Tom Zubrycki (1946-) is one of the key Australian documentary filmmakers of the last 50 years. His documentaries - as director and producer - reflect the shifting political. social and cultural landscape while remaining committed to social justice, human rights and the ethics of filmmaking.

Tom is the son of a Polish immigrant family who settled in Canberra in 1955. After completing a Bachelor of Science at the ANU he moved to Sydney where he worked as a Science and Maths teacher before enrolling in a masters degree at UNSW in Sociology.

In early 1970’s Tom was a leading participant in the video access movement set up by the Whitlam government before starting work on his first film WATERLOO (1981), an historical account of a battle by residents against redevelopment of their inner Sydney suburb. This was soon followed by KEMIRA - DIARY OF A STRIKE(1984), a day-by-day account of a 16 day underground colliery sit-in strike which led to the storming of Parliament House. and FRIENDS AND ENEMIES (1986),a blow-by-blow account of a landmark industrial dispute in Queensland which saw the emergence of the New Right. In the course of making these films Tom evolved a distinctive engaged observational story-telling style marked by an ability to get close to his subjects.

In the 1990’s he turned his attention to migrant and refugee stories. BILLAL (1995) traced the impact on the life of Lebanese family disrupted by a racially motivated attack. HOMELANDS (1992) told the story of a refugee family torn apart by their conflicting desire to return to their homeland.

After a short stint as commissioning editor at SBS in 1996, Tom returned to filmmaking.  His documentaries include the highly regarded THE DIPLOMAT (2000) about East Timorese independence leader Jose Ramos Horta, MOLLY & MOBARAK (2003) a story of a young Afghan asylum seeker on a temporary visa who finds work in a small country town and falls in love, THE HUNGRY TIDE (2011) about climate change in the Pacific nation of Kiribati, and HOPE ROAD (2017)  the story of a South Sudanese refugee who sets out to build a school back in his home village with a group of dedicated Australian supporters.

As well as making his own films Tom has produced and mentored several early career writer/directors, many of them First Nation. The documentaries include STOLEN GENERATIONS (2000). GULPILLIL - ONE RED BLOOD (2002), MAD MORRO (2009), THE PANTHER WITHIN (2006), TEACH A MAN TO FISH (2018), and ABLAZE (2021).

All up Tom has produced and/or directed more than 36 documentaries, several of which have received awards including AACTA’s for Best Documentary (KEMIRA - DIARY OF A STRIKE, and THE DIPLOMAT) and an International Emmy for EXILE IN SARAJEVO. They have screened in film festivals around the world.

In 2009 Tom was presented with The Cecil Holmes Award for his ongoing career support for directors. In 2010 he received the Stanley Hawes Award in recognition of outstanding contribution to documentary filmmaking in Australia.

Tom has served on the  board of the Australian Directors Guild, ASDACS, Metro Screen, was a founding member of OZDOX – the Australian Documentary Forum, and is a member of the Sydney Film Festival Film Advisory Panel.

Tom lectured in documentary for 10 years at University of Technology, Sydney and taught master-classes in documentary for 8 years at Australian Film, Television and Radio School. In 2019 he was commissioned to write a Platform Paper about the state of documentary in Australia from a historical perspective. It was published as a monograph “THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF AUSTRALIAN DOCUMENTARY” by Currency Press.

In 2022 Tom and colleague John Hughes jointly directed and produced SENSES OF CINEMA - about the history of the filmmaker co-operatives in Sydney and Melbourne, the passionate individuals who moved through them and the powerfully independent films they made. The film, 10 years in production, won the Film Critics Circle of Australia prize for Best Documentary.

In 2023 Tom completed 3 films as producer: THE CARNIVAL about a fifth-generation carnival family, the Bells, KINDRED - the story of two best friends both Aboriginal and adopted, and MEMORY FILM - A FILMMAKER’S DIARY - a poetic film diary by Jeni Thornley about transformation and ‘the personal is political’. He is currently in development on new projects.

FILMOGRAPHY

ABLAZE, 2020

Producer

Write/Directors: Alec Morgan and Tiriki Onus

Premiere: Melbourne International Film Festival 2021

THE WEATHER DIARIES, 2020

Producer

Writer/Director: Kathy Drayton

Festival and theatrical release: From mid 2020

UNDERMINED – TALES FROM THE KIMBERLEY, 2018

Executive Producer

Writer/Director/Co-producer: Nic Wrathall

Writer/co-producer: Stephanie King

Co-producer: Albert Wiggan

Executive Producer: Mitzi Goldman

Best Documentary (Audience award), Antenna Film Festival

Festivals: MIFF, Cinefest Oz, Byron Bay

TEACH A MAN TO FISH, 2018

Producer

Writer/Director: Grant Saunders

Festivals: Sydney Film Festival 2018. Finalist Documentary Australia Foundation competition for Best Australian Documentary.

HOPE ROAD, 2017 

Writer/Director/Producer

Festivals: Sydney Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival

FAIR GAME, 2017

Producer

Writer/Director/Co-Producer: Jeff Daniels

Commissioner: SBS-TV

THE PANTHER WITHIN, 2016 

Producer

Writers/Directors: Edoardo Crismani, Allan Collins,

Co-Producer: Vicki Sugars

Commissioner: NITV (National Indigenous Television)

DOGS OF DEMOCRACY, 2016

Producer

Writer/Director: Mary Zournazi

THE SUNNYBOY, 2013 

Producer

Writer/Director: Kaye Harrison

Festivals: Vivid Festival, Sydney Film Festival, Melbourne Film Festival

Limited Cinema release - Palace

Commissioner: ABC-TV

MENNY & THE BUNDAROOS, 2012

Producer

Writer/Director: John Harvey

Comissioner: Indigenous Dept ABC

BIG BOSS, 2012

 Producer

Writer/Director: Paul Sinclair

Commissioner: Indigenous Dept ABC

LIGHT FROM THE SHADOWS, 2012

Producer

Writer/Director: Director: John Harvey

Commissioner: Artscape and Indigenous Dept ABC

THE HUNGRY TIDE, 2011 

Writer/Director/Producer

Festivals: IDFA, FIFO (Special jury prize), DOC NZ, Sydney & Melbourne Film Festivals

Commissioner: SBS-TV

STOLEN, 2009

Producer

Writer/Directors: Violeta Ayala and Dan Fallshaw

Festivals: The film premiered at The Sydney Film Festival, and later at the Toronto International Film Festival and went on to play at more than 50 festivals around the world

Awards: Won Best Feature Documentary at the Pan-African Film Festival in Los Angeles.

THE INTERVENTION – KATHERINE, NT, 2008

Producer

Writer/Director: Julie Nimmo

Commissioner: ABC Documentaries and Indigenous Department of Screen Australia

MAD MORRO, 2008

Producer

Writer/Director: Kelrick Martin

Festival: Sydney Film Festival

Commissioner: SBS TV

WANJA, 2008

Producer

Writer/Director: Ange Abdilla

Festivals: IDFA, Sydney Film Festival

Commissioner: ABC TV

A FIGHTING CHANCE, 2007

Producer

Writer/Director: Mark Andersson

Co-producer: Katrina Lucas

Commissioner: SBS-TV

TEMPLE OF DREAMS, 2007

Writer/Director/Producer

Festival: Sydney Film Festival

SHORT STORIES, 2006 (4 x 1⁄2 hour series) 

Executive Producer

Commissioner: SBS-TV

THE PRODIGAL SON, 2005

Producer

Writer/Director: Tony Radevski

Festivals: Flickerfest

Commissioner: SBS-TV

VIETNAM SYMPHONY, 2005

Writer/Director

Festivals: Melbourne Film Festival, Hawaii, Goteberg, Vancouver, Mumbai

Commissioner: SBS-TV

MOLLY & MOBARAK, 2003

Writer/Director/Producer

Festivals: Sydney Film Festival, Melbourne Film Festival, Brisbane Film Festival, Margaret Mead Film Festival, IDFA

Commissioners: Sundance Channel, SBS-TV

MAKING VENUS, 2002

Producer

Writer/Director: Gary Doust

Festival: Sydney Film Festival

Commissioner: SBS-TV

GULPILIL – ONE RED BLOOD, 2002

Producer

Writer/Director: Darlene Johnson

Festivals: Melbourne Film Festival

Commissioner: ABC-TV

THE SECRET SAFARI, 2001

Writer/Director

Producer: Sally Browning

Festival: Sydney Film Festival

THE DIPLOMAT, 2000

Writer/Director

Producer: Sally Browning

Festivals: Sydney & Melbourne FIlm Festivals

Awards: Best Documentary (audience vote) - Sydney and Melbourne Film Festivals, AFI awards - Best Documentary and Best Direction in a Documentary

STOLEN GENERATIONS, 2000

Producer

Writer/Director: Darlene Johnson

Festival: Sydney Film Festrival

Commissioner: ABC-TV

WHITEYS LIKE US, 1998

Producer

Writer/Director: Rachel Landers − SBS-TV

DR. JAZZ, 1998

Producer

Writer/Director: David Perry 

Commissioner: ABC-TV

EXILE IN SARAJEVO, 1996

Producer

Writer/Directors: Tahir Cambis and Alma Sazbaz

Festivals: Sydney & Melbourne Film Festivals, IDFA

Award: International Emmy

BILLAL, 1996

Writer/Director/Producer

Commissioner: ABC-TV

HOMELANDS, 1993 

Writer/Director/Producer

Festivals: Sydney & Melbourne Film Festivals, IDFA

BRAN NUE DAE, 1991

Writer/Director/Producer

Commissioner: ABC-TV

LORD OF THE BUSH, 1990 

Writer/Director/Producer

Commissioner: ABC-TV

STRANGERS IN PARADISE, 1989

Writer/Director/Producer

AMONGST EQUALS, 1990

Writer/Director

Producer: Paul Humfress, Film Australia

Festivals: Sydney & Melbourne Film Festivals

FRIENDS & ENEMIES, 1987

Writer/Director/Produce

Festival: Sydney Film Festival

Commissioner: AFC/ABC Fellowship film

KEMIRA - DIARY OF A STRIKE, 1984

Writer/Director/Producer

Festivals: Sydney Film Festival, Sheffield, Leipzig

WATERLOO, 1981

Writer/Director/Producer

Festival: Sydney Film Festival

Award: Best Documentary - Dendy Awards