AustLit

From the time Australians began making films, they began seeking source material in other publications. After all, they had already built a rich theatrical culture in part on adapting and burlesquing overseas material; why would early films not also benefit from this process?

Then came radio, and then television, and still the process of adaptation remained central to the industries.

Furthermore, the process of adaptation was never simply a one-way street, not solely a matter of bringing American and European texts to Australian screens. The American and British industries, too, were adapting Australian works for their own markets, especially the works of prolific playwrights C. Haddon Chambers and Dion Titheradge. Australians also looked to their own literary output, bringing Australian-written novels, plays, and even poems to the screen.

This section begins to explore the tradition of adaptation in Australian films, radio, and television.

This interactive timeline shows selected key events in Australian screen history, including some events related to the stage and radio.

This timeline was developed by Dr Arti Singh with Dr Catriona Mills, using information provided by Professor Tom O'Regan .

Click through the slides at the top using the arrows to the side, and look through the timeline below to explore these events.

Except where otherwise specified or where they are advertising posters or DVD covers, all images in this timeline are sourced from Wikimedia Commons or PixaBay.

All film and television adaptations listed in AustLit	Film and television adaptations produced in Australia
Films, telemovies, and television plays	Film series / serials and television series.
Pre-war film and television adaptations (to 1939)	Post-war film and television adaptations (after 1939)