Australia Daze: Many Voices, One Chant – Digital Restoration

This documentary film examines the way Australians see themselves 200 years after the British fleet sailed into Sydney harbour to found a colony.

As part of our NFSA Restores program we have restored the landmark observational documentary Australia Daze (1988). The digital restoration will screen on 26 and 27 January 2021 in various locations across Australia. 

The production of Australia Daze involved dozens of camera crews across the nation, under the overall direction of Pat Fiske. They filmed from midnight to midnight on 26 January 1988 to capture the many facets of the bicentenary of European settlement in Australia.

From First Fleet re-enactments to Indigenous protests, backyard barbeques to royal visits, Australia Daze chronicles a broad array of events on that historic day and diverse voices and perspectives from across Australian society.

Australia Daze is a snapshot of one day in the millennia-long history of the country. The film is an opportunity for Australians to remember where they were, or to catch a glimpse of Australia’s past before they were born or arrived here.

It is a chance to reflect on how much things have changed in 33 years – and also how little has changed.