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the other hand, were found in the National Archive of Australia and the National Library of Australia located in Canberra. In the period 2000–2006, the researcher made numerous site visits to Canberra to look up archival material and to view documentary films.
Although the collection of migration documentary films was limited to these sources, the researcher tried to include all the accessible items in the analysis. In Screen Sound Australia, the search criteria were based on the following methods: by subject: Immigration (Aliases: Emigration, Migration); text: Keywords (immigration, migration, migrants); year range: 1945–1975; class: Documentary (Moving images). In Film Australia, the footage librarian provided over 15 videotapes, with a combination of films on each tape for the researcher to inspect on-site. Some searches for films in Screen Sound Australia were nonproductive, and those records were deleted.7 As a result, 67 films were selected for analysis. The appendix shows a chronological review of all these films, including film title, year of production, storage form, duration, and information about production organisations. These films are by no means a complete list of the migration documentary films made during this period. Many other films that may be collected in different archives (including state film centres, immigration museums, university and/or local libraries, private corporations, and individuals) were excluded from the list. This was the basic limit of this research.
In reviewing these post-war documentary films, this study aimed to examine the production mechanism of Australian documentary films and the discourse and national identity represented in them. The central objectives were to find out how these films indoctrinated potential migrants and Australian viewers via images of a narrow but noncolonial/pioneering Australia. How were nation, ethnicity, race, gender, and other social factors represented in the discourse, by what means, and with what thematic constructions? In this book, a comparison is made of the findings of content analysis in three different stages, and selected in-depth case studies of films are presented to identify icons, patterns, narratives, genres, productions, and meanings of these films. The introduction of this book presents the relevant issues, concepts, research questions, and background to the study. Chapter 1 explores the historical development of shifting Australian