Australia had another great year of releases in 2024, with Memoir of a Snail sure to be set for some Academy love, Late Night With the Devil continuing our train of releasing at least one fantastic horror film each year, and, of course, Better Man and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, being two high profile releases at the cinema last year. Unfortunately I’ve made the choice to restrict my choices to just a short list of the best films last year, but now, as is the case each year, there are plenty of great Australian films to watch.

Here are my picks for the Top 5 Australian films released in 2024.

5.) He Ain’t Heavy

Australians love producing films with characters going through A LOT, and He Ain’t Heavy joins the ranks with some of the best. Here, Sam Corlett plays Max, a drug addict who is set on a path of destruction. And so it is that his sister, Jade, Leila Goerge, decides to trick him and lock him up so she can force an ultimatum and detox on him, causing them both to come to terms with many things from their past and present, demons old and new.

4.) Late Night With The Devil

In Late Night With The Devil, directors and writers Colin Cairnes and Cameron Cairnes take us through a night on a fictional ’70s TV show where everything that could go wrong with an on-air exorcism could go wrong. The film is a lot of fun, and I wish I’d seen it at a cinema with David Dastmalchian, who is usually left in supporting roles, showing her that he can more than lead.

3.) T-Blockers

Alice Maio Mackay’s third film is her best work yet. This low-budget horror film is as full of topical social commentary as it is some of the most stylistic colour choices and punk-feminist action to hit the screens this year. All of these choices, along with the story here on screen, make Mackay’s voice one of the most important in Australian cinema for young people right now.

2.) Memoir of a Snail

Adam Elliot’s latest stop-motion animated film is another superb outing. There’s some stellar animation work here, but the story and the emotions Elliot plays with here make the film stand out. Not being afraid to mix dark and light comedy, the film also deals with plenty of mature subject matter. The film may spend a lot of time talking about snails, but it’s a very human-feeling film, even with the stop-motion characters.

1.) Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Why more people, especially Australians, didn’t watch Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga in cinemas, I won’t know. It’s as loud and bombastic as Fury Road, even with slightly fewer action scenes. But the BIG car chase scene here is a technical marvel, and again, another reason to adore George Miller, who pulls off an action like no one else. He is a true Australian cinematic icon, and as much as I hope he gets to do one more of these films, I understand how taxing they must be, and this is still a great way to end off if we need to.

Check out the rest of our Best of 2024 coverage over here now!