B & W portapaks.

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chapter - The Big Picture - Documentary Film - making in Australia : The Amongst Equals story . 00-00-1993. pp.171-178

A paper delivered at the 2nd Australian Documentary Conference about the unreleased film Amongst Equals.[full record]

journal - From Video to Film and Back Again Metro V107. . pp.48-53

Zubrycki talks about his early video-making with local resident action groups in the 1970s, his influences, change of documentary style, films he's made and ...[full record]

web - AFTRS/Ahead of History : Ahead of History: The Documentary filmmaker in the age of extremes . 17-11-2000

This is the paper that resulted from the 2000 NSW Premierâs History Awards Address given by Tom Zubrycki. Zubrycki talks about how the relationship betw...[full record]

web - Realtime : The documentary: art and survival by Tom Zubrycki . 29-03-2004

Zubrycki discusses the state of documentary in Australia: the costs involved, the avenues for exhibition and the funding needed to support it. [full record]

chapter - SECOND TAKE â Australian Filmmakers Talk : Documentary â a personal view . 00-00-1999. p.n.p.

Zubrycki discusses each of the films he has made. He talks about the problems in making the films, the subjects involved, the way stories evolved, the choic...[full record]

Other Roles ( click to view )

References ( click to view )

web - AFC website : Australian Film Commission - NewsAndEvents - Tom Zubrycki, writer/Director/Producer Molly And . 00-00-2004

Sarah Runcie

Sarah speaks at length to Tom Zubrycki about his film Molly & Mobarak, and the ethics involved when making observational documentary films.[full record]