At the risk of raising the ire and wrath of the Australian film making community, I think it’s safe to say that our film industry has seen better days. We can point the finger all day long but the final depressing result is that the once glorious bastion of imaginative filmmaking has somehow lost its relevance with the general film going audience.

When recalling the best Australian films we always resort back to the halcyon days of the '70s through to the early '90s where it appeared Australian cinema could do no wrong. If you were to believe box office receipts, it seems as though as soon as The Castle finished its cinematic run our film industry collapsed into a black hole that sucked away all glimmer of appeal for filmgoers.

It seems that everyone has an opinion on what’s wrong with modern Australian film, but one thing we know for sure is that swearing at Jim Schembri wont solve anything, no matter how vocal or public it is.

To celebrate our much-maligned industry and hopefully attract new audiences to the Australian section of your local video store we have compiled our list of the best Australian films of the past decade. As this list will show, it’s not all bad ... just maybe not as good as it could be.

Noise (2007)
Excellent film with Brendan Cowell in a breakthrough performance that should have garnered much more attention than it did.




Wolf Creek (2005)
Love it or hate it, Wolf Creek gave new life to the once thriving exploitation horror genre.




Chopper (2000)
Eric Bana with what is possibly the definitive Australian film performance of the past few years.




Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)
Phillip Noyce returns to Australia after directing Harrison Ford for a few years and highlights the social importance of film making as a tool for political awareness. More of this and less Australia please.




Last Train to Freo (2006)
Proof that you don’t need a lot of money to create a gripping and beautifully acted film. Ignore David Stratton’s remarks.




Ten Canoes (2006)
An incredible piece of film making. Highly Recommended.




Little Fish (2005)
Cate Blanchett shines in this touching story of redemption.




Kenny (2006)
By no means a cinematic masterpiece but it’s the strangest of all creations - an Australian comedy that’s actually funny.




Two Hands (1999)
Heath Ledger in the role that made everyone pay attention.




Lantana (2001)
If you haven’t seen this absolute classic we urge you do so immediately.