The Australian film industry has always battled for eyeballs in a market saturated with foreign content – but to say it has pulled off some coups along the way is something of an understatement. This week, as the Sydney Film Festival pulls together a surfeit of cinematic treats from various corners of the globe, a strong contingent of Australian-made films will continue a long history in telling stories from down under that have had lasting impact around the world. From leather-clad road warriors to singing drag queens, here are 10 such examples of Australia’s impact on the cinematic world stage. The first full-length narrative feature film ever made was not produced in the US, where the Hollywood studio system emerged in the second decade of the 20th Century or even in France, where inventors such as the Lumière brothers screened some of the first moving pictures. It was created in the unlikely location of Melbourne by a well-known show business family, the Taits. Director Charles and producers John and Nevin brought to cinemas their version of the legend of Ned Kelly (the country’s most famous outlaw) in a then unthinkable five reel format, equating to more than 4,000 ft of film and a running time of more than one hour. The Story of the Kelly Gang’s premise, about a grass-roots hero revolting against the establishment, was one that cinema storytellers have returned to in countless iterations in the many years since. The film’s combination of technical and accomplished storytelling established the Australian film industry early on as a place of energy and innovation. (Credit: World History Archive/Alamy)