Smut Hounds

This documentary delves into the fascinating history of film censorship in Australia. In the late 1960s, many films were heavily edited to remove what authorities deemed inappropriate content. David Stratton, then a young director at the Sydney Film Festival, faced significant backlash when he attempted to screen a Swedish film thought to contain actual sex.

Smut Hounds features a combination of previously unseen banned footage and archival material, offering insight into the lengths the government went to control film content. The documentary highlights the absurdity of censorship and its effects on artistic expression in Australian cinema. Through its exploration of seventy-seven seconds of film that caused an uproar, Smut Hounds presents a unique narrative on the evolution of film standards and the battle between creative freedom and societal norms.