There’s nothing like a “greatest of all time” list to get the industry talking – and the latest from The Sydney Morning Herald has done exactly that.
In its Top 50 Australian Films of All Time, voted on by the nation’s film elite, one title rose above the rest: Samson & Delilah, directed by none other than Cairns Crocodiles Film & Screen keynote speaker Warwick Thornton.
It’s a moment worth celebrating – not just for Thornton, but for the Cairns Crocodiles stage, which continues to attract the storytellers shaping Australia’s cultural canon.
Hear from Thornton at Cairns Crocodiles, presented by Pinterest, next month!
A List Worth Applauding… and Arguing With
As comprehensive as the list is, it wouldn’t be Australian without a bit of spirited disagreement. And frankly, there are a few cinematic heavyweights we think deserved a spot.
For starters, you can’t talk about global Australian film success without Crocodile Dundee – the original box office juggernaut that quite literally put Brand Australia on the map. The film’s commercial and international legacy will be unpacked at Cairns Crocodiles as part of the Film & Screen track, proving that cultural impact and commercial success aren’t mutually exclusive.
Then there’s Toby Oliver’s Looking for Alibrandi, a defining coming-of-age story that resonated deeply with multicultural Australia.
“Looking for Alibrandi was a story I personally identified with as a first-generation Australian with Croatian heritage – it was the first time I felt visible in this multicultural country,” said Nancy Hromin, Director of Misfits Media and Co-Founder of Irresistible Magazine. Oliver will be on the stage for Brand Australia and Stories that matter.
The “How Did They Miss That?” List
In the spirit of healthy debate, here’s our unofficial shortlist of films we reckon deserved a place:
Romper Stomper, The Sum of Us and Proof – early career standouts from Aussie legend Russell Crowe, aka Rusty, as Irresistible editorial director, Catherine de Clare notes his absence.
Storm Boy – a poetic classic that still defines Australian storytelling
The Sapphires, starring Deborah Mailman and directed by Wayne Blair – joyful, political, and unforgettable
Bran Nue Dae – a vibrant, musical celebration of First Nations storytelling
Puberty Blues – a raw, era-defining look at Australian youth and surf culture
Shine – the Academy Award-winning triumph that put Australian storytelling firmly on the global stage
And while not scripted, we’d also argue for the inclusion of Love Marriage Kabul by Amin Palangi, an award-winning documentary that packs as much emotional and cultural punch as any feature film.
Where Are the Modern Classics?
What’s perhaps most striking about the The Sydney Morning Herald Top 50 is how few films from the last five years have cracked the list. It’s a telling gap.
While recent Australian cinema has delivered critical hits and streaming success stories, very few have yet embedded themselves into the cultural psyche in the same way as the films of the ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s.
The so-called golden years of Australian cinema were marked by bold, distinct voices and films that travelled, commercially and culturally.
If anything, this list is less a critique of the present and more a reminder: to back bigger swings, to tell unapologetically local stories with global resonance, and to rediscover the confidence that once made Australian film impossible to ignore.
