Newsfront

Directed by Phillip Noyce and produced by David Elfick, Newsfront represents a seminal moment in the emergence of the Australian movie industry on the world stage. Highly acclaimed at the 1978 Cannes Film Festival and the winner of 18 international awards including 8 AFI Awards, Newsfront garnered raves from critics around the world and became a major box office success at home. Newsfront is the story of the previously unsung newsreel cameramen, who raced to beat deadlines and dangers to capture on film, for a voracious audience of cinemagoers, the historic moments that were shaping a young nation. These were the men who lived and worked in post-World War 2 Australia; a turbulent time with the fear of 'reds under the beds', the tragic Maitland floods and national pride on show at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. But their days were numbered. A new technology would eventually bring the world into the living room instantly - it was called television.
Featuring one of the finest Australian casts ever assembled, many of whom were soon to become household names, NEWSFRONT stars Bill Hunter as Cinetone newsreel cameraman Len Maguire, Gerard Kennedy as his brother Frank, and Wendy Hughes as Amy, Cinetone's production assistant and lover of both men. Included in the support case are Chris Haywood, Bryan Brown, John Ewart, Angela Punch-McGregor and Drew Forsythe.