Ghost Writing: Where is Australian Experimental Film?

Since its emergence in the 1950s, experimental film in Australia has been by turns a dynamic force in the cultural life of Australia and one that has suffered neglect. It has been front-page news, spoken about by Prime Ministers, then overlooked in favour of the national film industry and a succession of new media platforms. This chapter examines its shifting community base, creative dynamics and the impact of institutional funding on artists’ film practice originating with the 1970’s Experimental Film and Television Fund. The community-based importance of artist-run initiatives like the Super 8 film groups and film workshops is stressed. The impact of new media art in Australia in the 1990s, and the transformation of artist-run organisation Modern Image Makers Association into Experimenta, is also examined. These specifics are framed through an eclectic historic survey of Australian experimental practice, particularly in Melbourne and Sydney, that also documents historic and present-day screening strategies and its elusive archival residue.