Migrant Experience, The

1985, Total Running Time 336 Minutes

Drawing upon a rich variety of techniques, including dramatised re-enactment, actuality, cinema verite and archival footage, this richly entertaining program examines the migrant experience in Australia, from the early colony of NSW until the 1980s.

OF DREAMS AND REASONS (55 Minutes) Why do people leave the lands where they were born? Why do some choose Australia as a new home? After World War Two, migrant numbers swelled. Europeans saw Australia as a safe refuge from turmoil, while Australia saw population-building as necessary for its own security

FIRST ENCOUNTERS (55 Minutes) This program looks at how immigrants have been received upon their arrival in Australia. It explores the expectations, fears and challenges of these new immigrants in first meetings between new and old settlers as well as the migrants' desire to play a bigger part in what was fast becoming a multicultural society.

WORKING (56 Minutes) Work is one of the most significant points of interaction between migrants and the wider community. This program examines the experiences, both good and bad, of the migrant workforce in Australia over the years, with a particular emphasis on the post-war era when migration and the economy were booming.

SOMETHING OLD SOMETHING NEW (56 Minutes) This program looks at the contrast of cultures experienced by migrant groups, in particular migrant children and the next generation who may be influenced by and caught between two very different cultures. Long-established and recent migrants describe the search for a personal balance between old traditions and the new ways in Australia.

ARE YOU FAIR DINKUM? (56 Minutes) Is there such a thing as an Australian identity? This program explores the notion of an Australian way of life, how it may have been shaped by migration and the response of migrants to it. It looks at how attitudes to cultural diversity have changed and explores the part language plays in the cultural debate.

SETTING OUT (58 Minutes) A condensed general history of migration to Australia over 200 years, which surveys the chief events in Australian and world history that have influenced our migration patterns and immigration laws. Combining contemporary and historical experiences, it illustrates the complexities of migrating to a new home. Particular attention is paid to the White Australia policy, which over much of the 20th century effectively barred people of non-European descent from immigrating to Australia.

A co-production of Film Australia and the Australian Institute of Multicultural Affairs. © 2011 National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.

FREE Teachers' Notes - Download here