Rochelle Siemienowicz

Mar 4, 2025 | sbs.com.au | Rochelle Siemienowicz

Blonde hair, bronzed bodies, sunscreen and surf. This is the official picture presented in The Big Island, a promotional film made by the Commonwealth Film Unit in 1970 to sell the idea of Australia to the world. Couples pashed and lounged around on the beach and the camera lingered salaciously on bikini-clad bottoms. All this was accompanied by an upbeat male voiceover: “Most Australians live along the edge of their big island, and in summer, a lot of the living is on the long sandy beaches”.

Feb 27, 2025 | sbs.com.au | Rochelle Siemienowicz

“You’ve done some bad things, sweetie, haven’t ya?”When Jacki Weaver uttered this menacing line in the 2010 Australian crime drama Animal Kingdom she was playing underworld matriarch Janine ‘Smurf’ Cody, a Melbourne grandmother with a cute, familiar face and a warm ocker accent – alongside some sociopathic tendencies like blackmail and murder.

Jan 27, 2025 | screenhub.com.au | Rochelle Siemienowicz

It’s unfortunate that Nicole Kidman has become almost as famous for her strangely ageless face as for her considerable courage and acting talent when given a good role. It’s a relief then, to see her in the erotic thriller Babygirl, looking all of her 57 years, yet playing a character who undergoes injections and infrared saunas as part of her routine to maintain the undeniably beautiful façade. Kidman plays Romy, the high-powered CEO of a New York robotics company.

Jan 9, 2025 | screenhub.com.au | Rochelle Siemienowicz

There’s something very magical – and very Melbourne – about sitting under the stars on a warm summer night, watching rare silent films on the big screen, accompanied by original scores performed by their composers. For the third year running, Melbourne’s Fed Square is presenting Silent Cinema with Live Scores, a free family-friendly program of films and live music held in the outdoor Main Square across three consecutive nights from February 25 to 27.

Jan 8, 2025 | screenhub.com.au | Rochelle Siemienowicz

Australian drama producers are looking closely at popular books for inspiration if this year’s most anticipated drama series are anything to go by. From Apple Cider Vinegar on Netflix, based on the ‘true-ish’ story of wellness influencer Belle Gibson as recounted by journalists Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano, to Prime’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North adapted from Richard Flanagan’s Booker Prize-winning love story, the strength of the story has already been proven.