Thriller

Shifts in genre definitions and classifications over time are very much a part of a living art form such as cinema. Films that today we might identify as bearing some of the hallmarks of the thriller, but which were not understood as such at the time of release, have been made in Australia since the earliest days of narrative cinema. The Story of the Kelly Gang (Charles Tait, 1906) contains some of the thriller’s stock elements: crime, conspiracy, suspense, a chase, heroes and villains. The fact that these elements are not exclusive to the thriller underscores the point that genres change, evolve, and often overlap. While contemporary reportage attests that The Story of the Kelly Gang thrilled audiences, it was not named as a ‘thriller’ at the time. Even so, a genealogy of the thriller can be traced through Australian film history, despite quiescent periods.

The Killing of Angel Street

This article discusses the production history and social context of the 1981 Australian film, The Killing of Angel Street, directed by Donald Crombie. The article is Part 21 in a series on the National Film and Sound Archive's Kodak/Atlab Cinema Collection.

The Killing of Angel Street

Synopsis and review of the Australian feature film The Killing of Angel Street, directed by Donald Crombie.

Citizen journalism and political participation : the youdecide project and the 2007 Australian Federal Election

The 2007 Australian Federal election not only saw the election of a Labor government after 11 years of John Howard’s conservative Coalition government. It also saw new levels of political engagement through the Internet, including the rise of citizen journalism as an alternative outlet and mode of reporting on the election. This paper reports on the You Decide 2007 project, an initiative undertaken by a QUT-based research team to facilitate online news reporting on the election on a ‘hyper-local’, electorate-based model. We evaluate the You Decide initiative on the basis of: promoting greater citizen participation in Australian politics; new ways of engaging citizens and key stakeholders in policy deliberation; establishing new links between mainstream media and independent online media; and broadening the base of political participation to include a wider range of citizen and groups.