As the AFL Players Association celebrates 50 years, key players in the industry look back at how the game and the players have changed.
Social & External
The people behind it
Patrick Dangerfield
Self
In 1967 a group of Victorian AFL (VFL) stars jetted off to challenge the All-Ireland champions, County Meath, at their own game. The players were, and are, household names – Barassi, Skilton, Jesaulenko, Davis, Hart, Nicholls, Mann, Dugdale, Fraser. Most didn’t own passports. Most had barely been out of Victoria. Ex-umpire and media juggernaut Harry Beitzel was the man who made it happen. He mortgaged his house. He organised the opponent. He flew his team of champions on a milk run to Darwin, Hong Kong, Paris, Dublin, London, New York and beyond to plant the seed of international competition. The Galahs is a rare feature film that reconnects fans with all time greats of both VFL and GAA football.
Heritier Lumumba, formerly known as Harry O'Brien, was in the middle of his best season of AFL when his club president, Eddie McGuire, made a racist on-air comment, suggesting that Sydney Swans player Adam Goodes could be used to promote a King Kong musical. As a man of colour and strong supporter of equality, Lumumba chose to speak out against his high-profile boss. What followed was a media storm and an on-air showdown with McGuire which painted Lumumba as an overly PC, hyper-sensitive villain. Through exclusive access to Lumumba, his friends and family, AFL legends Mick Malthouse, former Collingwood Captain Nick Maxwell and sports journalists, Fair Game uncovers the personal and professional journey of a man who at the top of his game, dared to hold a mirror to a nation that didn't like what it saw.
THE SAINTS FROM 1897 TO 2003 St Kilda – the name alone brings to mind the very passion of the game. This is a club that has tasted just a brief touch of heaven and more than its fair share of hell. From the glory of that famous 1966 premiership through to years in turmoil, Heaven and Hell traces the story of one of the AFL’s great football clubs. On field heroes, off field battles. The great players like Baldock, Stewart, Ditterich, Smith, Barker, Lockett and Harvey playing against a backdrop of political tension. Originally released in 1997, this is an updated version produced for DVD. It now contains Harvey’s Brownlows, the 1997 finals campaign and the coaching crisis that saw Stan Alves, Tim Watson and Malcolm Blight leave the club.
A new tell-all documentary follows the life of controversial Australian Rules footballer Ben Cousins. Such Is Life: The Troubled Times of Ben Cousins includes footage of the Richmond footballer admitting he's a drug addict, and emotional scenes as his family struggle to cope. The end result is deeply emotional and compelling. It's a cautionary tale - the inside story of a superstar footballer who made some bad choices along the way and ended up in a titanic struggle with drug addiction.
AFL legend Adam Goodes shares the story of his life and career to offer a deeper insight into race, identity, and belonging.
Australian documentary filmmaker Ian Darling re-examines the incidents that marked the final 3 years of Indigenous footballer Adam Goodes' playing career. Made entirely from archival footage, photos and interviews sourced from television, radio and newspapers, the film reviews the national conversation that took place over this period.
An inside look at the clubs 2025 season, featuring behind the scenes moments with players, coaches, and staff.
How does a team who finished 13th the previous season win the premiership the following year? This is how, this is that tale.
An exclusive behind the scenes documentary with unprecedented access on the spic 2011 AFL Grand Final. It tells the stories behind the game featuring interviews with Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse and Geelong coach Chris Scott. A wonderful piece of storytelling, the emotional and gripping interviews make 2 Hours compelling viewing for any AFL fan.
"Take the Steps” follows four characters at Collingwood Football Club throughout the 2023 Toyota AFL Finals Series. Craig McRae is in his second year of senior coaching.
The Ripple Effect is a powerful documentary primarily centred around St Kilda legend and proud Noongar Nicky Winmar's generation-defining stand against racism at Victoria Park in 1993.
The people of Footscray are battlers and so is their football team. The 'mighty' Bulldogs haven't won a premiership since 1954. The club is close to broke and the AFL keeps trying to kill them off for the sake of the national competition. Year of the Dogs is a documentary following the fortunes of the Footscray Football club, its players, fans and staff as the club struggles to survive the 1996 Australian Football League season.
A 30-minute observational film about fanatical AFL football supporters, the "Sainters" of St. Kilda Football Club. Shot over 18 months (1991-92) in and around the grounds - and homes - of suburban Melbourne, it holds the record as the film with the 'most swearing per minute of screen time', and quite possibly the 'most pirated short film in Melbourne.
GAME GIRLS is an entertaining look at the role of women in Australian Rules Football, from the die-hard supporters and tireless volunteers to the women who have made it into the boardroom, the clubroom and even onto the hallowed ground.
Mike Sheahan looks at the Tigers' premiership drought and why they went from a powerhouse in the 70s to playing just 6 finals matches in the last 32 years.
An inspiring documentary that follows the journey of Ryan Emerson, a deaf ruckman who defies expectations in a sport where communication is key.
The Kids follows the lives of five draft hopefuls and their families as they inch towards their dream of making it onto an AFL list.
Rhys Gilday, a man on the autism spectrum, and his love of AFL umpires, shine a spotlight on the game’s most misunderstood figures. No Prior Opportunity is a heartwarming, funny and powerful tribute to passion, exclusion and resilience on the fringes of fandom.
Never before in Australian sport has a club’s story been told so comprehensively or so openly. Screening from October 19 on Fox Footy and Kayo over a four-week period, The Bombers: Stories of a Great Club is an eight-part documentary series that was commissioned for the Bombers' 150-year celebrations in 2022. Production for the landmark series began in late 2019, with the broad-ranging tale completed despite the challenges of COVID-19 restrictions. The Bombers appeals to all sports fans, peeling back the triumphs and turbulent times, successes and failures, defining moments and disasters that beset even the greatest of clubs. More than 90 players, coaches, officials, supporters and icons from Essendon and rival clubs have been interviewed for this series, giving their answers without fear or favour.
Follow the coach and players from a local footy club in Finley as they battle adversity and triumph from the COVID-19 pandemic that grips the town and the world. A documentary exploring the soul of country football.
A detailing of the rise to prominence and global sporting superstardom of six supremely talented young Manchester United football players (David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil and Gary Neville). The film covers the period 1992-1999, culminating in Manchester United's European Cup triumph.
This revealing documentary honors the legendary Sidney Poitier—iconic actor, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Featuring interviews with Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Halle Berry, and more.
A feature length, theatrical documentary on the life of Paul Gascoigne, one of the greatest footballers that ever lived: delving deep into his psyche, vulnerabilities, fears and triumphs.
Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and complex woman.
A string of threatening emails escalates into a revenge plot involving a newly married US marshal and his ex-girlfriend.
SEDUCED AND ABANDONED combines acting legend Alec Baldwin with director James Toback as they lead us on a troublesome and often hilarious journey of raising financing for their next feature film. Moving from director to financier to star actor, the two players provide us with a unique look behind the curtain at the world's biggest and most glamourous film festival, shining a light on the bitter-sweet relationship filmmakers have with Cannes and the film business. Featuring insights from directors Martin Scorsese, 'Bernando Bertolucci' and Roman Polanski; actors Ryan Gosling and Jessica Chastain and a host of film distribution luminaries.
A documentary about the making of season five of the acclaimed AMC series Breaking Bad.
From the heights of her modeling fame to her tragic death, this documentary reveals Anna Nicole Smith through the eyes of the people closest to her.
In an intimate and joyful story of love in the face of loss, celebrated poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley find strength—and unexpected hilarity—in what might be their final year together.
The Making-of James Cameron's Avatar. It shows interesting parts of the work on the set.
Over 35 years after Bob Lazar's revelations, this documentary exposes secrets of a facility the government still denies. Featuring Lazar's testimony, recreations, and new evidence, it reopens a case that continues to spark global curiosity
A documentary about how a dominant cultural and demographic institution both sustains their traditional activities and adapts to the digital revolution.
A heartfelt documentary focusing on the day-to-day lives of professional wrestlers, some on the rise, some on the wane, and others fighting for their lives.
A compilation of over 30 years of private home movie footage shot by Lithuanian-American avant-garde director Jonas Mekas, assembled by Mekas "purely by chance", without concern for chronological order.
Ranjit, a farmer in India, takes on the fight of his life when he demands justice for his 13-year-old daughter, the victim of a brutal gang rape. His decision to support his daughter is virtually unheard of, and his journey unprecedented.
A documentary detailing the epic Rogues' Gallery of DC Comics from The Joker and Lex Luthor, Sinestro, Darkseid and more, this documentary will explore the Super Villains of DC Comics.
The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.
Cast members of the hit Netflix show join the hosts to unpack the drama of Season 1, and Cristela Alonzo offers tips for being the new kid at school.
This documentary follows superstar Bret Hart during his last year in the WWF. The film documents the tensions that resulted in The Montreal Screwjob, one of the most controversial events in the history of professional wrestling, in which Vince McMahon, Shawn Micheals, and others, legitimately conspired behind the scenes to go against the script and remove Bret Hart as champion.
Constructed from over 500 hours of never-before-seen footage, this documentary centers on the personal life and career of the controversial football player Diego Maradona who played for SSC Napoli and Argentina in the 1980s.